Overview

Personally, I believe that this ritual is sacred and that it should be respected. It holds a lot of hidden ideas which I have covered, such as marriage, the importance of being renewed and the power held within the Bible. Through interviewing people who have gone through this experience I had a sense of how much faith they have in their God. Overall the purpose is to become more like Christ himself. I admire the courage of the individual 's who partake in this public declaration and their effort shown in comitting themselves fully towards the call of God. The ritual might appear as being miniscule but making the decision to follow the small and narrow road for the rest of your life isn't an easy task, this act truly does build itself on the idea of faith.  

Symbolism- (Reborn Christian Baptism)

One of the most important symbols in the ritual is the water in which the individual is baptised in. The water represents new life, new beginnings, as well as the Holy Spirit. In the midst of the water, that is where the transition takes place. This realtes to the birthing of the universe, where it began with the Spirit hovering over the water. Furthmore it is an element that purifies and cleanses the body of it’s sins. In the water is where you depart from your old ways.

Secondly the Bible is used in the ceremony to present certain readings in realtion to baptism. This is symbolic, as it resembles a key to the gates of heaven. Often Christians fall back on the scriptures to be reassurred that the faith will carry them throughout lifes up's and downs. In this specific case the scriptures commands Christians to be baptized in order that they may be able to enter the gates of heaven. As said in Romans 6:4, 'We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life'. Without the word of God, this ritual means nothing and christians wouldn't know how to perform the ceremony if the writings in the New Testement weren't published.

Another impacting symbol, is the individual emersing from the water because as soon as they come up they are seen as a new being. This act refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It can be further compared to a wedding vow because it clearly reflects the message of ‘until death do us part’. What I mean by this is that, the person has chosen to die to the flesh beside Christ and rise up to be one in spirit. If you are not born again your spirit is dorment and it doesn’t awaken till you take that step in Christ as explained by Pastor Robert Furrow:

The Ceremony & Discoveries- (Reborn Christian Baptism)

The baptism itself is a very short ceremony. It is a ritual that clarifies the direction of a Christian; it leads on to a new journey, a new lifestyle. The ceremony is often performed in a pool or in the ocean, beginning with an introductory prayer which is done by the pastor. The prayer acknowledges the decision the individuals have made and a request is made to the Lord, asking Him to guide the group in their future journey. The group who are being baptized then enter the water with the leader of the procession. The two stand side by side and another prayer is said by the pastor for a personal blessing upon the individual- the individual is then said by the pastor to be baptized in the ‘name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost/Spirit’, while being fully submerged in the water. As the person is raised up from the water they are seen as being renewed and from that moment on they live a new life in salvation that has been giving through the death of Jesus Christ. The ritual acts as a transition to becoming mature in the faith.

This baptism is performed later on in life, there isn’t a certain age as to who can be baptized but individuals make the choice for it to be done, after they’ve gained a greater understanding of the faith. This ritual is important to Christians because it was stated in the scriptures by Jesus himself, “I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." However, I have spoken to a group of committed ‘born again’ Christian women and they told me that they agreed to it out of obedience towards the command of God. They also said that when you become a follower of Christ, the baptism is a public declaration of your commitment to the faith. It’s a ritual that shows you mean business, that the lifestyle you have chosen is a choice that deserves respect.

It appears to me that the ritual is more of a scarifice of one’s life in order to lead by the example of Jesus Christ. I’ve also understood from the intellectual coversation I had with these woman, that there is a supernatural breakthrough behind the act. In some cases individuals have given up bad addictions instantly, such as smoking.