Some people believe baptising babies is pointless, however, others believe it is an important and meaningful ceremony for the infant who is starting their life. They believe this new beginning should be blessed by God. They maintain that Jesus always welcomed children and blessed them, rebuking those who wanted to make them go away. He saw children as an example of what Christians should be like.
(Mark 10 13-17) The church should also welcome children and infant baptism is a good way of showing this.Some people believe that unbaptised babies do not go to heaven, so being baptised as soon as possible is important. Parents are eager to have God's blessing bestowed on their child in order to protect and keep them safe. In the Old Testament, God says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you. " (Ezekiel 36:25) This bible verse suggests the idea of 'sprinkling' instead of total immersion, which is a more suitable method for babies.
When a child is baptised it immediately becomes a member of the church community and throughout its life it is encouraged to live as a Christian based on the example of Jesus' life. However, when an adult is baptised they have already missed out many years of being a member of the Christian community. The bible teaches that repentance comes before baptism. Peter in Acts 2:38 tells us that, "Each one of you must turn away from his sins and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. " However it is impossible for a baby to repent so is baby baptism pointless?Some people feel it is better to leave Baptism until later in life when they are old enough to understand.
Children may be influenced by their parent's faith when they are young and their belief in God can be reinforced and acknowledged by the church itself. One of the first things Jesus did before beginning to preach the word of God was to ask John the Baptist to baptise him (Mark 1:9). Jesus was a young adult, not a baby. In the bible there is no real evidence that any baby was ever baptised in the days of the early church.
Although we read that 'whole households' were baptised we are also told that they all believed - so this would exclude babies. Not all households may include an infant. I can understand the views on baby baptising but I feel it is better to be baptised as an adult because the candidate will fully understand and accept the significance of the ceremony. In adult baptism the candidate can understand that he/she is becoming a member of the body of which Christ is the head.Whereas in infant baptism parents and godparents say the vows and accept Jesus for the child. But how can someone else accept Jesus for you? It is a personal relationship between you and God, and no one can commit you but yourself.
In conclusion, I accept that both adult and baby baptisms have the same purpose, to become true followers of God. In regard to the statement that unbaptised people don't go to heaven I disagree. According to the bible, God loves everyone and surely he wouldn't turn his back on anyone if they weren't baptised.
