Baptism - It's not what you think it is...

Baptism: It’s not what you think it is…

I deeply appreciate the ritual and more importantly the symbolism of baptism, but back in my days as a fundamentalist Christian it was the fear of hell that kept me going back for more. I was baptized many times! Deep down inside, I, like most fundamentalists, had a fear-based belief in the ritual and a very limited and literal understanding of what it means to be baptized.

But once I started to see this and other rituals as metaphors my whole viewpoint changed. John the Baptist introduced water baptism giving to us a tactile act that symbolizes Divinity’s immersion or descent into the material world, that is, into human consciousness.

DIVINITY IMMERSED INTO HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS, LIVING AS A MORTAL,  INSIDE YOUR BODY, HOLDING ITS DIVINE BREATH UNTIL THE TIME OF AWAKENING THEREBY COMING UP AND OUT OF THE “WATERS” OF BEING HUMAN.

Baptism is not about getting wet, whether it be by sprinkling or dunking, but the ritual does offer a template that shows us Divinity’s journey into human consciousness. If we can disengage from the literal act of baptism and the attached dogma, we may see something far more mysterious than perfunctory.

We discover that this ritual, when understood metaphorically, is at the heart of our authentic identity as Divinity lowered and immersed into human-hood, then resurrecting from that mortal state, and ascending into immortality. It is cited in scripture that we must be baptized in order to be saved.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16)

We see there is an edict to be baptized and also to believe. Believe in what? Should we believe in someone else’s idea of God killing his Son so that his wrath might be avenged? Should we believe that we have to get sprinkled or dunked to get into heaven? Must we recite a prayer acknowledging that we are sinners?

"Will be condemned" are strong words from which to build a very threatening doctrine. Who wants to be condemned (to hell) and suffer everlasting torment in flames? Can the simple act of being immersed in water really save us?

The act and ritual of baptism is not so much for egocentric man but rather it is for the Divine nature within man to awaken and to become consciously aware of its own journey.

After all it has been immersed into human form, beneath the waters of human consciousness. Likewise, its human partner, the mind, must come to terms with its immortal reality and BELIEVE who and what it is. Otherwise, we have to go around the karmic mountain again sentenced to mortality (the realm of death and decay) until the time of awakening where we finally believe in whom and what we are. Baptism is a profound template found in scripture.

Coming up and out of the waters of limited, mortal and human consciousness is what “saves” the body. This mystery is not about getting wet be it sprinkling or dunking. It’s about recognizing that you as Divinity, took a fantastic journey - a long slumber into mortality as a human being. Now it is time to wake-up.

Believe – be immersed into human consciousness – forget your Divinity – then when you have experienced all there is to experience, when the suffering of the Christ has been “filled” up in your body, it will be time to awaken.

From Escaping Christianity ~ Finding Christ

Available on Amazon.com

Comments

[Henry]

I'd just like to pass on another way to help spread the gospel and it's simply this:-

Include a link to an online gospel tract (e.g. www.freecartoontract.com/animation) as part of your email signature.

An email signature is a piece of customizable HTML or text that most email applications will allow you to add to all your outgoing emails. For example, it commonly contains name and contact details - but it could also (of course) contain a link to a gospel tract.

For example, it might say something like, "p.s. you might like this gospel cartoon ..." or "p.s. have you seen this?".