Baptisms - An Observation...

I am the first one to tell you the following regarding my religious beliefs:

•  I believe in God
• I believe that Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins
• I do not get wrapped up in religious commentary
• The Bible is a book based upon the writings of many people
• The information in the Bible can be interpreted in so many different ways - ergo so many different religious groups 
• No one group is better than another
• If you get anything out of this, live life with love and kindness as much as possible  
• There will always be challenges

I am not sure if any of that makes me "saved" or not.  I never went through a proper baptism.  My mother told me that the ceremony for baptism was just that - a ceremony.  What really mattered was that one accepted God and Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Furthermore, Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

I had attended a Baptist church when I was much younger.  Being much older, I realize that I was not there for the right reasons.  I was there because I was promised chocolate milk and donuts.  That was how the church members recruited the kids to ride the church bus and got them into church.  Sounds a bit weird now that I remember that episode of The Big Bang Theory where Sheldon and the gang were going over how to get kids into the comic book store - Get a van to take them to the store and offer them candy.  

I always went to church by myself.  My parents never attended, but when they were younger, they had gone to church.  So, more out of curiosity over what was going on when these people would get dunked in the huge bathtub behind the pulpit, I stated I wanted to be saved.  Through the process, the church came by my house to talk to my parents.  Nutshell, I never went through the baptism process because my parents refused to be members of the church...or at least, I think that is what I remember.  That and was told I had to attend special classes and was no longer allowed to attend Sunday school.

In the end, I quit going to church.  For a child, it was all confusing and I was there for all of the wrong reasons.

Needless to say, I was left with some pretty raw feelings regarding churches in general.  I believe all churches are a business in some form or fashion.  However, I feel that the smaller churches are more geared to the community.  Large churches take on more of a large entertainment show.  For them, it is all about the money.

So, I always have the feeling that the ceremony, whether it takes place in the church, at a lake/river/pond, or someone's backyard, is only that -  a ceremony.  It is also the initiation as being part of the church.  I feel that if you truly accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and that he died on the cross for your sins, then you are saved - with or without the water.  I may still be considered a heathen to many, but that is okay.  We all have our rights to our own beliefs.