Baptism

From the Greek root: 'baptizr', which means 'to immerse,' 'to dip under,' or 'to wash'.

In Christianity, the act in which a Christian publicly declares that they have joined God's side. It is supposed to represent their death, burial and resurrection in Jesus Christ. Death to sin, burial of the old self and resurrection to a new life in Christ. Baptism happens with water that also symbolises the entire process of cleansing from sin. It is usually performed by a member of the clergy in a church setting, thus welcoming an individual into the church.

Denominations disagree about the method (immersion, sprinkling or pouring), the age at which the ritual is done, and additional consequences of baptism. Some Christian groups maintain that baptism is required before a person can be saved; some say that only those baptized in their denomination or in a certain way can be saved. Still others consider baptism to be merely an indication that a person had been saved in the recent past.