Both baptism and christening are religious rituals to induct someone into the Church. The individual takes up Christianity or is bestowed with the faith. However, there is substantial difference between baptism and christening. The two rituals are not interchangeable, neither literally nor in practice.
Baptism: Explained!
Baptism as a process, ritual or religious custom is an officiating ceremony where a person accepts Christianity as his or her faith. He or she is inducted into the Church. The ceremony usually involves taking a dip in a tank of holy water or the priest will pour some holy water thrice on the forehead of the person who is being baptized. The ritual is essentially a person washing away his or her past sins and disavowing or denouncing the earlier life that he or she has lived without Christ. The earlier life doesn’t refer to any previous births but the present life.
Christening: Explained!
Christening is the process of naming a baby. After birth, a child born to Christian parents has to be officially named, which is also his or her Christian name. This is almost always the legal name of the child as well. Christening may simply be the act of naming a child and then being welcomed to the Church. However, christening may also be an elaborate ceremony including baptism and blessing, in addition to being a naming exercise.
Baptism Vs Christening
Baptism does not include christening but christening can include baptism. Baptism is applicable to infants or newborns and adults. Christening is only applicable to infants or newborns and not adults. Those who have grown up following another religion or having being an atheist and would like to convert to Christianity will be baptized. They will not be christened. Also, any Christian by birth who has not been baptized and has since grown up can get baptized. However, he or she cannot undergo christening as a grown up. Whatever was the ritual at the time of naming the child officially would remain the officiating moment and process.
Both baptism and christening has a role of the church. It is the church that officiates the ceremonies and eventually inducts the baptized or christened person into the church. Baptism for infants is accepted and practiced by Roman Catholic Church, Methodists and Oriental Orthodoxy. Baptism is not accepted or practiced by many, including the Baptists, Apostolic Christians, all Old Time Missionary Baptists, Disciples of Christ, Amish and Mennonites among others.
Christening May Include Baptism
Baptism doesn’t include christening, not necessarily or as a part of tradition. Christening can include baptism if the parents of an infant want so. Usually, a christening ceremony will begin with Blessing. This is a process of a child bestowing his or her faith in Jesus. Blessing also includes repenting for past sins. This ritual is followed by baptism which is the ritual or ceremony of having the child to accept Jesus and the Church. The expressed belief in Jesus and being welcomed to the Church is then followed up with the act of choosing a name for the baby. This is the christening ritual. All three may form a part of the ceremony which can also be called christening. Many parents opt for such a ceremony as they can get everything done at the same time, with all their family and relatives present.
Critics of Baptism & Christening
Many who don’t accept baptism and yet are followers of Christianity tend to reject the symbolism of washing off all the sins and repenting for the same. There are critics of christening as well. Infant baptism and infant christening are both critiqued heavily. Infant baptism is called pedobaptism. It is argued that an infant doesn’t really have any sins to be subjected to the purification or apparent repenting for sins through holy water. Also, an infant barely has any understanding of sins so the process of repenting or purification and subsequent welcome by the church is essentially not understood by the child.
The same argument stands for christening. As far as the official naming ceremony is concerned, it is almost unanimously agreed that giving the baby a name and then welcoming him or her to the church is a rational start. However, the elaborate christening process when a child is asked to accept Jesus, the church and the practices of Christianity don’t really make sense because the infant doesn’t understand any of it. According to many, a child should be named during christening and the other rituals must be carried out when the child has grown up a little and can understand what Christianity is, what accepting Jesus and being inducted to the church is actually all about.
As is the case with most religions and rituals around the world, there is considerable variance in both the procedures of baptism and christening.
