Editorial January 10, 1925 Issue

Baptism

Duncan Sinclair

The beginner in Christian Science often finds himself questioning as to the nature and value of the rites and ceremonies which may have formed part of his religious life before he commenced the study of this Science. Christian Science has given him an insight into the entirely spiritual nature of God and His creation, and shown him so clearly the utterly false nature of so-called material existence that he perceives, perhaps almost immediately, the necessity for readjustment. Indeed, the gaining of the spiritual meaning of those terms which were formerly associated with certain practices, brings about the demand for this readjustment.

Religions in their initial stages have invariably been characterized by outward ceremony and the observance of material rites. The ceremonial law of the Hebrews presents an outstanding example of this. But truer and more spiritual views of God threw ceremony and rite into the background, latterly discarding them altogether. Thus it came about that practically the whole of the ceremonial law of the Hebrews fell into abeyance at the coming of Christ Jesus. The teaching of the Nazarene made religion altogether a thing of Spirit, a question of spiritual understanding, thereby lifting the Christian religion, of which he was the Founder, to a plane immeasurably above any other. And so it continued for several centuries, until materialism again usurped the place of spirituality; then men sank back once more into the outward show of ceremony and material rite instead of continuing steadfast in the path of purely spiritual worship.

Mrs. Eddy's discovery of Christian Science, the final step in the revelation of the spiritual nature of real being, created a new religious era; and there ensued new and more spiritual views of the rites and ceremonies which were celebrated in the Christian church. Baptism, the meaning of which it is but just to say varied with the spiritual outlook of the individuals taking part in it, was one of these. Broadly speaking, baptism varied from the dedicating of the babe to God and the taking of vows by the parents to sponsor the child spiritually, to the symbolism of total immersion in water, which latter may have indicated the intention of the individual to dedicate his entire life to God. Always was the rite associated with the use of water, sometimes by the sprinkling of it upon the person, sometimes by total immersion in it.

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