Religious Signs

Baptism refers to the initiation ceremony used in the Christian churches. In some churches infants are baptised, while in other churches it is restricted to adults. Also in some churches the person to be baptised is completely immersed in water, but in others water is only poured on the person’s head. These different practices are reflected in the two different signs for baptism found in this dictionary.

In the New Testament there are two different kinds of baptism. As his name indicates, John the Baptist baptised people, which is called a “baptism for repentance” (Matt 3:11). In the time of the New Testament, accepting baptism meant a person became a follower of the baptiser. In his letters Paul writes about baptism as initiation into being a follower of Jesus.