Baptism
Water is a symbol in many religions including Christianity. Water is essential to life and health and its importance is reflected in religion. Water plays an important part in religious ceremonies in Islam and Buddhism but it is the Christian ceremony of baptism which springs to mind whenever we think of water in religion.

Baptism is the rite by which a baby or adult is welcomed into the Christian faith. The word "baptism" comes from the Greek verb "bapto" which means "to dip" or "to immerse".  The use of water in the baptism ceremony expresses Christian belief in the forgiveness of God and the need to live a life which reflects faith in God. It is symbolic of belonging to and making a commitment to Christianity.

The water used in baptism reflects three aspects of belief;
  cleansing (the washing away of sins)
  death (to 'die' to a way of life not pleasing to God)
  new life (living a life pleasing to God)

Questions
1)	Why is water important in religion?
2)	Name three religions in which water is 	used in its ceremonies.
3)	What does the Christian baptism do?
4)	Where does the word "baptism" come 	from and what does it mean?
5)	What does the ceremony express?
6)	What is it a symbol of?
7)	Explain what is meant by cleansing, 	death and new life.
8)	Baptism is sometimes called 	"christening". What does christening 	mean?
9)	At a baptism or christening what is the 	water contained in? Where is it located?
Writing
Have you been to a baptism or christening? Write about it. You could mention the clothes worn by the baby and the priest (or vicar). What other things were used besides water? (e.g. candles?) Can you remember any words? What happened after?