The History Of A Childs Christening From A Religious And Non Religious Perspective

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The birth of a baby is a special event in a family's life. It is an experience shared not only by the parents but their extended family and friends. Christenings for many families are an important rite of passage and an occasion celebrated by all the significant people in a child's life. Every family introduces their own special memories into the baptising day, as well as the order of service that is part of the church service. The history of a child's christening may provide ideas for your childs special day that will make it extra memorable.

Christenings have been part of the church rituals since the earliest days. In some countries, christenings are known as baptisms. The ceremony imitates the baby into the Christian community and is the opportunity for the babies parents and other significant adults to promise to raise the child according to the Christian faith.

In the broader meaning, some churches baptize adults as a means of their identifying themselves as Christians. Christening usually is a ceremony that focuses on young children and often involves officially naming the baby. Adults are appointed ...
... to speak on behalf of the child, promising to oversee the child's spiritual development. It is recognized by many of these churches as symbolic of and containing the same significance as the ancient Jewish circumcision ceremony.

It is not known if the early church practiced these baptisms but some bible references appear to give the impression that children were included in the ceremonies that identified new Christian converts. There are many records that suggest that by the second and third century, babies were being christened in the church.

From the third century it was practiced by most Christian families. Those that did not postponed christening until the child was older and could speak for his or her self. Over time as the western nations have become more secularized, some aspects of these special service have been adopted by non Christian groups.

They include some of the Christian ceremony, particularly the naming ceremony. Other Christian groups that practice adult baptism practice a form of dedication where the child is dedicated to God, but this does not confer church membership in the way that the christening ceremony does for those that practice it. However the family views the ceremony from a religious perspective, the significance and history of a child's christening will be remembered by the family for many years.
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