Baptism in Kool-Aid

[James.]

That's just it, realizing that we are only "right" in Christ doesn't mean abandoning concern for living a life that reflects His "rightness"--quite the opposite.

"If you love me, you will obey my commands." --Jesus (Jn. 14:15)

[Serenity432001]

That's just it, realizing that we are only "right" in Christ doesn't mean abandoning concern for living a life that reflects His "rightness"--quite the opposite.

"If you love me, you will obey my commands." --Jesus.

Oh okay, I think I did misunderstand you. 

My observation is there are 2 groups of people, probably more than that but for this discussion I'm using 2.  Anyway,  one group is so afraid that if they don't tell folks that unless they live a certain way and do certain things and don't do certain things that they will not be obedient.  The other group doesn't think it is necessary to tell folks its up tothem to make sure they "get it right".  They tell folks Jesus already did get it right and out of gratitude for Him and knowing He knows whats best for us, obedience is the only way to live.   Both groups see and want to be obedient.  One does it because they feel it is all on their shoulders and their salvation is up to them.  The other group understands the dependence is on Jesus.   

[zoonance]

Yep, it's a simple test.  If you walk up to the pool, it could be mirky, dirty, have pond scum on it, but you'd still call it "water."  If you walked up to to a pool and it smelled like synthetic cherrys and was the color of deer blood, not so much.  Same if it looked and smelled like coffee.

As to the elbow issue, that's just a refection of just how afraid some folks are of "getting it wrong."  Love casts out fear, so a healthier understanding of the love of God and His desire to save is the answer.  The answer to a fear of getting things wrong is not to develop an equal fear of being concerned with getting things right, however.


Eccl 7:16-18
16   Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?
17   Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
18   It is good that you grasp one thing, and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.
(NAS)

This is actually something I have not thought of before.  At the very least, assuming a choice is available, (forgetting any symbolism for the moment...) baptizing someone in a cesspool of filth and giardia, E. coli etc doesn't appear to be giving God our best attention.  We wouldn't spit, etc.  in the wine/grape juice  I doubt we need to do scientific analysis, but our created by God senses should take care of what He deserves.

[zoonance]

marc, When I was new to these forums, I read something about how Churches of Christ taught that baptism literally washes sins away.  If I believed this, I wouldn't want to live downstream from a CoC baptismal point, as all the water would be contaminated with the sins, and who knows if that water filter I have downstairs, or the one under the sink, would remove that kind of contamination.  I fear all the water on earth would eventually end up contaminated with sin. :)  We'd all be in serious trouble.
Sopranette wrote:

...it would make my hair all sticky.

love,

Sopranette

Kool-ade is available unsweetened, you could buy that kind and not add the sugar.

The church I was raised in had white baptismal gowns.  The one I attend now doesn't use them.  Most people just wear shorts and a t-shirt.

Good question Marc. I was raised in a church that taught baptism by immersion, but I had never read about the concern of someone's hair floating on the surface until I found these forums.  I don't think it would ever come up as an issue at my current church.  We currently baptize by immersion, because we have a baptistery, but we've only had that for the last 5 or 6 years.  Before that summer baptisms were done in a swimming pool, winter ones were done by pouring.  Pouring is the most common method for the denomination I currently attend.

If you used purple kool-ade, you'd end up with a bunch of temporarily purple people.  :)

Though I understand the  response to believing that water literally washes away sins, the idea itself is not simply made up through human reasoning, invented in order to fulfill some unclear preconceived belief.  Acts 22:16 could suggest this to the casual reader.   (Even those who may have espouse such a view recognize it is not merely a bath nor is it the H2O magically involved at all - but rather the blood of Jesus coming in contact with the repentant in an act of salvational obedience - based on what He recorded for us to read!)   


 I suspect we could all look at each other's doctrinal positions and find those  points that haven't been properly thought through by the proponent or explained adequately to the uninformed "peeping Toms" making fun.  Look around the Forum and find example after example of this.

[Wycliffes_Shillelagh]

Yes, it is allowable, but only if you dump a half gallon of bleach in there first.

 

[DCR]

...in which case the baptismal robe better be white. 

[spurly]

Why did this question even come up?

[Wycliffes_Shillelagh]

To take the question seriously...

No, it wouldn't be okay.  Baptism is supposed to symbolize a cleansing, a death, and a rebirth.

There is no way you're going to convince me that being dunked in kool-aid could ever symbolize cleansing.

Besides, you're only baptized in kool-aid when you join the Church of Fonzerelli. =-)

Jarrod

[Bocephus]

To take the question seriously...

No, it wouldn't be okay.  Baptism is supposed to symbolize a cleansing, a death, and a rebirth.

There is no way you're going to convince me that being dunked in kool-aid could ever symbolize cleansing.

Besides, you're only baptized in kool-aid when you join the Church of Fonzerelli. =-)

Jarrod

The Church of the Fonz, is not the Church of Fonzerelli.

   Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[BornToReign]

To take the question seriously...

No, it wouldn't be okay.  Baptism is supposed to symbolize a cleansing, a death, and a rebirth.

There is no way you're going to convince me that being dunked in kool-aid could ever symbolize cleansing.

Besides, you're only baptized in kool-aid when you join the Church of Fonzerelli. =-)

Jarrod

The Church of the Fonz, is not the Church of Fonzerelli.

   Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Canadian Fonz, eh?

[Jon-Marc]

A shower would definitely be in order after being baptized in Kool-Aid. 

[marc]

Why did this question even come up?

See reply #19.

______________________

btw, in this analogy the elbow out of the water would correspond to slightly impure baptismal water.  Baptism in Kool-Aid would correspond to sprinkling or pouring.

It's not that tight an analogy, though.  The question becomes what really matters, and maybe--maybe, not certainly--the question of how much something being done in good faith matters. 

But since this is, as far as I know, an original analogy, it can really mean whatever it seems to.  It hasn't been properly vetted.

[Sherman Nobles]

Johnny the Baptist

Johnny's Mother looked out the window and noticed
him 'playing church' with  their cat.? He had the cat
sitting quietly and he was preaching to  it.? She smiled
and went about her work.

A while later, she heard loud meowing and hissing and
ran back to the open window to see  Johnny baptizing the
cat in a tub of water.

She called out, 'Johnny, stop that!  The cat is afraid of water!'

Johnny looked up  at her and said,
'He should have thought about that before he joined my church.'?