What Were Your Views On Salvation?

[Neon Genesis]

I was raised to believe that to be saved and be counted as a true Christian, you had to be baptized by being fully submerged into water for the remission of sins and I was baptized when I was 15. If you weren't baptized or weren't baptized the right way or for what they considered the right reasons, you were going to hell. Baptism was not simply a symbolic act but it was key to salvation. They believed you had to be fully submerged because they pointed to all the examples in the NT where Jesus and the early Christians were baptized through submersion and because of verses like Mark 16:16. The sinner's prayer and baptism by sprinkling weren't considered to be enough to save you. It wasn't required to be saved multiple times but they would let you be re-baptized if you thought you needed to for some reason. They believed the gifts of the spirit died out when the original apostles died so they didn't believe you got any special healing powers or anything after being baptized. There was no official age of reason but you had to be considered old enough to make your own decisions before you could be baptized. What were your beliefs on salvation and how were you saved as a Christian?

 

Edit: Is it possible to edit this poll so the second question allows you to choose as many options that's applicable?

[florduh]

Sinner's prayer did the trick. Baptism was a symbolic act, but if you were going to do it, the right way was submersion. Once saved always saved, but heavenly rewards were doled out according to works. So called gifts of the spirit died out with the apostles.

[Vomit Comet]

Sinner's prayer did the trick. Baptism was a symbolic act, but if you were going to do it, the right way was submersion. Once saved always saved, but heavenly rewards were doled out according to works. So called gifts of the spirit died out with the apostles.

 

All of the above, except that the spiritual gifts were alive and well.

 

Also, "adults could get baptized multiple times." I had a friend who was a real fuck up. He'd come and get "re-saved" and be okay for several months to maybe a year or two, but then he'd go back into drugs, leave his wife and kid again, go back to jail, and once again become an asshole that nobody but other assholes wanted to be around. A year or so later he'd show back up and get re-baptized. By the third or fourth go-round it got pretty fucking old, but I just nodded my head and went along, and hoped deep in my heart that it was real this time.

[Thurisaz]

My German mainstream protestant church made salvation pretty much a no-deal, and baptism wasn't a reason for much brouhaha either. What was considered most important was how you lived your life - whether you at least tried as best you could to practice "love your neighbor".

[Guest ephymeris]

Full submersion was key, for some reason, to baptism. Our church made it a point to naysay sprinkling babies. You could dedicate your baby to the church but no submersion until you were deemed old enough to make your own decision. There was no particular age but if you were raised in the church, you started getting the old "get saved" push around the second grade or so. I don't remember how old I was but I was pretty young. I redid the deed when I was 18 years old because I guess the first one didn't stick! My niece was 4 when she started asking to be baptised but they made her wait til she was 6 so she would "understand the importance of it."

[hereticzero]

To be a good So. Baptist, you had to give a 'confession of faith' or a 'testimony', where you stand in front of the church and tell them how Jesus changed your life, if you are an adult, or how you are going to serve Jesus if you are younger. If you want to start out with a lot of prestige in the church then you would give a testimony that would leave them crying their eyes out. Then, close with a joyous transformation into that person Jesus wants you to be! Somebody say 'Amen!'

 

Then you have a counselling session with the pastor where he explains what the Baptist are all about and he will tell you again of the wonderful gospel of Jesus. You may have to attend a few classes about the church, it is preindoctrination propaganda, and the pastor sets a date for the baptism. The baptism was a representation of us dying to our old life and being reborn in spirit. A remembrance or sacrament of the resurrection to some. I believed baptism was needed for the spiritual cleansing of sins. Churches I attended did not claim baptism was as important as the confession of faith. This was because some people died on their deathbeds with a confession of faith in Jesus but were unable to be baptized. They were baptized in the spirit, if baptized in the spirit then you were not under the law of death for your sins.

 

What I was taught, salvation comes from the transformation of that person into a different kind of human being and that baptism was just a representation of our burial and resurrection, the cleansing of sins. Some ministries use the butterfly as an example of the transformation, a rebirth and transformation. The person is supposed to show the attributes of the holy spirit in their daily lives. This demonstrates that the holy spirit is in them. These attributes are, among others, long-suffering, patience, love, mercy. Some call this 'good fruits.' An evil tree brings forth wicked fruit, whereas a good tree produces wholesome fruits.

[Deva]

Sinners Prayer was by far the most important thing. It was best if you came up during the altar call, met with a church member and said it with them in another room. Then they brought you out at the end of the service and sort of made this announcement that you "found the Lord" or had "gotten saved".

 

Belief was everything, although if you did a lot of actions the Bible said were immoral, your salvation was suspect.

 

Then since it was commanded in the Bible that people be baptised you did that later on-- full immersion only. That was like a symbolic representation of dying and rising in Christ. It was not presented as being a part of salvation in any way.

 

There were services where people gave their salvation experiences, their "testimonies". They all sounded sort of the same after awhile. People who were in the gutter, divorced, drunk, etc. found Christ and their life was totally changed. I thought it was interesting that old guys could actually name the day in 1935 or something that they got saved. That sort of impressed me for some reason.

[noob]

Full submersion was imperative! You had to understand that your baptism mirrored the gospel. Just as Jesus died, was buried, and resurrected; through baptism your old self died, your sins were buried, and you were raised to live a new life in Christ. I actually believed that if you had decided to be baptized, yet you died on the way to have it done, you were toast for eternity!!! No wonder I have issues! Not only that, but I was never sure that I had actually done it right. OMG, was my heart right, did I fully understand, did the preacher immerse me FULLY or was my big nose sticking out!?!!?!!? I was baptized THREE times and I still felt insecure!!!!

 

I used to worry a lot about my friends that thought the sinner’s prayer would result in salvation. I’m starting to realize that a lot of my issues stem from the stress, guilt, and uncertainty brought about by my involvement in religion. I find that very sad, but I am happy that I no longer involve myself in such a sick system.

[florduh]

I was baptized THREE times and I still felt insecure!!!!

 

The only sure salvation for you was drowning.

[noob]

I was baptized THREE times and I still felt insecure!!!!

 

The only sure salvation for you was drowning.

 

I'm pretty sure my last thought would have been, "FUCK, I hate getting water in my nose!" And there I would go.... right down the laundry chute - straight to HELL!!!!!!

 

I much prefer being a happy Heathen!!!

[Mriana]

This may sound sad, but I really don't know. My mother went up to my uncle's altar three times, supposedly to be saved and the third time I was scared into being baptized, yet her church preaches "the Path of Salvation". I have no clue what that means either even though I've heard the sermon at least once.

 

As for the Episcopal Church that I attended after I grew up, I never really inquired into that, but I had my kids baptized via sprinkling shortly after they were born, because that what people did and I didn't want others to think badly of me if I didn't do it. Funny though, before my first child was baptized, there was a woman who said, "If the baby cries during baptism, it means demons are coming out of him." I thought that was rather odd and no he didn't cry about it, neither did my second son, though my mother believes my second son is demon possessed, or did in past years. She hasn't said it recently though, except she wants to give him an anointing by proxy.

 

Maybe I'm just thick headed when it comes to such terms or maybe I know what it is when defined, but not the word. I don't know. This goes for "freewill" and other like religious terms too. I do know, if you follow "the path" in my mother's church, you will continue to be saved, but if you divert from it (whatever that is) you have to be saved again and again and again until you give yourself totally to the Lord and live whatever life it is the church wants you to live. Funny how that works- the church defines what salvation is, controls it, and it's different for each one. So, how can one know what salvation is or even means?

[hereticzero]

I was baptized THREE times and I still felt insecure!!!!

 

The only sure salvation for you was drowning.

[noob]

I was baptized THREE times and I still felt insecure!!!!

 

The only sure salvation for you was drowning.

 

Please HereticZero, don't encourage him!!!!