Baptism

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'''Baptism''' is the mystical belief granting a deep spiritual significance to the act of dipping, dunking, pouring, or sprinkling a person with water.  Usually this belief involves baptism as a religious rite of passage implying entry into [[church]] membership, or claiming the act is effective in "washing away" defects in the "[[soul]]", such as [[sin]]s.
  
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Baptism is an example of an assumption of like effects based on symbolic similarity.  Because water is an effective solvent for cleansing dirt from the outside of the body, the assumption goes that water also therefore holds some mystical effectiveness in cleansing the spirit, soul, or mind from internal "dirt" of the sinful kind. This belief is a prime example of an area best explained by the [[wp:Hermeneutics|hermeneutic method]], rather than by the [[scientific method]].
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Baptism is practiced in [[Christianity]] and some other religions.
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== See also ==
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*[[Original sin]]
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[[Category: Religion]]
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Revision as of 02:09, 16 March 2008

Baptism is the mystical belief granting a deep spiritual significance to the act of dipping, dunking, pouring, or sprinkling a person with water. Usually this belief involves baptism as a religious rite of passage implying entry into church membership, or claiming the act is effective in "washing away" defects in the "soul", such as sins.

Baptism is an example of an assumption of like effects based on symbolic similarity. Because water is an effective solvent for cleansing dirt from the outside of the body, the assumption goes that water also therefore holds some mystical effectiveness in cleansing the spirit, soul, or mind from internal "dirt" of the sinful kind. This belief is a prime example of an area best explained by the hermeneutic method, rather than by the scientific method.

Baptism is practiced in Christianity and some other religions.

See also

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