How is the Baptist service going? Baptists as the most pernicious sect. The Baptist Understanding of Justification
Some even ask how Baptists differ from Christians. Unfortunately, the atheistic propaganda of the Soviet Union left its mark on the hearts and minds of people, and very little attention is paid to issues of faith. Therefore, such questions arise. Who are the Baptists, and how do they differ from Christians ... It is ridiculous for any knowledgeable person to hear such questions. Because Baptists are Christians. Because a Christian is a person who believes in Christ, recognizes Him as God and the Son of God, and also believes in God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Baptists have all this, and moreover, they share a common apostolic creed with the Orthodox, and the Baptist Bible is no different from the Orthodox Bible, because the same synodal translation is used. But there really are differences, otherwise they would not be called Baptists.
The first difference between Baptists and Orthodox is in the very name of this branch of Christianity.
Baptist - comes from the Greek baptizo, which means to baptize, immerse. And the Baptists, based on the Holy Scriptures, perform baptism only at a conscious age. Infant baptism is not performed. The basis for this Baptists take from the following texts of the Bible:
“So now we also have a baptism similar to this image, not a washing of fleshly uncleanness,
but the promise to God of a good conscience saves by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” - 1
Pet. 3:21.
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Who will believe and
be baptized, he will be saved” - Mr. 16:15-16; Acts. 2:38, 41, 22:16.
Water baptism according to the Word of God is performed on those who believe in Jesus
as his personal Savior and experienced the new birth. What is the new birth, you can read in the Gospel of John in the third chapter. But the bottom line is that a person must believe in God, and then be baptized. And not vice versa, as is done in Orthodoxy. Because Baptism, according to the Baptists, is not only a sacrament, but also a promise, which is also written in the Bible. Pet. 3:21. .
“Here, water: what prevents me from being baptized?.. If you believe with all your heart, you can. He answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And ordered
stop the chariot: and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch; and baptized him” - Acts. 8:36-38, 2:41, 8:12, 10:47, 18:8, 19:5.
Baptism is performed by ministers through immersion in water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
“Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” - Matt. 28:19.
The baptism of the believer symbolizes his death, burial and resurrection with Christ.
“Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that, like Christ
rose from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too can walk in newness of life. For if we are united to Him in the likeness of His death, then we must be united also
likeness of the resurrection" - Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:26-27; Qty. 2:11-12. When performing baptism, the minister asks questions to the person being baptized: “Do you believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you promise to serve God with a good conscience?” - Acts. 8:37; 1 Pet. 3:21. After the affirmative answer of the person being baptized, he
says, "According to your faith, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The word “Amen” is pronounced by the person being baptized together with the minister.
The second difference between Baptists and Orthodox. Icons and saints.
If you have been to the Baptist Houses of Prayer, then you must have noticed that there are no icons there. The walls may be decorated with gospel pictures, but no one prays to them. Why?
There has been a theological debate in this area for centuries. But the most reasonable argument of the Baptists is that the icons depict saints. Saints are not God, but people. People cannot be omnipresent like God, who fills the whole Earth with the Holy Spirit. And when a person turns to another righteous person who lived a righteous life and even worked miracles and let him be in paradise, then how does the prayer get to the saint? The God who is Omnipresent will pass it on to the saint, so that this saint, for example Nicholas the saint, will then again pass it on to God!? Not logical. But few people think about how prayer gets to the saint. Also, few people think about whether prayer to a saint is communication with the dead, which is prohibited in the Bible. The Orthodox respond to this by saying that with the Lord everyone is alive. Well, they are alive. and those who are alive in hell, and those who are alive in heaven. And then why did the Lord give the ban ?! It turns out that the Orthodox are violating God's prohibition. Such is the difference. Therefore, Baptists do not pray to the saints who are depicted on icons. Baptists pray only to one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and there is no sin in this, even from the point of view of the Orthodox.
Difference Third Orthodox from Baptists.
Baptists don't drink alcohol. There is no direct prohibition in their teaching on this. But such a tradition has developed in order to be different from the sinful world and not allow the possibility of sinning, Baptists preach the rejection of alcohol, smoking, drugs and other addictions. Everything is permissible for me, but nothing should possess me, said the Apostle Paul. And the Baptists in this respect are great.
Fourth difference.
Baptists do not bury the dead. And they believe that if a person died and did not repent, then only God decides his future fate. In Orthodoxy, in this regard, the mentality of the Russian people is very well displayed, where God can send even a sinful person to heaven if the priest prays. Baptists are prone to personal responsibility in their worldview and, again, based on the Holy Scriptures, the story of the thief on the cross and the story of the rich man and Lazarus, they conclude that God instantly decides the fate of the human soul and no funeral services will help if the person himself has not repented , then no amount of nepotism will work.
The fifth difference between Baptists and Orthodox.
Community.
Baptists are more inclined than Orthodox to establish close church ties and fellowship. Brothers communicate in fraternal communication, sisters in sisterly, youth in youth, children in children, and so on. Staying in fellowship is one of the traits of Baptists, which helps them to learn about each other's needs and help solve emerging everyday and spiritual problems in time. The Baptist Church is somewhat similar to an Orthodox monastery. Any believer in Christ who joins the Baptist church can join and become part of the community, find friends, serve God and support from brothers and sisters.
The sixth difference is worship.
For Baptists, worship, meaning Sunday worship, is held differently than for the Orthodox.
Of course there is also prayer, singing and preaching. Only now the prayer to God is made in understandable Russian, and not in Old Slavonic. Singing is almost the same, maybe choral, maybe universal. But it can be solo or trio. And maybe during the divine service a poem is told or a testimony from life is told, how God works. Sermons are given special attention so that a person does not leave the church empty. Baptists do not make the sign of the cross, although they have nothing against it.
The seventh difference between Orthodox and Baptists is the worship of relics.
Baptists respect the dead righteous, but do not make objects of worship out of their remains, because they do not find examples of such worship in the Bible. Yes, they say, there is a case in the Bible when, at the time of Christ's death, a young man who died was resurrected from contact with the bones of the prophet. But Christ was resurrected 2000 years ago. And nowhere is there a commandment to worship the bones of dead people. But it is written that only God is worshiped and served. Therefore, Baptists refrain from such dubious practices, considering them to be remnants of paganism that entered the church from forcibly baptized forefathers.
These are the main differences that immediately catch the eye, there are others, but they are less interesting to the common man. And if someone is interested, you can look at the website of the Baptists or the Orthodox.
Who are the Baptists
Who are the Baptists? Baptists are Protestant Christians. The name comes from the Greek word the words“βάπτισμα”, which is baptism from βαπτίζω - “I immerse in water”, that is, “I baptize”. Literally Baptists are baptized people.
Christianity is many-sided, as the people living on earth are many-sided. Only in the time of Jesus Christ there were no differences of opinion between people among his followers. Or rather, they were, but Jesus solved them with his word. Then it was time for Christ to leave the earthly world and ascend to the Father. But Jesus did not leave Christians alone and sent the Holy Spirit, who lives in the hearts of believers. For the first three centuries, Christianity held on. There was no baptism of children, there were no icons, there were no statues. Christianity was persecuted and not up to splendor was the poor, wounded church, which kept the faith and the Word of the Lord. Through the centuries, the church has carried the undistorted gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. God kept his word.
How did the Baptists appear?
But people remain people. People are different from people. And Christianity, spreading across the face of the earth, absorbed the customs and traditions of peoples who believed in Christ, but did not completely leave their former customs and rituals. And they came up with something that was not in the Bible. In the West, they sold indulgences, such a kind of pass to paradise, for money. The Pope is mired in debauchery and burdened himself with secular power. In the east, as well as in the west, the Word of God became far from the language of the people to whom it spoke. Hebrew, Latin and Greek were considered sacred languages, the Russian Orthodox Church won the right to serve in Old Church Slavonic. But he was also incomprehensible to people. Ignorance, ignorance of people in God's word allowed the priests to retain the right to read and interpret the Scriptures as they pleased, which led to the emergence of what was not in the Bible. This went on for a long time. So far, one monk, having studied the languages in which the Bible is written, did not dare to resist the desecration of the church. He wrote out as many as 95 outrageous points on which the church departed from the Bible. And he nailed them to the door of a church, believed to be in Wittenberg. He translated the Bible into German. People outraged by the impunity of the official church followed him. Thus began the reformation of the church. Then the Bible was translated into English, French. The state church fiercely resisted the desire of people to read the Bible in their native language. In every state, churches arose essentially reminiscent of the Baptists. in France, they were called Huguenots. Have you heard about St. Bartholomew's Night? 30,000 Protestants were killed for their faith. Protestants were also persecuted in England.
Baptists in Russia
And everything comes to Russia late. Peter the first tried to translate the Bible into Russian. But the Pastor who translated the Bible died under mysterious circumstances. And the translation business was frozen. The translation was resumed by Alexander the First. Several books of the New Testament were translated, and several books of the Old Testament. The translation became popular among the people and it was banned, for fear of shaking the political atmosphere in the country, since the translation of the Bible could lead people to move away from Orthodoxy, which was a connecting element of Russian statehood. Translation in other countries took place several centuries ago. For example, Luther, in Germany, translated the Bible in 1521. In 1611, King James translated it into English in England. In Russia, they did not allow translation to develop. Alexander II resumed translation. And only in 1876 the people received the Bible in Russian!!! Friends, please think about these numbers!!! 1876!! It's almost 20th century!! The people didn't know what they believed in! The people did not read the Bible. It was foolish and sinful to keep the people in ignorance for so long. When the people began to read the Bible, Russian Protestants naturally arose. They were not imported from abroad and were first called “Orthodox living according to the gospel”, but they were excommunicated from the church. But they organized themselves into communities and began to be called evangelical Christians. The evangelical movement grew, people turned to God. And as in other countries, the official church was outraged that someone pointed out to her its shortcomings and, with the support of the state, began the persecution of Russian Protestants. They were drowned, sent into exile, imprisoned. It is sad. People who believe in God, no matter what denomination they are, should not persecute other Christians who believe in the same God, even if they are different in some way. In the south of Russia, the evangelical movement is gaining momentum among ordinary people. In the North of Russia - among the intelligentsia. In England, the Protestants were called "Baptists", from the Greek and English word "baptiso", "bapize" - which means to baptize. Because one of the differences between Baptists and Orthodox is that Baptists are baptized at a conscious age.
About Baptists.
Baptists don't baptize babies. Evangelical Christians did not baptize them either. Then these two churches united and became known as Evangelical Christian Baptists. The emergence of this church was predetermined by the emergence of a Russian translation of the Bible. What did the Baptists find in the Bible that hindered the translation of the Bible for so long and kept the people in the dark. But the Russian people were not established in their faith, they were not a thinking people, and the revolution, with its promises of freedom of equality and brotherhood, quickly changed the attitude of the Orthodox towards their faith. But it did not change the faith of the Baptists and Evangelical Christians, who went through the Soviet Union and carried their faith despite the stupid accusations of debauchery and sacrifice. Of course, the Baptists did nothing of the kind. Baptists are Christians who preach a chaste life according to God's word. It is the Bible, as God's word, that is the authority and foundation of their faith for Baptists. Baptists believe that just as Jesus Christ solved problems with his word, so the Bible has answers to questions that arise in the life of a believer. Baptists reject what came into the church after the Scriptures were written.
And that is why our Russian Protestants try to imitate Christ in everything. Christ did not strive for wealth and pomp, and Baptist worship does not require gold and expensive attributes. Christ did not wear luxurious clothes, and Baptists do not strive for luxury. But they do not strive for poverty, they work with their own hands, conduct their own business if they can, as the apostle Paul taught. Baptists have large and strong families. Secular education is encouraged, and musical education is also encouraged. Therefore, Baptist worship services are full of music and sermons. At the divine service, a choir can sing, music play, solo performance or a musical group of believers. When it comes to serving God, Baptists are not conservative and can bring in a variety of creative elements. Baptists have a positive attitude towards the state. They serve in the army. They pay taxes. Because the Bible says that all authority is established by God and must be respected. Among all Protestants, Baptists are the closest to Orthodoxy theologically, And they believe in Christ as the Son of God and God. They believe in God the Father and the Holy Spirit. They believe in the resurrection of the dead and the forgiveness of sins through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Therefore, the differences are in some moments of worship, external paraphernalia and what came to the church after the writing of the Bible, the differences are in what is not in the Bible. You can read the link below.
Baptist social life
What else can be said about the Baptists. As people, they are kind and sympathetic people. Hardworking. A Baptist priest is called a pastor or presbyter; usually, in addition to serving in the church, he also works at work. Therefore, Baptists cannot be accused of doing nothing for society. Baptists, like many believers of other denominations, feed the hungry and are committed to healing society by working with alcoholics and drug addicts, with God's help, returning them to work and normal social life. In general, the attitude towards Baptists among those who have come across them is positive, and their teaching inspires respect and surprises with its logic and simplicity. You can attend their worship by going to the House of Prayer at the appointed time and sitting in an empty seat to get to know them better.
The Lord Jesus Christ appeared on earth two millennia ago to save all mankind from damnation, sin and death, which became his companions from the moment when his forefathers Adam and Eve sinned. And now, in order to better understand who the Baptists are from the point of view of Orthodoxy, it is necessary to turn to the moment of the formation of the True Church, when God, with the help of his apostle disciples, created the Church as His own mystical body, and through the sacraments of the Church began to communicate with Him. Therefore, people who believe in Christ began to go to church and, through the action of the Holy Spirit, received healing of the body, peace and tranquility in the soul. But then who are the Baptists, where did they come from?
Dissenters, heretics and sectarians
To preserve the unity of faith, the Church has limited and established the laws and rules of its existence. Anyone who violated these laws was called schismatics or sectarians, and the teachings they preached were called heresy. The Church looked upon schisms as one of the greatest sins committed against her.
The Holy Fathers equated this sin with the murder of a person and with idolatry, even the blood of a martyr could not atone for this sin. In the history of the Church, an infinite number of schisms are known. Church rules begin to be violated - first one, then another automatically, and as a result, the True Orthodox Faith is distorted.
God's grace
All this will inevitably lead to destruction, like that barren vine of the vineyard that the Lord spoke of, which will be burned. The most terrible thing here is that the Grace of God departs from such schismatics. These people can no longer understand the Truth and think that they are doing God's work, spreading lies about the Church, not knowing that in this way they are going against God Himself. All sorts of sects are created in large numbers, and just as many of them fall apart. Therefore, it is not possible to list them by name, date of creation and the leaders who lead them, we will focus only on the most important ones, but more on that later.
Who are the Baptists from the point of view of Orthodoxy
In order to save his soul, each person must draw the necessary conclusions about the true Orthodox faith and not fall into the trap of schismatics and sectarians, but receive Grace and be in unity with the entire Orthodox world. After all these facts that you must know, you can approach the topic of who the Baptists are. So, from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, Baptists are sectarians who have gone astray in their views, who have nothing to do with the Church of Christ and the salvation of God. The Bible, according to the Orthodox Church, they interpret wrongly and falsely, like all other sectarians and heretics. Turning to them is a great sin for the human soul. Some do not have a clear idea of who the Baptists are, photographs of different sects give an approximate answer, but we will also try to consider this issue further.
The Holy Fathers of the Church are the true and only source of spiritual enlightenment, this also applies to Holy Scripture.
Who are the Baptists? Sect?
In Eastern Europe, Baptism is most widespread. The Baptists are a Protestant sect that was founded in England in 1633. At first they called themselves "brethren", then - "Baptists", sometimes - "Catabaptists" or "baptized Christians".
The answer to questions about who the Baptists are and why they are called that can begin with the fact that the very word "Baptisto" is translated from Greek as "I immerse." John Smith headed this sect in its original formation, and when a significant part of its representatives moved to North America, Roger William headed it there. These sects began to subdivide first into two, and then into many more different factions. And this process still does not stop in any way, since communities, associations or communities do not have obligatory symbols, do not tolerate any symbolic books, do not have administrative guardianship. All they recognize is the Apostles' Creed.
Baptist doctrine
The main thing on which the Baptist doctrine is based is the recognition of the Holy Scriptures as the only source of doctrine. They reject the baptism of children, only blessing them. According to Baptist rules, baptism should be performed only after the awakening of personal faith in a person, after 18 years and renunciation of a sinful life. Without this, this rite has no power for them and is simply unacceptable. Baptists consider baptism to be an outward sign of confession, and thus they reject God's participation in this major sacrament, which reduces the process to mere human action.
Service and management
Having clarified a little who the Baptists are, let's try to figure out how their services go. They hold a weekly service on Sunday, sermons and impromptu prayers are read, singing is performed using instrumental music. On weekdays, Baptists can also gather additionally for prayer and discussion of the Bible, reading spiritual poems and poems.
According to their organization and management, Baptists are divided into independent separate communities, or congregations. From this they may be called Congregationalists. Continuing the theme "Evangelical Christians (Baptists) - who are they?", It should be noted that whatever name they bear, all Baptists put moral endurance and freedom of conscience above teaching. They do not consider marriage a sacrament, but they recognize the blessing as necessary, receiving it through the officials of the community or presbyters (pastors). There are also some forms of disciplinary action - this is excommunication and public exhortation.
Asking the question of who the Baptists are, what their faith is based on, it is worth noting that the mysticism of the sect is revealed in the predominance of feelings over reason. The whole doctrine is built on extreme liberalism, which is based on the teachings of Luther and Calvin about predestination.
The difference between Baptism and Lutheranism
Baptism differs from Lutheranism in the unconditional and consistent implementation of the main provisions of Lutheranism about the Holy Scriptures, about the Church and about salvation. Baptism is also distinguished by great hostility to the Orthodox Church. Baptists are more inclined towards anarchy and Judaism than Lutherans. And in general, they do not have a teaching about the Church as such, they reject it, like the entire church hierarchy. But in order to get a complete answer to the question of who Baptist Christians are, let's plunge a little into the times of the Soviet Union. That is where they are most widespread.
Evangelical Christian Baptists
It should be noted that the main development of the Baptist community was after the second half of the 19th century. This happened mainly in the Caucasus, in the south and east of Ukraine, as well as in St. Petersburg. According to tsarist policy, because of active missionary activity, Baptists were sent into exile in Siberia, away from the centers of their education. Due to this, in 1896 the Baptists-immigrants from the Caucasus formed the first community in Western Siberia, the center of which was Omsk. To give a more precise answer to the question of who Evangelical Baptists are, we note that several decades passed before a denomination occurred - Evangelical Christian Baptists (ECB) appeared who adhered to the Baptist doctrine on the territory of the former USSR. Their direction was formed from two currents that arose in the south of Russia from the Baptist communities of the 60s of the XIX century and Evangelical Christians of the 70s of the XIX century. Their unification took place in the autumn of 1944, and already in 1945 the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians and Baptists was formed in Moscow.
Who Are Separated Baptists?
As mentioned above, sects are constantly changing and further splitting into new formations, therefore Baptist communities that have left the Council of Churches of the ECB are called separated or autonomous. In the 1970s and 1980s they were registered as autonomous communities, and by the 1990s a huge number had appeared due to active missionary activity. And they never joined the centralized associations. As for the topic “Who are the separated Baptists in Sukhumi”, this is exactly how this community was formed. She, having separated from the main center, began to conduct her autonomous activities on the territory of Abkhazia with the main center in Sukhumi.
The same applies to the question of who are the separated Baptists in Mukhumi. All these are separate Baptist societies that are not subordinate to anyone and lead an independent life in accordance with their own rules.
Newly formed Baptist congregations
Recently, a new direction has emerged for the Tbilisi Baptist community. Interestingly, she went even further in her creed, practically changing everything beyond recognition. Her innovations are very, very surprising, since during the service the five senses are involved in all those present, the shepherds wear black clothes, candles, bells and music are used in the ceremony, and the Baptists overshadow themselves with a cross. Almost everything is in the spirit of the Orthodox Church. These Baptists even organized a seminary and an icon painting school. This explains the joy of the schismatic and anathematized Filaret, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, who once even presented the order to the leader of this community.
Baptists and Orthodox. Differences
Baptists, like the Orthodox, believe that they are followers of Christ, and their faith is true. For both of them, the Holy Scripture is the only source of teaching, but the Baptists completely reject the Holy Tradition (written documents and the experience of the entire Church). Baptists interpret the books of the Old and New Testament in their own way, as anyone understands. The Orthodox do not allow the common man to do this. The interpretation of sacred books was written by the holy fathers under the special influence of the Holy Spirit.
Orthodox believers believe that salvation is achieved only by a moral feat, and there is no guaranteed salvation, since a person squanders this gift for his sins. The Orthodox brings his salvation closer by purifying the soul through the sacraments of the Church, a pious life and keeping the commandments.
Baptists claim that salvation has already happened at Calvary, and now nothing is required for it, and it doesn’t even matter how righteous a person lives. They also reject the cross, icons and other Christian symbols. For the Orthodox, these components are an absolute value.
Baptists reject the heavenly holiness of Our Lady and do not recognize saints. For the Orthodox, the Mother of God and the holy righteous are the defenders and intercessors for the soul before the Lord.
Baptists do not have a priesthood, while Orthodox services and all church sacraments can only be performed by a priest.
Baptists do not have a special organization of worship, they pray in their own words. The Orthodox, in strict accordance, serve the Liturgy.
At baptism, Baptists immerse the person being baptized once in water, Orthodox - three times. Baptists reject the ordeal of the soul after death and therefore do not bury the dead. With them, when he dies, he immediately goes to heaven. The Orthodox have a special funeral service and separate prayers for the dead.
Conclusion
I would like to remind you that the Holy Church is not a club of interests, but something that comes down to us from the Lord. The Church of Christ, founded by his apostle disciples, has been united on earth for a whole thousand years. But in 1054, its western part fell away from the One Church of Christ, which changed the Creed and declared itself the Roman Catholic Church, it was she who gave fertile ground to all the rest to form their churches and sects. Now, from the point of view of Orthodoxy, those who have fallen away from the True Orthodox Faith and preach faith in Christ, not equally with Orthodoxy, do not belong to the One Holy and Apostolic Church, founded by the Savior himself. Unfortunately, this comes from the fact that many do not realize the greatness and height of their Christian calling, they do not know their duties and live in wickedness like pagans.
The holy apostle Paul wrote in his prayer: “Stay worthy of the calling to which you are called, otherwise you will not be children of God, but of Satan, fulfilling his lusts.”
Christianity for two thousand years of existence has split into a large number of denominations, each of which calls itself a "church". But in relation to competitors, different names are used. The attitude towards the Baptists in Orthodoxy is unequivocal: this is not a church, but one of the Protestant sects. However, the number of believers - more than forty million - makes one doubt that this is really the case. How do Baptists differ from Orthodox Christians, and to what extent have these differences caused such attitudes towards them?
The powerful Reformation movement in the 16th century marked the beginning of such a phenomenon as Protestantism. Catholicism, which until then had almost undividedly owned the minds of Europeans, was forced to make room. Almost simultaneously, the following Protestant movements arose:
Lutheranism; Calvinism; Zwinglism; some smaller currents.
The first Baptists appeared a little later, at the very beginning of the 17th century. In 1609 England had...
The Lord Jesus Christ appeared on earth two millennia ago to save all mankind from damnation, sin and death, which became his companions from the moment when his forefathers Adam and Eve sinned. And now, in order to better understand who the Baptists are from the point of view of Orthodoxy, it is necessary to turn to the moment of the formation of the True Church, when God, with the help of his apostle disciples, created the Church as His own mystical body, and through the sacraments of the Church began to communicate with Him. Therefore, people who believe in Christ began to go to church and, through the action of the Holy Spirit, received healing of the body, peace and tranquility in the soul. But then who are the Baptists, where did they come from?
Dissenters, heretics and sectarians
To preserve the unity of faith, the Church has limited and established the laws and rules of its existence. Anyone who violated these laws was called schismatics or sectarians, and the teachings they preached were called heresy. The Church looked at the splits ...
Adherents of one of the branches of the Protestant church are called Baptists. This name comes from the word baptize, which is translated from Greek as “to dip”, “to baptize by immersing in water”. According to this teaching, it is necessary to be baptized not in infancy, but at a conscious age by immersion in consecrated water. In short, a Baptist is a Christian who consciously accepts his faith. He believes that man's salvation lies in wholehearted faith in Christ.
Evangelical Baptist Church. History of occurrence
Baptist communities began to form in the early seventeenth century in Holland, but their founders were not Dutch, but English Congregationalists who were forced to flee to the mainland to avoid persecution by the Anglican Church. And so, in the second decade of the 17th century, namely in 1611, a new Christian doctrine was formulated for the British, who, by the will of fate, lived in the capital of the Netherlands - Amsterdam ....
Question #421
Who are the Baptists?
Tatyana Zagorskaya, Chilhowie, USA
12/09/2002
Hello Father Oleg!
Please help me explain to my son why he cannot be baptized in a Baptist church. We are Christians. I myself began to study the Bible a few months ago and I can not give him a decent answer. The fact is that where we live, there is no Christian church (USA), and the son began to go to the Baptist church with his friends. They study the Bible there. Therefore, I beg you very much - write for him in simpler words the answer to this question. Also, please tell me, how is the study of the Bible by Baptists different? And is it a sin that he goes to this church? And even if he does not accept baptism and continues to study the Bible there, how should I feel about this, maybe it should be banned?
Thanks for the answer.
Father Oleg Molenko's answer:
Baptists are a sect of peculiarly lost people, which has nothing to do with the Church of Christ and ...
Sergiy Tretyakov, Rector of the Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, answers questions from readers.
Father Sergius, what is the difference between the Christian faith and the Baptist?
Slightly incorrect question: Baptists are Christians. But there are many different Christians, and their religions differ. The Orthodox Church is very ancient, all the main dogmas of her dogma were formulated long before the advent of Baptism.
So, Baptists are one of the oldest and most solid Christian sects (do not compare them with any Pentecostals, New Apostles or Evangelists, and even more so with Jehovah's Witnesses). Why a sect? This is the traditional classification: Lutherans, Anglicans, Calvinists and Reformed are usually called Protestant churches, the rest of the Protestant denominations are called sects.
Baptism originated in England in the first half of the 16th century. The reason was a dispute about the form of the sacrament of Baptism: the Anglicans (among whom the Baptists appeared) baptized by sprinkling ...
Baptists consider infant baptism to be categorically unacceptable, since they are firmly convinced that a person should approach the issue of choosing a faith on his own based on his convictions, life experience and voluntary rejection of unworthy (sinful) deeds. And what are the beliefs, experience and sins of an unintelligent baby?
Like other Protestants, Baptists recognize the Bible as sacred Scripture. The spiritual leader (elder) of each Baptist congregation does not have absolute authority. Decisions on important issues affecting the interests of the community are made either by the church council, consisting of the most authoritative and respected representatives of the community, or by the general meeting. The worship of the Baptists is not enclosed in any strict framework, as in the Orthodox or Catholics; rather, they are improvisation and include sermons, singing, as well as reading prayers, and in their own words, and any works of spiritual content.
The main day of prayer for Baptists is…
Who are the Baptists?
Baptists are followers of one of the directions of Protestant Christianity - Baptism. To better understand who Baptists are, you should understand the features of this creed, plunge into its history, and also find out how Baptism is developing now.
The word "Baptist" comes from "baptiso", which literally means "immersion" in Greek. The word "Baptism" refers to the baptism that Baptists take in adulthood by immersing the whole body in water.
Baptism originated from English Puritanism. It is based on the principle of voluntary baptism of people in adulthood who have strong convictions and do not accept the commission ...
Faith and the Baptist Church
Baptist communities arose at the beginning of the 17th century. The founders were English Congregationalists who fled to Holland from the persecution of the Anglican Church. In 1611, a new doctrine was formulated in the "Confession of Faith of the English Living in Amsterdam in Holland." In 1612, the first Baptist community arose in England, in 1639 - in North America. From the end of the XVIII century. Baptism begins to spread widely, especially in the United States. In 1905 the World Union of Baptists was formed, the center of which is in the USA. At present, Baptist organizations operate in many countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.
Baptist Ideas
The main principle of Baptism is “To live in the world, but to be not of this world”, i.e. obey earthly laws, but give your whole heart to Christ. The name of the denomination comes from the Greek baptizo- “immerse in water, baptize”. Baptism is viewed by Baptists as an act of conscious conversion to the faith, a spiritual rebirth….
History and Origins of Evangelical Christian Baptists
Baptism is one of the branches of Protestantism. Evangelical Christian Baptists are one of the denominations traditionally present in our country. Baptists got their name because adults were baptized out of conscious faith. The first Baptist community was formed in 1609 in Amsterdam among refugees from England. From here, Baptism spread to the British Isles and then to America.
In the 19th century Baptism is becoming a truly worldwide denomination. Baptist communities spring up in Canada, Australia, India, and in most European countries, including Russia. As of 2008, there are over 105,000,000 Baptists in the world. In Russia, the first Evangelical Christian Baptists appeared in the 19th century, when the Russian Bible Society published the Bible translated into Russian. The first Russian Baptist was Nikita Isaevich Voronin, who was baptized by faith in 1867….
BAPTISTS: a pernicious sect or an established church?
BAPTISTS: a pernicious sect or an established church?
Recently, there have been a number of publications in the Tver press, the authors of which expressed their biased opinion about the Baptists. This prompted me to prepare this article, which attempts to objectively shed light on this issue.
Who are they?
Here is what the Great Soviet Encyclopedia says about Baptist Christians: “Baptists (from the Greek. baptizo - I dip, I baptize by immersion in water). Adherents of one of the varieties of Protestantism. According to the doctrine of Baptism, the salvation of a person is possible only through personal faith in Christ, and not through the mediation of the church; the only source of faith is Holy Scripture."
Formally, Baptism arose during the Reformation at the beginning of the 17th century. However, to say that Baptism as a doctrine originates at this time is fundamentally wrong. Baptist Christians didn't come up with anything new, they just went back to...
The religious sects that arose in Europe in the 17th and 19th centuries represented
are mostly Protestant-type organizations.
Protestantism (from lat. protestans - publicly declaring) - general
designation of denominations and sects associated with the Reformation and forming in
collectively, the third most important variety of Christianity - along with
Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
The earliest and most influential neoplasm that grew on the soil
Protestantism became Baptism. On the basis of Baptism in the 1st third of the 19th century. arose
Adventists, who branched out into a number of sects, one of which goes back
Jehovists (late 19th - early 20th centuries). At the beginning of the XX century. arose
Pentecostals.
Baptists, Adventists, Jehovists differ among the religious
sectarianism is the most widespread and the presence of international centers.
1. Baptists
The name of this sect comes from...
One of the most widespread religious movements around the world that call themselves "Christian" is BAPTISM.
Baptism originated in England in two independent communities. The emergence of Baptism was facilitated by anti-Catholic speeches in the 14th-15th centuries, and then by the powerful Reformation movement in the 14th century, which developed simultaneously with the continentals. At the end of the 14th century, a Catholic priest, Oxford teacher John Wycliffe (1320-1384) began to express similar in spirit to reformist Baptist ideas. the luxury of the clergy and believed that church property should be nationalized, argued that the Holy Scriptures should be translated into the national language, and he himself took part in its translation into English.
Although Wycliffe's teachings did not go beyond the scope of church reforms, he ...
Evangelical Christian Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in Russia and the second largest Christian denomination in our country, our churches and communities are found in the cities and many villages of our country. Therefore, the word "Baptist" is not something new and alien to a Russian citizen. About 150,000 Baptist Christians live in Russia today. The total number of Baptists is more than 120 million people living in 200 countries of the world - this is one of the largest Christian denominations in the world. But in spite of all this, and today many ask: “Who are the Baptists? What is their faith? Are they Christians? How do they treat the environment? Who can become a member of their church?
Formally, Baptist Christians trace their history from Holland, where in 1609 a community of people arose who were baptized by faith at a conscious age and by personal faith. All of them were English. And in 1612 the first community arose in England. In Russia, the evangelical awakening that led to the emergence of the church...
But who are the Baptists anyway? To your attention a small attempt to understand, without involving Orthodoxy.
A sect that emerged from among the English Puritans. The first Baptist community was established in 1633, and in 1639 it was already transferred to North America, where Rhode Island became its center. At first, the influence of the sect was insignificant. Only at the end of the 18th century, after the creation of the Preacher's Union, which declared its goal not to spread Baptism as a new doctrine, but allegedly only to preach Christianity among American Negroes, free from dogmas, rituals and obligatory symbolic signs, did the Baptist movement meet with sympathy and material support. support of many wealthy Americans.
This sect is divided into many interpretations. Its division began in the 17th century, when the Baptists were divided into "private", who accepted Calvin's doctrine of unconditional predestination, and "general" or "free will Baptists", recognizing the universality of God's saving grace....
1. HOLY WRITING (BIBLIOLOGY)
We believe and teach that:
The canonical books of the Bible constitute the Word of God equally inspired in all parts, which is such regardless of our attitude towards it. Only these books are the highest and only infallible revelation of God about Himself, about the spiritual and material world (including man) and represent the only infallible and sufficient rule of faith and conduct. Moreover, the supreme authority of Scripture is received not from the Church or tradition, but from God Himself.
Being completely and verbatim inspired in the original text, the Bible is absolutely inerrant and without error in its content in all the subjects it touches upon. It has a dual authorship and nature (divine and human). This means that God, through the Holy Spirit, using the individual characteristics of the authors and their cultural-historical way of thinking, gave mankind something extra-historical and equally applicable to any era...
Historians generally date the emergence of Baptism to the early 17th century. At this time, part of the radical wing of the Puritans, representatives of English Calvinism, came to the conclusion that infant baptism "does not correspond" to the New Testament and therefore it is necessary to be baptized at a conscious age. The head of this community, John Smith, baptized himself (by pouring water on his forehead), and then his supporters. It is curious that Roger Williams, the founder of the first Baptist community in the United States, also baptized himself (although, according to another version, he was first baptized by a member of the community, who was not baptized, obviously, himself, and only then Williams baptized everyone else). These facts can be used to argue with Baptists - is it possible to justify self-baptism with the Bible? In this regard, you can also use the fact that the most popular Baptist preacher of the 20th century, American Billy Graham, was baptized three times! He was first baptized as a child in the Presbyterian Church, then Baptist as an adult, but then he became a member of the conservative Southern Baptist Convention, and according to the rules of this denomination, even those who were baptized in other Baptist groups are baptized. Ask the Baptists to clarify whether the Bible justifies baptizing the same person three times? Let's say childhood baptism is not valid for Baptists, but Graham was baptized twice consciously in different Baptist groups!
At first, Baptism did not have much popularity, since the Protestant world was dominated by representatives of "liturgical Protestantism" - Lutherans and Calvinists. In fact, Baptism was a radical wing of Calvinism, and on most fundamental issues adhered to strict Calvinist positions. For example, they adhered to the doctrine of double predestination - the dogma that even before the creation of the world, for no reason, God decided to save some people and send others to hell. Only in the 18th century did the Baptists have their first missionary successes - in particular, their preaching among the black population of the United States was quite successful. At the same time, it is curious that part of the Baptists, especially in the southern states, was against the abolition of "black slavery", and tried to justify it with the help of the Bible. Today Baptists are the most widespread Protestant denomination in the USA and number about 50 million people (20% of the US population). Among African Americans, the share of Baptists is estimated at 50 to 70%. One of the most famous Baptists of the 20th century can be called the famous human rights pastor Martin Luther King, a fighter for the rights of black Americans, who died at the hands of a hired killer.
Baptists appear in our country as early as the end of the 19th century and are often associated with the activities of foreign missionaries. The first surge in the popularity of Baptism falls on the years of Soviet power - 1917-1927, which the Baptists themselves call the "golden decade". At that time, the Soviet authorities did their best to destroy Orthodoxy, but Baptism was treated noticeably more liberally, since it was considered to have suffered from the "tsarist regime." However, since the end of the 1920s, persecution of the Baptists also began. The next burst of Baptist activity in our country took place in the late 80s and early 90s. The Protestant missionary expansion of the 1990s increased the number of Baptists in our country by several times.
Controversy with the Baptists
Baptists, like other neo-Protestants (Adventists and Pentecostals), like to emphasize their own religiosity and spirituality, in contrast to the Orthodox, who, in their opinion, for the most part are unbelievers and generally lost sinners. Here it is immediately necessary to make a reservation that a specific situation has developed in our country in the post-Soviet period, when the vast majority of people call themselves Orthodox, but in reality they are not, so it is completely incorrect to judge Orthodoxy by them. Any religion should be judged by the people who actually profess it. Yes, the Orthodox have many sins, and one cannot help but see this, but we do not propose to judge Baptism by pop singers - alcoholic Britney Spears and drug addict Whitney Houston, or by presidents - adulterer Bill Clinton, who actively lobbied for gay rights, or Harry Truman, who ordered the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which immediately killed about 200,000 people. But all these people were brought up in the Baptist spirit and never (at least publicly) renounced their faith. So - let's compare those who are considered a model of piety in one or another confession.
Note that Baptists, like American Evangelicals in general, read several chapters of the Bible daily, and usually know at least several hundred verses by heart. Therefore, the Orthodox should not yield to them in this. Here it is worth recognizing that reading the Holy Scriptures in the Orthodox environment, alas, is often not a daily activity - although this is not prohibited by the Church, but, on the contrary, is approved by it. Of course, for the Orthodox, the interpretation of Scripture is mediated by Tradition, while the Baptists believe that they interpret the Bible directly - and in this case there is a reason to talk about the status of Scripture in Orthodoxy and neo-Protestantism. Baptists often say that one Bible is enough for salvation - in that case, ask them how this is justified by the Bible itself? The words of Christ “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”, which Baptists usually cite as evidence, do not prove anything - the thesis “Scripture alone” cannot be unmistakably extracted from them.
After all, even the Baptists did not take their interpretations of the Bible directly from it - Jesus did not appear face-to-face to each of them, and did not dictate which interpretation of Scripture is true. Baptists borrowed their interpretations from the pastor's sermons, certain books of their own tradition, as well as from their own experience and the experience of their fellow believers. If we go to any Baptist bookstore, then most of the books there will not be editions of Scripture, but books reflecting the spiritual experience of American evangelicals, or their Russian counterparts (the latter, however, are much less numerous). Consequently, the Baptists also have Tradition, only it does not cover the experience of the Church over the course of 2000 years, but the experience of the radical Protestants of the last 400 years. Thus, the difference between Orthodoxy and Baptism is not the difference between Tradition and Scripture, but the difference between Tradition and Tradition.
As a rule, Baptists agree that they have tradition, but at the same time they say: but the Scriptures are more important than tradition. It all depends on what you mean by tradition. Of course, the Orthodox do not equate the status of the books of Scripture with, for example, the status of the works of the Fathers of the Church. The Bible, as the word of God, is infallible. However, for the Orthodox, Scripture is part of the Tradition, i.e. continuous church experience of communion with God. The Church's communion with God existed even when there were no books of Scripture. But even now, when there are books of Scripture, communion with God exists not only on the pages of the Bible - it is characteristic of the Church everywhere and always. Otherwise, where would the Scripture itself and its true interpretations come from? Baptists often say that the Church is not needed for salvation - just one Scripture is enough, which allegedly gave birth to the Church. But who created Scripture? Obviously members of the Church. Ask Baptists: How do we know to include in the Bible exactly the books that are included in it today? Why do the Orthodox include 77 books and the Baptists 66?
Did Christ or the apostles say something about this? No. We will not see any list of canonical or non-canonical books in the Bible itself. Some books of the Bible are not cited elsewhere in the Bible, or the Name of God is never mentioned (eg Song of Songs). What are the rational criteria for recognizing certain books as biblical? It is clear that there are no such criteria - the criterion here is only in the inspiration of the Church of Christ. Similarly, Baptists can be shown that all their external criteria for the correct interpretation of the Bible are easily destroyed: for example, the principle that the darker passages of the Bible are interpreted with the help of "clearer ones." But who will decide which parts of the Bible are clear and which are not? Different denominations deal with this issue in different ways: for Catholics it is clear that the Bible speaks of purgatory, for Calvinists it is clear that salvation cannot be lost, and for Pentecostals there is no doubt that the Bible "permits" speaking in tongues. After all, neither the prophets, nor Christ, nor the apostles said which fragments of the Bible are "clear" and which are "dark" - it all depends on the subjective choice of one or another Protestant denomination. This means that the true interpretation of the Bible is not ensured by the observance of certain logical rules - the grace poured out by God through the Church is necessary.
Otherwise, you will end up with a “chaos of interpretations” that we observe in Protestant confessions. Ask your interlocutor - where does this chaos of opinion come from, and often on very important issues? This only demonstrates that quotations from the Bible by themselves do not prove anything - in support of many, even completely opposite positions, fragments from the books of Holy Scripture can be cited. And vice versa, the same verse can be interpreted in the exact opposite way - for example, the words of Christ "let the children come to me" - for the Orthodox serve as an argument in favor of child baptism, i.e. children are not alien to the action of grace, but for Baptists this is an argument that children without baptism are not alien to God, since they have a different view on the meaning of baptism. can be learned from books like the “Anti-Sectarian Catechism” by Father Nikolai Varzhansky), but it should be remembered that these quotations as such will not be so conclusive for Baptists - at best, they will convince your opponent that you are familiar with the Bible as well as he is.
It must be borne in mind that despite a good knowledge of the biblical text, the vast majority of Baptists have a poor idea of the history of the Church, or even, for example, the history of the Reformation. That is why Baptists want such fakes as, for example, the film “Orthodox about Orthodoxy”, which in terms of lies is quite comparable to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, and with its intellectual narrowness is somewhat reminiscent of Soviet atheistic propaganda. In this situation, it is necessary to remind the Baptists that Christ promised that His Church will always exist, its existence in history is uninterrupted (see Matt. 16, 18). However, Baptism appeared only in the 17th century, and many of its doctrines were not known during the first 15 centuries of Christian history - what, the Church, contrary to the words of Christ, was mistaken in fundamental matters of faith for 1500 years?! Your interlocutor will most likely say that the Church was not mistaken in the dogmas about the Trinity and the God-manhood of Christ, and the rest, they say, is unimportant. But how is it unimportant when the Baptists accuse the Orthodox of idolatry and paganism? If they are "serious" then how can such a Church be believed at all? But it was the Church that approved the New Testament canon, it was she who defended the truth of the Trinity of God and the doctrine of the Incarnation in the fight against heretics. How could the “pagans and idolaters” do this?! The conclusion is that the Church has remained the Body of Christ all this time.
Finally, Baptists profess the dogma of salvation by faith alone, but it was not known to Christians until Martin Luther, i.e. until the 16th century. Luther himself considered it the most important dogma of Christianity. It turns out that the Church of the 15 centuries did not understand at all how a person is saved? So the gates of hell overpowered her? And here you can draw the attention of your interlocutor to the person who first began to talk about salvation by faith. As you know, Martin Luther was far from being a saint - he constantly cursed his opponents in the most obscene terms, offered to destroy Jews and kill German peasants. Can we believe that it was this man who, for the first time in 15 centuries, correctly understood the doctrine of salvation? Another Reformation leader, Calvin (and Baptism grew out of his teachings and still adheres to many doctrines associated specifically with Calvin), persecuted dissidents in Geneva as best he could, not stopping even before the death penalty. Of course, many crimes could also be committed in the name of Orthodoxy. But here we are talking about people who laid the fundamental foundations of Protestant dogma - after all, until now, all Protestants, despite many disagreements, believe in salvation by faith. And if the people who “discovered” this dogma are such, then how can one continue to listen to their opinion, passing it off as evidence of Scripture?
The defense of the Orthodox doctrine of salvation in a dispute with the Baptists can be built as follows: 1. Emphasize that the words of ap. Paul about "justification by faith" (Rom. 3:28) mean that a person is saved independently of "the works of the law", i.e. Old Testament law. The apostle only opposes "earning salvation", relying on works, but nowhere does he state that a person does not participate in his salvation. Ap. James, on the contrary, emphasizes that faith without works is dead. 2. The parable of Christ about the sower insists that although people may believe Christ, they regularly fall away from the faith and do not bear fruit, i.e. salvation depends on the person, and he can either accept it or reject it, but even accepting this gift, he then often rejects it - therefore, there can be no question of guaranteed salvation. 3. The words of Christ that the believer is saved are pronounced by him either after healing, and therefore do not have the meaning of eternal salvation, or it is implied that the believer is a person living by Christ, and not just mentally accepting Him, i.e. salvation depends on works.
4. The Bible (both the Old and New Testaments) is full of calls to constantly repent, consider yourself a sinner and keep the commandments - what would be the point if salvation was immediately guaranteed without the possibility of losing it? 5. Russian Baptists admit that salvation can still be lost, but ask them - are you sure that you are saved? They will say “yes, let's go to paradise right now” - it means that they are sure that despite their sins, they will still be in paradise, i.e. it is possible to sin, but this does not affect the guaranteed salvation, and does not lead to falling away? 6. Baptists claim that at the very first moment of turning to God, when they accepted Christ as a “personal Savior” (pay attention to this expression - the Church has nothing to do with it, God saves everyone one by one), God forgave them all their sins, and therefore, though they sin, yet their sins are not so to God. The question arises: first, how can all sins be forgiven in advance? Of course, nothing is impossible for God, but the doctrine looks very strange, according to which you are forgiven for sins that you have not yet committed, for which you have not repented! It turns out that God forgives in advance imperfect murders, thefts, adulteries? But then you can safely sin! Of course, the Baptists would not be able to draw such an absurd conclusion, but does this not mean that their original doctrine is wrong? If a student is told even before the start of studies that he is guaranteed a red diploma, and his studies will practically not affect this in any way, will he study with full zeal? 7. If salvation does not depend on man (namely, this is what the doctrine of salvation by faith propagates), then Baptists, like other Protestants, have only one way out - the doctrine of rigid predestination. This means that God does not want to save everyone for reasons that are incomprehensible to us. Can Baptists believe in such a God who is love, but not for everyone, but only for the elect?
It is important for the Orthodox to clarify that the Church has never believed that salvation can be "earned". Orthodoxy has never believed that a person can have "merit" before God. It was the Catholic Church that leaned towards this, but in Orthodoxy, for example, there were no indulgences. Orthodox believe not in merit, but in the fact that a person interacts with God in the process of salvation, freely participates in his salvation. And therefore, you cannot be sure in advance that you will be in paradise - a person can fall away from God at any moment. Yes, salvation is by grace - here the Orthodox and Baptists agree - but mercy is always unobtrusive and non-violent - it does not save if you do not want it. And in order to dispose a person to grace, to exorcise sin, certain “exercises” are needed, which in themselves do not save, but with the help of God, they turn out to be useful - hence fasting in Orthodoxy and other “asceticism”. The Baptist does not need this, because. the doctrine of instant salvation believes that sin has already been banished and will no longer annoy you. Orthodox, however, remember the words of the apostle - "if we say that we have no sin, the truth is not in us."
Baptists often raise the issue of the veneration of saints and icons, accusing the Orthodox of paganism and idolatry. In this case, the Orthodox should immediately ask: has the Baptist read in at least one Orthodox book calls to worship a tree and pray to colors? Does he really think the Orthodox are so stupid? Make a reservation that we are arguing about the real position of Orthodoxy, and not about the "opinions of grandmothers." It is also necessary to clarify that the commandment “do not make for yourself an idol” also implies that you cannot make “no images” - but for some reason the Baptists easily violate this clause and depict Christ or biblical events.
What needs to be clarified here is how the Orthodox make a distinction between the veneration that pertains to the icon (image) and the worship that is due only to God (the archetype). Salvation we wait only for God, but He gives it to us through the Church - through His saints and His shrines. He doesn't need this type of salvation—we need Him. In the Bible, we see that people are saved through people - don't Baptists read the Scripture that has come down to us through His saints - God did not dictate the Gospel directly to them.. In the same way, we see that God saves people through material shrines - for example, the ark and the temple, as it was in the Old Testament. Baptists say - but in the New Testament there are no direct commands to paint icons! Yes, no.. But there are no direct commands to celebrate Easter and Christmas either, and there are no hymns from the Baptist collection to sing either. It's just that all Christians understand: what is acceptable is that which is not prescribed by the letter, but corresponds to the spirit. So the veneration of shrines corresponds to the Christian spirit - a person consists of a soul and a body, therefore it is natural for him to be sanctified through material shrines - hence the temple, icons, water in baptism, bread and wine in communion; hence ritualism - through the material we show the beauty of the Kingdom of Heaven. Where rituals have been abandoned, the service is simply boring .. It's like the New Year without a Christmas tree, sparklers and gifts - in black suits and with gloomy faces ..
In the Old Testament, believers knelt before the ark and the temple; today, Christians kneel before icons. When Baptists ask, isn't this idolatry? - ask them - if a young man knelt before a girl, confessing his love to her - is this idolatry? Are American Protestants who kneel and kiss the flag of their country sinning with idolatry? Or do they just love their homeland? Why is it possible to kneel before the US flag, but not before the icon of Christ?
As for the prayers to the saints, here we must immediately tell the Baptists - the Orthodox do not believe in some "merits" of the saints, they do not deify them, and do not put them on the same level with Christ - any prayer to the saints is a prayer to Christ - we ask the saints to pray to our Lord so that He helps us with His grace, and not the saints help with some of their own magical powers. Let's ask the Baptists - do you ask your fellow believers to pray for you, realizing that your prayers alone are not enough, because you are far from being as holy as Christ? In the Church, everyone prays for each other, and everyone asks each other for prayers. The Orthodox simply assert that this prayer connection between members of the Church does not break even when the saints are in heaven - thanks to Christ, thanks to the fact that we are one body in Christ, the saints pray for us in heaven, and can hear our prayers addressed to him on earth, which is confirmed by the whole history of the Church. If Baptists are sure that a mother's prayer for children has great power before God, and they ask their mothers to pray for them, then why do they refuse this to the Mother of Christ Himself?? Whose prayers are strong before God, stronger than any mother on earth ..
It is very important to discuss the sacraments with Baptists. You can limit yourself to baptism and communion. The main disagreement is this: Baptists do not need the sacraments for salvation. This is their delusion. After all, if baptism and communion are not necessary for our salvation, then why should we be baptized and receive communion at all? Christ commanded us to baptize all peoples and to give communion to all - but according to Baptism, you can easily do without this.. So, Christ commanded nonsense?? Baptists say that the main thing is faith .. Yes, faith, but faith implies that we believe that Christ commanded us to perform baptism and communion for our sanctification and salvation - otherwise it turns out that our faith is absurd. Believe that baptism and the sacrament will not affect your salvation in any way, believe that they are only signs - such is the Baptist creed! Because of this understanding, it is difficult for Baptists to understand why we baptize children - after all, a child cannot "signify" that he has already been saved. But the Orthodox have a different meaning - in baptism a person is given grace for liberation from sin, giving birth to eternal life. Baptists will not long argue that children are not strangers to God's grace and need to be saved, but then why not baptize them with grace baptism? For the Orthodox, baptism is a healing medicine: would Baptists agree to give their child medicine when he is sick, although the child does not know why he is sick, and how the medicine works? That is why the Orthodox are in favor of infant baptism.
Likewise with the sacrament. Just eating bread and drinking wine, remembering the sufferings of Christ - this is important, of course. Only then is it better to read the gospel. But to partake of Christ Himself is necessary for salvation, because if we are not one with Christ, then how will we enter Paradise with Him? Simple bread and wine will not save anyone - only the Body and Blood of the Lord Himself .. So the sacrament is appropriate only if it is a saving sacrament, and not just a “rite of communion”, in which Christ, in fact, is not present. Where the saving sacraments have disappeared, we see a dull service, pop music, and very bad poetry. Has the Lord really come down to earth to give birth only to this?
1. Prot. Nikolay Varzhansky. Anti-sectarian catechism. - M., 2001.
2. Spiritual sword. – Krasnodar, 1995.
3. Deacon Andrei Kuraev. Protestants about Orthodoxy. Legacy of Christ. 10th edition. - Klin, 2009.
4. Priest Daniil Sysoev. Protestant walk through an Orthodox church. - M., 2003.
5. Deacon Sergius Kobzar. Why can't I remain a Baptist and a Protestant in general. - Slavyansk, 2002.
6. Deacon John Whiteford. Only Scripture? - Nizhny Novgorod, 2000.
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