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I have a question, well my partner does.. why do they cut baby's hair at christening cos my baby will be getting christened in a Greek church but my partner is refusing for her hair to be touched .. he's Caribbean ????
Answer to Question 136
The Priest reads the two prayers of the Tonsure [the cutting of hair] and cuts hair from the baptizand’s head in the form of a cross. Why is this done? Having been baptized, you are now a new person reborn by water and the Spirit. God has granted you salvation and not only this; He has sealed you with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is only right that we offer something back to God for His loving-kindness; therefore the hair that is cut is a symbolic offering similar to the firstfruits one would offer God as a thanksgiving for the good harvest. But here the hair represents not fruit, but an offering of ourselves, the beginning of a new start and a sacrifice of our whole life to Christ our God.
Same member
Thank you very much .. so I'm not allowed to skip this part like daddy wants me too
Another member
You make many references to the new testament in some of your answers and totally ignore it in others. I would like a better explanation for this please Pater. I don't remember the cutting of hair or oil etc... During baptisms in the New Testament.
First member
So therefore I can skip that part
Answer to first member
The problem is you don't decide what part of the service you want and want you don't want. If you want your child to be baptised in the Orthodox Church then you must accept the service of baptism as it is performed by the Church. No priest is going to allow you to dictate to him how he must do his job
Answer to second member
What exactly didn't you understand? I said it was a symbolic offering of our life to God. Why should it be in the New Testament? It is a tradition of the church that has been handed down, but before you tell me that if it's not in the bible it should not be accepted, the New Testament was written for the church and was also handed down through tradition
The second member
Thank you for your response. I guess what I don't understand is the inconsistency. I am trying to understand, but when I see something irrational it bothers me. For example, I have read today, posts by you, explaining that symbols and metaphor in the practices of other churches as being incorrect respectfully, but that Jesus showed us how things should be done or practised and rattled off NT chapters and verse. Communion for instance. Then in our baptisms we take a tangent and start inventing symbols of our own?? My question must be therefore, if I wanted to leave tradition out of it and baptise as Jesus did in the New Testament, would my church do so?
Reply
And how did Jesus baptise? Can you quote me a passage from scripture so that I can understand
Second member
You don't know of Jesus' baptism?? I hope you're not purposely being coy. All the NT gospels describe the baptism, I believe they all state the immersion and Jesus coming out of the water and the Holy Spirit being received. Acts also has passages regarding water. No mention of hair cutting or oil! And here lies the Problem, the lady wants her child to receive the gift of the holy spirit and not simply join a church. I worry that you deem this to be the purpose of baptism.
Answer
You did not say as Jesus was baptised, you said as Jesus baptised
First member's partner
Dear Sir, I am a Lutheran extreme right, my church is a humble place it is not covered in gold or pearls, we do not use the colour purple. In my church I'm taught to question and test the spirit, 1 John 4:1 so please show me the verse where cutting babies hair is ordained
Answer
The difference with our churches is that you place all your faith in Sola Scriptura but we accept tradition as an equal source of authority as the bible. By the way we have no gold and pearls in my church either
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