To be honest I had no clue what was the translation for “baptistère” in English. Viva Interneta. Anyways I found myself in a baptistery today. I mean, literally.

I taught English this afternoon and it was pretty warm on the second floor of the church. So I said to the ladies that the church should have a swimming pool somewhere outside. Then I told them as a joke, that we could use the baptistery. I am so funny you see… So they asked me if they could check it out (not for swimming of course). At the break we went across the hallway and I opened the door marked “Private”. We found ourselves into a narrow but pretty wide room. In the middle was the baptistery. They were pretty impressed. I told them it was not a “holy” place or anything like that and I went down the stairs explaining to them about how they filled it and etc. A lady realized that they actually used tap water, so she said, “So they bless the water after it’s filled?” I told them that the water was not blessed and pointed out that in the Bible, people got baptized in lakes, rivers or anywhere they found water and the water was obviously not “blessed” itself or by anyone. I told them that there was nothing magic with baptism. That it was simply a symbol of the old life without Christ being “buried” and then the new life with Christ, that it was a public demonstration of one’s desire to follow Christ. The water did not save or purify from anything. They asked me how they did baptism with babies. I explained to them that we believed that the decision to follow Christ had to be taken by the person herself, a baby cannot make that kind of decision, it had to come from the heart. A lady asked me how they actually baptise, she thought that people simply had to walk from one side of the baptistery to the other. So I explained, they were really interested.

At the end, we were all standing in the empty baptistery. I thought that it was an interesting picture. It’s break time from learning English, the ESOL teacher and her Muslim students are standing in an empty baptistery, discussing about baptism according to the Bible.

At the end, ladies said stuff like:

1. Every religion brings good things to people.

2. I think that we would have all killed ourselves without religions.

3. Faith is important. It gives you something to hang on when you have nothing else.

What did I reply? Hmmm. Nothing, I simply smiled and nodded. I never have much imagination you see so I didn’t know what was proper for me to say. But obviously, all these statements are altogether wrong or in need to be more detailed. Many religions bring good things to people, otherwise, they wouldn’t follow any. But these good things are good things according to this world and usually won’t pass through God’s refining fire. Now I don’t know what the lady meant by statement number two. Although… many religions and sects have killed their members (literally) and all of them kill them spiritually. So, I don’t know. Number three… it’s true. But it really depend on something: what is it or who is it that you put your faith in? What’s the object of your faith. Because if it’s in the wrong thing or person, then your faith is totally useless since that thing or person has no power.

So anyways. I thank God for the opportunity to speak about baptism, IN the baptisery to Muslim ladies.