| Ecclesiastes 1:7 All streams run to the sea, but | | | | in our own experience?One alternative |
| the sea is not full; to the place where the | | | | interpretation has to do with a metaphorical |
| streams flow, there they flow again.Matthew | | | | reenactment of the Exodus story and crossing of |
| 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at | | | | the Jordan, which is for another article. For the |
| the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would | | | | purposes of this article, perhaps a key lies in the |
| have prevented him, saying, "I need to be | | | | symbolism of the water itself.To that end, it is |
| baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But | | | | interesting to note that several religions celebrate |
| Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is | | | | and incorporate water into their traditions.For |
| proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." | | | | instance, beginning two days after the Christian |
| Then he consented. And when Jesus had been | | | | celebration of the baptism of Jesus (and going |
| baptized, just as he came up from the water, | | | | through the end of February), the Hindu festival |
| suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he | | | | of Kumbha Mela begins. A celebration which |
| saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and | | | | occurs once every 12 years, millions of Hindus |
| alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, | | | | descended upon Allahabad (the City of God) |
| "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am | | | | earlier this week, a divine location situated on the |
| well pleased."Heraclitus ~ On those who enter the | | | | confluence of three sacred rivers, the Ganges, |
| same rivers, ever different waters flow.The | | | | the Yamuna and the Saraswati.The origin of |
| traditional understanding of baptism in the Christian | | | | Kumbha Mela lies in the story of the time when |
| church centers around the notion of cleansing | | | | the gods and demons churned the ocean in |
| ourselves of all sin and unrighteousness in the | | | | search of the nectar of immortality. And part of |
| purifying waters of baptism, dying to an old way | | | | the celebration of Khumbha Mela includes ritual |
| of life while being born again into a new spiritual | | | | bathing in the rivers.In some pagan celebrations, |
| identity. This conventional interpretation of baptism | | | | water is associated with feelings and camaraderie. |
| has meaning and power for many Christians. | | | | When covens celebrate sabbats, they will pass |
| However, it no longer holds the same significance | | | | the chalice around the circle, each member taking |
| for me in my own personal faith journey, because | | | | a sip while another member offers this blessing: |
| I think that confining the purpose and meaning of | | | | "May you never thirst." Further, in earth-based |
| baptism merely to the cleansing of sin can limit us | | | | religions water is one of the four elements (air, |
| from a deeper spiritual interpretation of the | | | | water, earth, fire).It's not surprising that water |
| sacrament.According the story in the gospels, | | | | plays such a key role in some religious traditions |
| Jesus came upon John, who was baptizing people | | | | and rituals, including our own. After all, the human |
| in the Jordan River. When he saw Jesus, he | | | | body is a "body of water" in and of itself. It is |
| apparently recognized him as the one he had | | | | what makes us up and keeps us alive. Water and |
| been preaching about. So John told Jesus that it | | | | its dissolved constituents make up the bulk of our |
| was Jesus who ought to be baptizing John, not | | | | bodies, and determine the nature of nearly every |
| the other way around. But Jesus insisted that | | | | physiological process. We are made of intracellular |
| John do the honors, and so John relented and | | | | fluid, the liquid within our cells, and of extra-cellular |
| baptized Jesus. And the story says that after | | | | fluid, which includes our plasma and other solutions |
| Jesus came up out of the water, the Spirit of | | | | which are under our skin.Thus, when we bleed, |
| God alighted upon him like a dove, and a voice | | | | our blood is as wet and salty as the sea, for our |
| expressed that God was well pleased with | | | | biochemistry is still based to a great extent on |
| Jesus.Now, obviously Jesus' baptism couldn't have | | | | the salinity of the oceans from which we evolved. |
| centered upon cleansing him from sin, since, | | | | We land-dwellers rose up out of the oceans, and |
| according to traditional Christian theology, Jesus | | | | are filled with the substances that birthed us onto |
| was sinless. And whether or not you adhere to | | | | terra firma in the first place.Water has long been |
| that belief, I find it ironic that, according to the | | | | considered a sign of "life" to scientists. Recent |
| story, this sinless man received the waters of | | | | discovery of signs of water near the surface of |
| baptism, setting an example for the rest of us to | | | | Mars gave a boost to the already hot field of |
| follow. So, if our baptism harkens back to Jesus' | | | | astrobiology, the study of issues related to other |
| own, and his baptism wasn't about the cleansing | | | | life in the universe. Scientists have long believed |
| of sin, what other interpretations might we garner | | | | that the materials that led to life on Earth also |
| from the story of Jesus' baptism to make use of | | | | exist, or previously existed, on Mars. |