assignment 4

Confirmation did not exist before the 4th century because back then, it took atleast three years for a person to be baptized. Most everyone who was baptist was an adult because it was very rare to be born into a family with two Christian parents. The bishop of the town would do his blessings for baptism and there would be no need for confirmation. Then in 313 AD the legalizatoin of Christianity occured and the bishops did not know what to do with the children that were already baptized at birth. They decided to create confirmation for the children who had been raised in a Christian household so they could have the oppertunity to choose to be a Christian by themselves.
In the early church the baptized ones had a preparation time of three years. This tested how badly they wanted to be a Christian. Now a day the preparation time is much shorter.
There are many reasons to become confirmed, but there are four really important ones that everyone experiences. The first being able to have the oppertunity to teach, learn and have self discovery. This is very important to achieve if you want to be a true Christian. The second reason is to confirm the baptismal vows that were made when you were baptized as a child. Confirmation is the true act of stating your faith in God to the congregation. Thirdly it is the rite in which we recieve strength from the Holy Spirit. The moment the bishop blesses us, the Holy Spirit strengthens us. The last reason is that confirmation is a statement that you are not only part of a single church, but that you are a member of a world wide belief.