Posted by Joanna on January 09, 2001 at 23:17:12:
In Reply to: baptism posted by Maria on January 07, 2001 at 16:30:32:
Marriage (of any kind) as far as I know has nothing to do with the christening of a child. Of course it's always best to take the first step (orthodox marriage) the right way however this should pose no problem in having your child christened in an orthodox church. But the sponsor/godparent must be an Orthodox person. Baptism and chrismation (when the child gets anointed with holy oil during the service) is a sacrament. The child receives the Holy spirit -which is a very special gift. Baptism is the first step of his/her orthodox christian life. And so this gift must be nurtured and nourished. This can only be done by raising the child in the proper orthodox christian way e.g regular Holy communion in the church and teaching the child all things Christian. You have to understand that you can't just baptise the child and then that's that. It's like sowing a plant and then not watering it. In order for the child/adult to receive Holy Communion (the actual Body and blood of Christ) they must be baptised. Holy Communion feeds the soul. Through prayer and partaking of Confession and Holy Communion we become more and more enlightened on what God truly wants of us and of course we can better fight temptations and evil. We all therefore have the potential to become Saints. For more information do not be hesitant in contacting an Orthodox priest. There are also christian orthodox books available in English on many different topics that you can ask for.