Confirmation is a rite used in many Christian churches. Though beliefs about confirmation differ among traditions, it is commonly seen as a mature statement of faith of a person already baptised. Customarily, it is done during adolescence, and, as such, is often seen as a rite of passage. In some traditions, Confirmation is seen as a sacrament. A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... The word faith has various uses; its central meaning is similar to belief, trust or confidence, but unlike these terms, faith tends to imply a transpersonal rather than interpersonal relationship – with God or a higher power. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism, and has its origins with the Jewish ritual of mikvah. ... Adolescence is the transitional stage of development between childhood and full adulthood (gender-specific manhood, or womanhood), representing the period of time during which a person is biologically adult but emotionally not at full maturity. ... A rite of passage is a ritual that marks a change in a persons social or sexual status. ... A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace. ...

Roman Catholic views

In the Roman Catholic Church confirmation is one of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ for the conferral of sanctifying grace and the strengthening of the union between individual souls and God. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The practice of the Roman Catholic Church includes seven sacraments. ...

Confirmation is seen as granting the receiver an extra-natural source of wisdom, knowledge and courage, should the person desire it with an open heart. As such, Confirmation is the fulfillment of the words of Christ who said "And ye shall know the truth" (John 8:32). The roots of Confirmation are to be found in the Acts of the Apostles (8:14-17) "Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit." See also the New Testament Gospel of Saint John, chapter 14 where Christ discusses the coming of the Holy Spirit with the Apostles. Wisdom is the ability to make correct judgments and decisions. ... The Gettier problem: Justified true belief? Theory of Knowledge: The Gettier problem The Duality of Knowledge Philosophy of Knowledge Glossary Categories: ‪Knowledge‬ | ‪Epistemology‬ | ‪Philosophical terminology‬ ... You know what courage is. ... Christ is the English representation of the Greek word Χριστός (transliterated as Khristós), which means anointed. ... The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the sequence of the canon as printed in the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written. ...

As a sacrament it is held to put a person in direct communion with the Holy Spirit. The current 'witness' paradigm of Confirmation used in the Latin Rite since the 1970s emphasizes participation in the community and the evangelistic nature of the grace obtained. Prior to that the 'soldier of Christ' paradigm emphasized defending Christianity and so was more concerned with the apologetic nature of the graces. Within Christianity the word communion can refer to: Communion - a close relationship between Christian Churches or communities, and by metonomy a group of such Churches or communities that recognize the existence between them of such a relationship, especially if it can be characterized as full communion The Communion of Saints... In variouss religions, most notably Christianity, the Holy Spirit (also called the Holy Ghost in Trinitarian Christianity; in Hebrew רוח הקודש Ruah haqodesh) is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. ... The 1970s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1970 and 1979. ... See also: Timeline of Christianity Beliefs Though enormous diversity exists in the beliefs of those who self-identify as Christian, it is possible to venture general statements which describe the beliefs of a large majority. ... Apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position. ...

In Latin-Rite (i.e., Western) Catholic churches, the ordinary minister of Confirmation is a bishop. Unless a priest has received the faculty from competent authority (normally the diocesean bishop), a confirmation by a parish priest would usually be illegal, but nonetheless valid (unlike a confirmation by an unordained person, which would be invalid). In Western Catholic churches, only persons old enough to understand the sacrament are normally confirmed. In Eastern-Rite Roman Catholic churches, the usual minister of this sacrament is a parish priest, who uses the chrismation rite involving olive oil consecrated by a bishop (i.e., chrism), and administers the sacrament immediately after baptism. Latin Rite, in the singular and accompanied, in English, by the definite article (The Latin Rite), is a term by which documents of the Catholic Church designate the particular Church, distinct from the Eastern Rite Churches, that developed in western Europe and northern Africa, where Latin was the language of... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... Chrismation is the name given in Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern_rite Catholic churches to the sacrament known as confirmation in the Latin Rite Catholic churches. ... Chrism (or holy oil) is a consecrated oil used to anoint confirmandi in the Catholic sacrament of confirmation (or chrismation) and newly ordained priest receiving the Catholic sacrament of Holy Orders. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism, and has its origins with the Jewish ritual of mikvah. ...

Its supernatural efficacy is held to depend on its being administered by a person ordained by a bishop in a line of succession of bishops dating back to the twelve apostles. Roman Catholics recognize the validity of chrismations in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches because those churches maintain the apostolic succession of bishops, and therefore Catholics do not confirm converts from those churches who have been chrismated before their conversion. However, the Catholic Church does not recognize the validity of Protestant confirmations, and so a convert to Catholicism from Protestantism will receive the sacrament. The Twelve Apostles (in Koine Greek απόστολος apostolos [1], someone sent forth/sent out, an emissary) were probably Galilean Jewish men (10 names are Aramaic, 4 names are Greek) chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth by Jesus of Nazareth... In Christianity, the doctrine of apostolic succession (or the belief that the Church is apostolic) maintains that the Christian Church today is the spiritual successor of the Church of the Apostles. ...

The Catholic Church teaches that the Sacrament of Confirmation imposes an "indelible mark" upon a soul; therefore, it would be sacrilegeous to receive Confirmation twice.

Orthodox views

In Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, there is no direct theological analogue to "confirmation". The Roman Catholic Church considers the Orthodox Church's practice of Chrismation to be an eastern equivalent of confirmation. Thus, the Catholic Church does not confirm converts to Catholicism who have been chrismated in an Eastern church, considering them already confirmed. Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches practice chrismation as part of the normal baptism, since it is seen as part-and-parcel, quite inseparable, in the Orthodox theology of baptism. When Roman Catholics (and some Protestants) convert to Orthodoxy, they are admitted via Chrismation alone, but this is a matter of local episcopal discretion, and a bishop may require all converts be admitted by baptism if he deems it necessary. (Depending upon the form of the original baptism, some Protestants must be baptized upon conversion to Orthodoxy.) ... The term Oriental Orthodoxy refers to the churches of Eastern Christian traditions that keep the faith of only the first three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus — and rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... Chrismation is the name given in Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern_rite Catholic churches to the sacrament known as confirmation in the Latin Rite Catholic churches. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism, and has its origins with the Jewish ritual of mikvah. ... In Eastern Orthodoxy, economy is a bishops discretionary power to dispense with church standards (or canons, as they are called) that a parish priest would otherwise be required to follow. ...

Anglican/Episcopal views

The traditional view of the Anglican Communion, taken from the Thirty-Nine Articles, is that Confirmation or Affirmation of Baptism is not a sacrament. The Thirty-Nine articles recognises only two sacraments, Baptism and Communion; however, many Anglicans, particularly those in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, view Confirmation as a sacrament. Only a bishop may administer confirmation. If a person has been confirmed by a bishop in the apostolic succession, they may be received, rather than confirmed when they convert to an Anglican church, although this practice varies. For example, the Episcopal Church in the United States of America now recognises confirmations in churches that do not claim apostolic succession as valid; therefore, a confirmed person from a Protestant denomination would now be received when converting to ECUSA; however, in the Anglican Church of Canada, only persons confirmed by a bishop in apostolic succession are received. In being received, the individual has renounced their former church or denomination and has become an Anglican. Until recent times, only confirmed Anglicans were allowed to take Communion. This has now been changed in many Anglican churches to permit any baptised Christian to take Communion. As a result, adults who convert to Anglicanism do not have to be confirmed unless they wish to be. The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... The Thirty-Nine Articles are the defining statements of Anglican doctrine. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism, and has its origins with the Jewish ritual of mikvah. ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ... ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... In Christianity, the doctrine of apostolic succession (or the belief that the Church is apostolic) maintains that the Christian Church today is the spiritual successor of the Church of the Apostles. ... The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Washington DC is the national cathedral of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Anglican Church of Canada is the Canadian branch of the Anglican Communion. ...

It is still standard that those baptised as either infants or as young children are to go through the Rite of Confirmation upon reaching an age of mature choice.

Protestant views

In Protestant churches, confirmation is often called a "rite" rather than a sacrament, and is held to be merely symbolic rather than an effective means of conferring divine grace. The Roman Catholic Church does not recognize the validity of Protestant confirmations, and therefore do confirm converts from Protestantism. Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a split from within the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... Grace may stand for: // Meaning a quality of aesthetics, usually applied to human motion. ...

Latter-day Saint views

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, confirmation is considered a necessary saving ordinance and is typically administered shortly after baptism. One or more Melchizedek Priesthood holders place their hands on the person's head and one of them says the words of the ordinance, adding any additional words of blessing or advice as he feels inspired. Through confirmation, a person becomes an official member of the Church and receives the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Salt Lake City temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism, and has its origins with the Jewish ritual of mikvah. ... The Melchizedek Priesthood, to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the authority and power to act in the name of God including the authority to perform ordinances and to preside over and direct the affairs of his Church and Kingdom. ... The Gift of the Holy Ghost is a doctrine of the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Each person is confirmed at most once

Western Christians do not normally confirm anyone who has already been confirmed, just as they do not typically baptize anyone twice. Roman Catholics have made it an explicit dogma that confirmation is one of the three sacraments that no one may receive more than once; see sacramental character. On the other hand, the Orthodox insist that chrismation upon conversion is necessary. According to the Tridentine dogmas of Catholicism, a sacramental character is an indelible supernatural mark made on a persons soul by any of three of the seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, and Holy Orders. ...

External links

• Catholic Sacrament of Confirmation - Initiation
• Traditional Catholic Rite of Confirmation used before Vatican II and by traditional Catholics today
• Information and Forum for Roman Catholics About to Recieve Confirmation