Confirmation
Confirmation is a type of ceremony that takes place for the youth in many Christian religions. It is a program designed to teach children about God as well as help to strengthen their relationship with God. Confirmation classes generally last for several weeks and at the end of them is the ceremony at the Church known as Confirmation. Both boys and girls of the Church take part in the confirmation ceremony dressed in white to symbolize the purity of their relationship with God.
In many Churches the confirmation ceremony is the beginning of the youth as being declared members of the Church. It is said to mean more than the concept of baptizing children in the Christian religion. This is because with a Baptism the child is generally too young to understand the meaning of the ceremony. It is done for the Church and for the parents. With the confirmation ceremony each youth has taken part in the classes voluntarily and has chosen to make that commitment with God.
It is believed that after the youth have completed the confirmation classes and the ceremony they will begin making the right decisions in their life. This is important because many of the youth’s will soon be entering that time in their life when they are faced with choices that can lead them down the right path with God or down the wrong path with the devil. Since the child is old enough to make the decision on their own it is important that they have the right information and tools to make good choices.
There are many different areas symbolized by the confirmation process. They include becoming a valued member of the Church community, accepting their faith, strengthening their relationships with their family and with God, and it acknowledges their accomplishments in the eyes of the Church.
Confirmation can be viewed as the beginning of a journey with God that is done at the desire of the youth rather than pushed along by their parents. It is a time for the youth of the Church to embrace their place as the next generation of believers to carry on the traditions of the faith both inside and outside of the Church.
