Ronen Zvulun / Reuters
A Franciscan priest baptizes a child during a ceremony at the baptismal site known as Qasr el-Yahud, near the West Bank city of Jericho, Jan. 13. Hundreds of Christians gathered on Sunday on the banks of the Jordan River at the traditional site where it is believed John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP - Getty Images
Christian pilgrims take part in a mass baptism ceremony at the Jordan River at Yardenit in northern Israel on Tuesday. According to the gospels Jesus Christ was baptized in the water of the Jordan River by John the Baptist.
Abir Sultan / EPA
US pilgrims in the Jordan River during a Baptism ceremony at the popular Baptism site at Yardenit, before the Jordan River exits into the Sea of Galilee, in northern Israel, on Tuesday. The site is a popular destination for Christians and Baptists who visit Israel and retrace the footsteps of Jesus Christ in the holy land.
Ahmad Gharabli / AFP - Getty Images
Christian pilgrims take part in a mass baptism ceremony at the Jordan River at Yardenit in northern Israel on Tuesday.
Gali Tibbon / AFP - Getty Images
Evangelical Christian pilgrims from Brazil take part in a mass baptism ceremony in the waters of the Jordan River at Yardenit in northern Israel on Oct. 15. According to the gospels, Jesus Christ was baptized in the water of the Jordan River by John the Baptist. More than 6000 Evangelical pilgrims arrived in Israel during the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth, or the Feast of Tabernacles, to show their support in the Jewish state.
Gali Tibbon / AFP - Getty Images
Evangelical Christian pilgrims from Brazil take part in a mass baptism ceremony in the waters of the Jordan River.
Gali Tibbon / AFP - Getty Images
Evangelical Christian pilgrims from Brazil take part in a mass baptism ceremony in the waters of the Jordan River.
David Mdzinarishvili / Reuters
A baby is baptized during a mass baptism ceremony in Tbilisi, Sept. 29, 2011. About 450 children were baptized by the Georgian Orthodox church during a mass baptism ceremony at the country's main cathedral Holy Trinity.
Vano Shlamov / AFP - Getty Images
Vano Shlamov / AFP - Getty Images
Baptized by fire? More like baptized by fire hose.
Photojournalist Jim Lo Scalzo published an intriguing set of images today, exploring the renewed interest in outdoor Baptisms. Churches are moving away from the sterile sanctuaries and heading for the great outdoors, according to his report for the European Pressphoto Agency.
Lo Scalzo says: One of the American South's most symbolic religious traditions is making a comeback. Outdoor baptisms, popularized in the 18th century by African slaves, had all but disappeared by the 1950s with the rise of indoor baptismal pools. Yet an increasing number of Baptist churches are forsaking the convenience and safety of these pools for nearby rivers, lakes, oceans and even fire hoses. “It's a re-discovery,” says Gregory Hughes, Pastor of True Life Ministries, which holds an annual ocean baptism in St. Simon’s Island, Ga. “It's a way to embrace tradition while renewing our spirit.”
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Members of the United House of Prayer For All People are baptized by fire hose, a church tradition since 1926, at the end of the church's annual convocation in Baltimore, Md., on Aug. 22, 2010.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Christian youths attending an annual beach gathering called “A Closer Walk,” are baptized in the Atlantic Ocean in Wildwood, N.J. on July 22, 2011.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Members of True Life Ministries, a Baptist church near Atlanta, are baptized in the Atlantic Ocean during an event they called 'Baptism 2011: The Year of Rededication' at St. Simon's Island, Ga., on June 18, 2011.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
A teenage visitor to The Ramp, a non-denominational ministry popular with Christian youths, goes into a trance-like state, weeping and speaking in tongues after being baptized in a pond during one of The Ramp's bi-monthly summer gatherings in Hamilton, Ala., on July 30, 2011.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
The First Baptist Church of Richmond, Virginia, holds its '2nd Annual River Baptism' in the James River in Henrico, Va., on Aug. 9, 2010.
Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA
Two teenage visitors to The Ramp, a non-denominational ministry popular with Christian youths, weep and speak in tongues after being baptized in a pond during one of The Ramp's bi-monthly summer 'gatherings' in Hamilton, Ala., on July 30, 2011. (Editor's note: Light entering the camera lens is creating the round flare of light around the two figures)
Shakh Aivazov / AP
A baby cries during a baptizing ceremony in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday, March 3. About 400 babies were baptized during a special ceremony in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the Georgian capital.
It looks like this baby was just pulled from the womb wearing a diaper.
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