Variations of Confirmation

• Confirmation is practiced by various different branches of Christianity, namely by followers of the Anglican, the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic branches. It is seen as a continuation of the individual's baptism. Confirmations are performed in roughly the same way within each branch of Christianity, with a few subtle differences -- in Catholicism, confirmed individuals are daubed with oil, while the Anglican faith performs confirmation through "the laying of hands." The laying of the hands is the practice of the leaders of the Church laying their hands on an individual who is kneeling in a praying position in front of them. This is meant to symbolize the receiving of the holy ghost. Confirmation comes in three different levels.
  
  

First Level of Confirmation

• The first level of confirmation is for the individual to gain a deeper understanding of their faith. In other words, God becomes more familiar to the individual, more resolutely understood and more clearly recognized. The first level of confirmation gives the individual the power and conviction to say that their confidence in the existence and protection of God has been enhanced and not diminished. This is important for the Christian faith, as a loss in confidence can lead to the questioning of faith.
  
  

Second Level of Confirmation

• The second level of confirmation is the development of an individual's mission to spread their ideas of belief and trust in the power and protection of God. Christians see this as their main mission during their time on Earth due to their belief in the final days of man. They believe that all individuals will be judged on their belief in the Christian faith, with those believing in Christ being the ones who will receive eternal salvation. Some branches of the Christian faith state that any Christian who doesn't follow this level of confirmation is considered to be of no worth to the church (though this is a minority opinion).
  
  

Third Level of Confirmation

• The third level of confirmation is the process of helping the individual's ability to defend their faith. Confirmation is supposed to help this process in two different ways: it changes the thought process to make a person see that their faith should always be protected from criticism, and it also strengthens the individual's determination to defend their faith from any attack. At this level, defense of faith comes before even personal relationships.