Taking Scripture at its word when it talks about baptism, and having a working understanding of the historic and ancient faith of the Christian Church going back to the Apostles (and thus, in Scripture), would do a lot to help people come to a basic biblical and Christian view of baptism.
Instead there are all sorts of ideas floating out there that have no basis in Scripture, and which were unknown until very recent times because of people making up whatever they want.
For example, baptism is not a public declaration of faith in Christ. Or, at the very least, that is never what the Bible says. Baptism typically is pretty public (but not always), and so a secondary consequence is that baptism is visible in the midst of the Faithful--but that's not why the Church baptizes, and it's not the meaning assigned to baptism in the Bible. The meaning assigned to baptism in the Bible is the remission of sins, new birth, and union to Christ, to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It's not a public work done for the sake of other people, nor for the sake of God; it is a working of God, His grace, to accomplish what He Himself promises in His word. Since baptism is God's work for us, not a human work for men or for God, then it should never be treated as a human work. I it is not a human work which merits us any righteousness before God as though it were our effort; neither is it a mere ritual "ordinance". It is a Sacred Thing, a Sacrament, through which God acts and accomplishes what He promises.
All of this is plain to see in the clear and explicit words of Scripture, and it is what Christians have always believed. For many people that doesn't matter, but it would go a long way to just be honest and say, "I don't believe this because I don't like it" rather than put the Bible through a paper shredder and pretend that Christians used to believe whatever new doctrine gets invented ad hoc in place of Scripture.
-CryptoLutheran