Ships sunk in battle were said to have been ‘baptized’
and yet, in man's ever holier than thou ignorance, 100’s were killed for practicing baptism as it was done in Jesus’ day...and thousands driven from their homes.
What other churches use the original practice?
My understanding was that the early Baptists in England practiced baptism by affusion (basically slinging a bucket of water over someone). I’m not sure why they did that rather than immersion. Maybe to avoid official disproval, maybe a cultural aversion to completely covering the body in water (I believe that was regarded as being very bad for the health at the time).
All of the Eastern Churches -- Catholic, Orthodox, and "Oriental Orthodox" (non-Chalcedonian, like the Copts, etc.) -- baptize by immersion.
"On the basis of the evidence provided in the New Testament, it is not possible to prove that the term "baptize" always refers to immersion, nor that the Baptisms mentioned were all done by immersion--implying (in the view of some) that only Baptisms done by immersion can be considered valid. In fact, taken as a whole the evidence suggests otherwise. In some cases the term "baptize" is synonymous with "wash" (Tit. 3:5-6; see also Heb. 9:19; Eph. 5:26, Acts 22:16, and Mark 7:1-4—a passage in which some earlier translators considered the term "baptize" to include the washing of "dining couches"), and it is highly likely that Baptisms were performed in the early church by methods other than immersion. Three thousand were baptized on Pentecost in Jerusalem, where no river exists and no mention is made of other large quantities of water that would or may have been used. In fact, the shortage of water supplies in general in many parts of the ancient world would have precluded Baptism by immersion. As the Supplementary Volume of The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible correctly notes, "It is unlikely that in Jerusalem, Samaria, Damascus, Philippi, Corinth, Rome, or Asia Minor enough water was always available for a full bath" (87).
It should be noted that very early in Christian history methods other than immersion were used and allowed. The Didache requires the administrant of Baptism to "pour water three times on the head" (7:3). No mention is made of immersion. Early Christian art depicts Baptisms of persons standing in shallow pools with water poured on the head (see David Scaer, Baptism, 96-101). (from LCMS)"
I'm not up on all the history here, but it may not have been as simple as all that. As Campion said, many of the ancient churches baptize by immersion, and it is certainly theologically no problem.
If said people, though, declared that it was wrong to baptize any other way, that might have got them into trouble.
Well, I believe that all churches accept immersion. But only those hierarchical churches which came out of the Establishment in the fourth century (e.g., Orthodox, Papist, Lutheran, Anglican, ...) accept other modes (sprinkling or pouring), or any rituals porformed on infants.
But in general, those churches which existed independently before the Reformation (e.g., Baptist, Brethren, Mennonite ,...) and those begun after the Reformation as independent groups (e.g., Campbellite, Pentecostal, Bible, ...) uniformly recognize only believer's baptism by immersion.