Baptised More than Once and Lay Baptism

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Epiphanius

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Is there anything wrong with being baptised twice or more? For instance, if someone was not 100% certain that he was baptised as infant.

I also wonder, since baptism removes all sins couldn’t someone hypotheticaly just get baptised every day or so instead of going to confession?

Another question that occurs to me is: if a father validly baptises his newborn child does that mean the child would be just as spirtually ‘secure’, for want of a better word, as a child baptised by an ordained priest?

Thanks.
 
You can’t be rebaptized. Some people are baptized conditionally, but that has more to do with not knowing whether or not the original baptism was valid. Or, they might not have any evidence they were baptized. But, that’s not saying the original baptism was not valid. If you are validly baptized, you cannot be baptized again, that’s all there is to it.
 
  1. Nobody can be baptized more than once, as baptism leaves an indelible mark on our soul. The Church performs a conditional baptism if there is some doubt about baptism.
  2. See the above. Christ left us a sacrament for the forgiveness of sins after baptism.
  3. A layperson can only baptize in danger of death, and must report the baptism to the Church as soon as possible. Parents should follow the Church’s rules regarding raising children in the Faith. Nobody is spiritually secure outside the Church.
 
It has happend often in the early christian society. There are some rather funny examples of people being baptized more than one time because they liked it and got a new white linnen dress every time 😉
The theme was discussed because of this very early with the same result as the posters above already said, a regular and legal baptized person can´t be baptized again, if he tries, it is just water on his head.
 
Epiphanius said:
I also wonder, since baptism removes all sins couldn’t someone hypotheticaly just get baptised every day or so instead of going to confession?
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Baptism is effective only once. It’s kind of like marriage - if you’re still married to one person, you can’t just go out and marry another. You can get all dressed up and throw a party and say the words, but the outcome still won’t be that you’re married twice. Similarly with baptism, a second attempt does not confer a valid baptism at all, but merely a ceremonial bath.
Epiphanius said:
Is there anything wrong with being baptised twice or more? For instance, if someone was not 100% certain that he was baptised as infant.
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There is what’s called a conditional baptism. The priest uses words to the effect of “If you are not already baptized, I baptize you…” However if the individual is not already baptized, this ritual has no further effect. The general practice in case of converts where the baptism is in doubt is to perform both a conditional baptism and a general confession (so that in the case the individual is already baptized, they receive forgiveness through confession).
Epiphanius said:
Another question that occurs to me is: if a father validly baptises his newborn child does that mean the child would be just as spirtually ‘secure’, for want of a better word, as a child baptised by an ordained priest?
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The child is just as spiritually secure, yes. This is why the laity should be trained in the proper manner of baptism, in case it needs to be performed without a priest. However in the normal course of things (where there is neither danger of death nor undue delay) the priest or deacon is the ordinary minister.
 
Epiphanius said:
Is there anything wrong with being baptised twice or more? For instance, if someone was not 100% certain that he was baptised as infant.
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Yeah, I think there have been cases where people have been 2nd baptised because they were unsure about the validity of their baptism.
Epiphanius said:
I also wonder, since baptism removes all sins couldn’t someone hypotheticaly just get baptised every day or so instead of going to confession?
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No…baptism is a one-time thing. Like Marriage and Holy Orders, it can only be (validly) done once.
Epiphanius said:
if a father validly baptises his newborn child does that mean the child would be just as spirtually ‘secure’, for want of a better word, as a child baptised by an ordained priest?
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Yes. All that is needed is to baptise with the intention of the Church, using the correct words (I baptise you in the name of the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.), and pouring water on the head.

Even a Non-Catholic can Baptise in an emergency. It is not required to be an ordained minister, though it is the norm.
 
Well no, one can be validly married multiple times. Upon the death of one’s spouse, one is free to remarry.

Confirmation can only be validly received one time. It also give a permanent mark on the soul and like baptism cannot be repeated.

Holy orders cannot be repealed at the same level. A priest cannot be reordained a priest. However one can be ordained to a higher level. A deacon can be ordained a priest and a priest can be ordained a bishop.
 
Yeah…most people generally only marry once. And you can’t receive the sacrament twice with the same person
 
You’re overthinking the example. My point is, if one is currently validly married, then repeating the marriage ceremony doesn’t marry you again. (If your spouse has died, you are not currently married.) Same thing with baptism - if you’re validly baptized, repeating the baptismal ceremony doesn’t do anything at all.

I used marriage because pretty much everyone who accepts monogamy is familiar with the principle that, if you’re currently married, you can’t marry someone else. So unless you can find some way to undo your baptism (Hint: you can’t), you can’t be re-baptized.
 
I was baptized as an infant in the hospital by a nurse as I was a premie. There are pictures of me being “baptized” in a Church. I don’t know if my mother never told the priest I was already baptized or if she did and I was baptized conditionally. I am not sure what the norm is, in my case this was 50 years ago. Does the church goes through any process with infants baptized in an emergency? I mean like other prayers, etc?
 
DarkLight said:
You’re overthinking the example. My point is, if one is currently validly married, then repeating the marriage ceremony doesn’t marry you again. (If your spouse has died, you are not currently married.) Same thing with baptism - if you’re validly baptized, repeating the baptismal ceremony doesn’t do anything at all.
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Ok, so there is some confusion here. I was not responding to your post; I was responding to AdamPeter’s post where he said:
AdamPeter said:
No…baptism is a one-time thing. Like Marriage and Holy Orders, it can only be (validly) done once.
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Unfortunately, responding to a previous post from my cell phone does not bring up who I was responding to. Something I learned today.

My point is that marriage is different from baptism. For the sacrament of marriage, there are circumstances (ie, the death of a spouse) that will allow the sacrament to be received a second time. There are NO circumstances that will allow someone to be validly baptized a second time.

I apologize for the confusion.
 
Oh, it took me about 3 seconds to think of how that some would think that could occur.
 
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