Baptism of Baptists

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I recall as a 15 year-old sitting on the sidewalk in front of my best friend’s house with he and another friend and we were for whatever reason discussing religion. I brought up that I was Baptized Catholic as an infant, my friends, who were both Baptists, claimed that they were never Baptized, but their (older) sisters were. I immediately felt embarrassed by this seemingly “feminst” Sacrament. I didn’t pursue the question after that, but I do think of that day quite a bit, in light of my current RCIA journey. So why were my friends not Baptized, but their sisters were? Is it because their is a certain age that Baptists must attain before getting it?
 
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Steve-o:
I recall as a 15 year-old sitting on the sidewalk in front of my best friend’s house with he and another friend and we were for whatever reason discussing religion. I brought up that I was Baptized Catholic as an infant, my friends, who were both Baptists, claimed that they were never Baptized, but their (older) sisters were. I immediately felt embarrassed by this seemingly “feminst” Sacrament. I didn’t pursue the question after that, but I do think of that day quite a bit, in light of my current RCIA journey. So why were my friends not Baptized, but their sisters were? Is it because their is a certain age that Baptists must attain before getting it?
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Baptists believe you must first give your life to Jesus - ask his forgiveness & receive Him as Savior and then you are Baptized. This is never done to infants - only to someone who is able to recognize they are sinful & and in need of a Savior. The sister must’ve done that but you’re friends hadn’t. Maybe they didn’t respond to the alter call (Jesus) - or maybe they stopped going to church so they were never baptized? At age 15, they were certainly old enough so there has to be something more to it…

P.S. Welcome to the Catholic Church! God Bless you! 🙂
 
What you write makes sense; a co-worker of mine referred to Baptism of infants as a “presentation”, which was not the same as the of age Baptism they receive. I have to wonder if she was discounting infant Baptism with that statement.

Thanks for the welcome. It’s good to be coming home!
 
In the Baptist church I was raised in I was presented by my parents as an infant. I am under the impression that it was more of a ‘dedication’ ceremony as in they were dedicating raising me with the knowledge of Christ being my personal Savior.

When I was old enough to understand what Baptism meant and expressed to my mother that I wanted to be Baptized then my mother went to our pastor and told him this. I remember that he counseled me and made sure that I understood what Baptism meant. I can’t recall if there was any further instruction that I had to go through.

I believe that I was about 13 when I was Baptized with full immersion but I’m not absolutely sure.

The reason these boys may not have been baptized yet is because they had not expressed their desire to do so or maybe the parents didn’t feel that they were ready. You did say that it was his older sisters that were baptized so maybe that has more to do with it than anything.

And I don’t think that Baptists conciously ‘discount’ infant baptism … it’s just not on their radar screen.
 
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MaryD7:
And I don’t think that Baptists conciously ‘discount’ infant baptism … it’s just not on their radar screen.
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I’d like a Baptist on the forum to respond - I hate to speak for them but it’s my understanding that if a person was baptized as in infant - say as a Lutheran or a Catholic - and they later wanted to become Baptist, I believe they’d have to be baptized again - as a believer. This is what my friend was told when she expressed a desire to join a Baptist Church. Her original baptism didn’t count since it wasn’t her decision.
 
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MaryD7:
In the Baptist church I was raised in I was presented by my parents as an infant. I am under the impression that it was more of a ‘dedication’ ceremony as in they were dedicating raising me with the knowledge of Christ being my personal Savior.

When I was old enough to understand what Baptism meant and expressed to my mother that I wanted to be Baptized then my mother went to our pastor and told him this. I remember that he counseled me and made sure that I understood what Baptism meant. I can’t recall if there was any further instruction that I had to go through.

I believe that I was about 13 when I was Baptized with full immersion but I’m not absolutely sure.
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So Baptism before one consciously accepts Christ is merely symbolic? Or is it symbolic always?
 
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Steve-o:
I recall as a 15 year-old sitting on the sidewalk in front of my best friend’s house with he and another friend and we were for whatever reason discussing religion. I brought up that I was Baptized Catholic as an infant, my friends, who were both Baptists, claimed that they were never Baptized, but their (older) sisters were. I immediately felt embarrassed by this seemingly “feminst” Sacrament. I didn’t pursue the question after that, but I do think of that day quite a bit, in light of my current RCIA journey. So why were my friends not Baptized, but their sisters were? Is it because their is a certain age that Baptists must attain before getting it?
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To protestants, baptism is the act of excepting God into your life and being saved and what not. It normally happens when they’re older, more of a concious decision for them at an age of decision.
 
carol marie:
I’d like a Baptist on the forum to respond - I hate to speak for them but it’s my understanding that if a person was baptized as in infant - say as a Lutheran or a Catholic - and they later wanted to become Baptist, I believe they’d have to be baptized again - as a believer. This is what my friend was told when she expressed a desire to join a Baptist Church. Her original baptism didn’t count since it wasn’t her decision.
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This is true. Becoming baptized in a Baptist Church means that the individual is cementing (for lack of a better word) their commitment to God and are publicly announcing their intentions. This can only be done when the person is at an age where he/she understands that they are making this commitment to God. It’s almost like Confirmation in the Catholic Church.
 
In the Baptist Church a person must believe that Christ died for our sins, repent of our sins and then in obeisanceto his word be fully immersed in water. Baptist’s teach that this symbolizes the death, barriel and resurrection of Christ. there are no sacrements in the Baptist Church, there are two ordinances, Baptism and the Lords Supper. I grew up in the Baptist Church and I know they will not accept any form of infant baptisim. They will accept believers baptism by another denomination. They will also re-baptise anyone who asks. I have known people who were baptised several times. I have no idea why.
 
Baptistism in the Baptist Church is Believers Baptistism. It usually happens after a candidate for baptistism being lead by the Holy Spirit asks to give his or her testimony to the Board of Deacons and the Pastor. Then the candidate once again being lead by the Holy Spirit makes a public confession (Romans 10; 9-10) of their faith to the congregation. The candidate can now be baptized. Of course this would not happen if the Spirit of God did not witness to their Spirit that they were a child of God!

forever Baptist
allischalmers
 
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RTMirage:
They will accept believers baptism by another denomination. They will also re-baptise anyone who asks. I have known people who were baptised several times. I have no idea why.
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Some Baptist demoninations will accept other adult baptisms, some don’t… My mother who was raised Brethern was told she had to be immersed again when she became a baptist. (And she’d been fully immersed in a river in winter, so she hotly refused a second immersion)
And yes, most Baptists believe it’s symbolic. Funny, I never believed it was when I got baptised. Good thing we’re about to swim the Tiber in 14 days! 😃
 
carol marie:
I’d like a Baptist on the forum to respond - I hate to speak for them but it’s my understanding that if a person was baptized as in infant - say as a Lutheran or a Catholic - and they later wanted to become Baptist, I believe they’d have to be baptized again - as a believer. This is what my friend was told when she expressed a desire to join a Baptist Church. Her original baptism didn’t count since it wasn’t her decision.
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I have a good friend who was recently Baptized into the Baptist Church. She was born & raised Catholic, her Husband is Baptist. They go to the Baptist Church because he dosen’t agree with the Catholic Church(he dosen’t understand it, is more the truth). But anyway, she had to be Baptized again as a believer. I told her that she was already Baptized & there is one Baptism, but she did it anyway. She is not happy and I forsee problems in the marriage because of it. Truth is that she was not a Catholic who knew her faith and her Husband has never been to a Catholic Mass and only knows what he’s been told the Catholic Church believes. We’ve had many discussions, but I am hoping that when my Daughter gets married in May (she is having a Nuptial Mass and they are going to be there) , that that will be the first step for him to begin to understand the Catholic faith. I’m positive that it will not be anything like what he is expecting. My Husband says I’m seeking the impossible, but I think, hey, you never know! I’ve been praying about it for some time now.:gopray2:
 
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RTMirage:
In the Baptist Church a person must believe that Christ died for our sins, repent of our sins and then in obeisanceto his word be fully immersed in water. Baptist’s teach that this symbolizes the death, barriel and resurrection of Christ. there are no sacrements in the Baptist Church, there are two ordinances, Baptism and the Lords Supper. I grew up in the Baptist Church and I know they will not accept any form of infant baptisim. They will accept believers baptism by another denomination. They will also re-baptise anyone who asks. I have known people who were baptised several times. I have no idea why.
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Baptistism in the Baptist Church is Believers Baptistism. It usually happens after a candidate for baptistism being lead by the Holy Spirit asks to give his or her testimony to the Board of Deacons and the Pastor. Then the candidate once again being lead by the Holy Spirit makes a public confession (Romans 10; 9-10) of their faith to the congregation. The candidate can now be baptized. Of course this would not happen if the Spirit of God did not witness to their Spirit that they were a child of God
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Both of these are correct as applies to how I was raised (S. Baptist). As to why some were baptised several times…due to the fact that they believed they didn’t have a true repentence and confession of faith the first time. That’s the usual reason. Also if one comes from a different faith, normally you would have to be re-baptised.

Welcome home Steve-o!

Lisa
 
I’m 56 years old and have spent most of my life in the Southern Baptist Church. In the last 6 months I have started my swim across the Tiber along with my wife who was a Baptist deacons daughter.
In the Baptist church you will find instances of re-baptisms over and over into the Church. Usually it is because the person didn’t “feel like I was saved the first time”. There are also many times when baptized Baptists will answer an altar call and
“re-dedicate” their life. They feel that they have fallen away and re-entered a sinful way of life.
For many years I couldn’t understand what these people were doing. I finally understood that they were searching for the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. They did not know what it was and that it was not available to them in the Baptist Church. They just knew that they felt lousy and needed to be forgiven.
 
Relax. This is just another example of the Bible Christians…not reading their Bibles and then making up their own set of rules. Nothing to worry about for RCIA. There is one thing that you can do, once you get RCIA under your belt, pray for them and speak to them about your conversion and why you made it.
 
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Steve-o:
So Baptism before one consciously accepts Christ is merely symbolic? Or is it symbolic always?
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In the Baptist faith, one never gets baptized BEFORE accepting Christ. One accepts Christ and then in obedience to the Bible’s commands one becomes baptized as an outward public testimony to an inward saving change in the person’s life.

Baptism is always symbolic in the Baptist faith.

Infants are “dedicated” to Christ in a “dedication” ceremony done by the pastor and/or deacons of the church in front of the assembly - again as a public testimony, but in this case it is to show that the godly parents promise to raise the children in a Christian home where they will be taught to have faith and practice their faith when they are older.

All three of my children were “dedicated” when they were babies. Parents sign up and there is a group ceremony in which the pastor prays over the children and the parents and the children are given pocket New Testaments to guide them in their faith.

Peace…
 
carol marie:
I’d like a Baptist on the forum to respond - I hate to speak for them but it’s my understanding that if a person was baptized as in infant - say as a Lutheran or a Catholic - and they later wanted to become Baptist, I believe they’d have to be baptized again - as a believer. This is what my friend was told when she expressed a desire to join a Baptist Church. Her original baptism didn’t count since it wasn’t her decision.
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Is a former Baptist close enough? 🙂

To answer the question, we most certainly DID discount infant baptism and any church body that practiced it. It was one of the subtle, indirect ways we used to attack Catholics. I was told that I needed to be baptized again after I made my commitment to Christ, and so I was. Unfortunately, they didn’t consider my infant baptism as a Catholic to be valid, because it wasn’t a “believer’s baptism.”
 
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MaryD7:
And I don’t think that Baptists conciously ‘discount’ infant baptism … it’s just not on their radar screen.
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In the Baptist faith infant baptism is heretical. It is perceived as an addition to the historic Christian faith and in which there is no explicit command in Scripture to do so. The Bible most often speaks of adults becoming baptized. Rarely is there a mention of “households” being baptized. And, even if “households” is the operative term doesn’t necessitate there being children.

Peace…
 
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ahimsaman72:
Infants are “dedicated” to Christ in a “dedication” ceremony done by the pastor and/or deacons of the church in front of the assembly - again as a public testimony, but in this case it is to show that the godly parents promise to raise the children in a Christian home where they will be taught to have faith and practice their faith when they are older.
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Two of our 3 children were ‘dedicated’ in our old church, and I specifically remember the pastor mentioning that there was no Biblical basis for doing so. Now, as someone preparing to ‘swim the Tiber,’ the irony of supposedly Bible-only Christians relying on a tradition of men is fresh in my mind…
 
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