Baptism of child of same sex couple

[CatholicSooner]

It isn’t a burden for those with parents that follow the faith.

But with those that don’t have parents that take them to church, make sure they receive their sacraments, introduce them to God, well, then it becomes a burden.

Which is why the Church asks for a

I still don’t see how it is a burden. Is it not better to be baptized and never come back to the church than to never be baptized?

At least with the former, there is hope that if you ever do come back to the church you can receive confession/confirmation and be in good standing again.

 

[CatholicSooner]

Let’s say an infant is baptized, and 25 years later he finds out about it. Is he then obligated to practice Catholicism?

nobody is going to force him to go to church. But if he decides to, it is a blessing that he was baptized already.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Yes, but if the child is baptised he will at least have a chance. If he is never baptised he is not even offered a chance of religion at all. .

I’m sorry but this is ridiculous. There are so many people out there who did not get baptised as babies- myself included - who came to believe in God and are now practicing Catholics.

My parents were in a civil marriage and the parish priest refused to baptise me. Good for him. I firmly believe he did the right thing. Of course I was not taught about the faith since my parents were obviously not living it. The priest was absolutely right in assuming that.

Yet here I am. I think I’m pretty orthodox and I love our faith. I am most certainly not unique in this. Everything is grace. and God indeed works in ways we don’t understand.

 

[maryjk]

I still don’t see how it is a burden. Is it not better to be baptized and never come back to the church than to never be baptized?

At least with the former, there is hope that if you ever do come back to the church you can receive confession/confirmation and be in good standing again.

Yes, the person would have to receive the sacrament of Penance. In fact, the person would have to confess everything from the age of reason to the current Confession. For someone I know, that would be confessing 43 years of sins. I wonder how many he would remember?

And that would be after the person attends RCIA, at least at our parish. Just like our children, the person would have to understand what he is doing when he receives Christ.

There isn’t a “once you are baptized, you are good to go.”

nobody is going to force him to go to church. But if he decides to, it is a blessing that he was baptized already.

Actually, yes, the person is obliged to attend Mass and in fact, as a Catholic he is required to meet all of the obligations of being a Catholic.

We have to remember that Baptism isn’t magical. It doesn’t *give *someone faith.

 

[CatholicSooner]

Yes, the person would have to receive the sacrament of Penance. In fact, the person would have to confess everything from the age of reason to the current Confession. For someone I know, that would be confessing 43 years of sins. I wonder how many he would remember?

You don’t have to remember all of them. You confess what you can honestly remember. As long as you are honest in confession and are not purposely leaving any sin unconfessed, you will be forgiven for all sins.

There isn’t a “once you are baptized, you are good to go.”

I never said there was.

Actually, yes, the person is obliged to attend Mass and in fact, as a Catholic he is required to meet all of the obligations of being a Catholic.

Ok you are right there but a person is obliged to attend mass where he is Catholic or not Catholic! That “burden” isn’t just for Catholics, everyone is called to the Church.

We have to remember that Baptism isn’t magical. It doesn’t *give *someone faith.

never said it did

 

[glendab]

I am really starting to get dizzy! :hypno:

Everyone who has responded to this thread lists themselves as Catholic, yet many either don’t know the basics about Baptism or are actually protesting what the Church teaches about the sacrament! Hello? Is there anyone out there?

Glenda

 

[CatholicSooner]

I am really starting to get dizzy! :hypno:

Everyone who has responded to this thread lists themselves as Catholic, yet many either don’t know the basics about Baptism or are actually protesting what the Church teaches about the sacrament! Hello? Is there anyone out there?

Glenda

Can you elaborate Glenda?

 

[Rau]

Do Catholic evangalists not go to third world countries and baptized any kid they can get their hands on?

I hope not. Do you advocate it? Perhaps they should do likewise in our parks after school?

 

[Rau]

I still don’t see how it is a burden. Is it not better to be baptized and never come back to the church than to never be baptized?

At least with the former, there is hope that if you ever do come back to the church you can receive confession/confirmation and be in good standing again.

If he comes to the Church at a later time, he can seek baptism!

 

[CatholicSooner]

I hope not. Do you advocate it? Perhaps they should do likewise in our parks after school?

There a a lot of worse things out there than baptizing children in the name of the Lord

I don’t believe it is a common practice now but it was in the past

 

[CatholicSooner]

If he comes to the Church at a later time, he can seek baptism!

Couldn’t you say that about every child? You are defeating the purpose of infant baptism is you don’t allow children to be baptized that have Catholic parents.

 

[Rau]

Couldn’t you say that about every child? You are defeating the purpose of infant baptism is you don’t allow children to be baptized that have Catholic parents.

I have not advocated that. The Church’s position of requiring there to be a proper chance that the infant will be raised in the faith, in order to be baptized, is perfectly sensible.

 

[CatholicSooner]

I have not advocated that. The Church’s position of requiring there to be a proper chance that the infant will be raised in the faith, in order to be baptized, is perfectly sensible.

Which was the case in the OP.

Regardless, there are exceptions to every rule and I don’t see harm in baptizing a child of God.

 

[Galbin]

I’m sorry but this is ridiculous. There are so many people out there who did not get baptised as babies- myself included - who came to believe in God and are now practicing Catholics.

My parents were in a civil marriage and the parish priest refused to baptise me. Good for him. I firmly believe he did the right thing. Of course I was not taught about the faith since my parents were obviously not living it. The priest was absolutely right in assuming that.

Maybe things are different in the US compared to my neck of the woods. So I was speaking from my perspective.

I do not live in a multi denominational country. 97% of the people in my country are Catholics. There are literally a handful of other churches in the country, i.e. there are only two muslim churches in the entire country. So if you were not baptised Catholic here, it would be very unlikely that you would find religion. Also, you would not be able to participate in the Communion and Confirmation services that literally 29 or 30 out of 30 people in your classroom would be participating in. Catholicism is an integral part of the school syllabus, from the age of 4-18/19 when high school ends. Furthermore, a quick google search yielded no information on RCIA classes in my country. I think that a person would need to approach an individual priest here and get individual lessons. So there is no real formal structure for becoming a Catholic in later life.

Also, I have known many baptised adults who came back to being practicing Catholics later in life. If they had not been baptised, they likely would not have felt safe to do so. Again, I am speaking of my country. I know the US has a vast array of regions, and I am not sure if the school system teaches religion. Priests here know kids will be educated on the Catholic faith in school, even if they aren’t at home.

So we’ll agree to disagree on that priests’ decision. I think it was completely wrong to not baptise you. After all, if serial killers have to receive the sacrament of confession, why is the child of an unmarried couple denied a sacrament? The more time I spend on this board the more I realise how different the Catholic faith is practiced here compared to the US, and I am glad of that. As a practicing Catholic I see that it is less about judgement and more about acceptance in my country. That is indeed what Jesus preached.

 

[CatholicSooner]

The more time I spend on this board the more I realise how different the Catholic faith is practiced here compared to the US, and I am glad of that. As a practicing Catholic I see that it is less about judgement and more about acceptance in my country. That is indeed what Jesus preached.

What country are you from if you don’t mind me asking?

Hopefully this isn’t too off topic…if it is I’m fine with the mods deleting it.

But you could not be more right imo about Catholicism in the US. Maybe it is different in the NE part of the country but I am right in the middle and part of the "bible belt’. Probably 90% protestant. Most being baptist and non denominational churches are growing like crazy.

Anyway, there are way too many here that will associate with catholicism but are not active. What is sad is that we have high ranking Catholic officials in the government that have an oppurtnity to spread the faith…but instead they claim to be Catholic but preach false beliefs of the church. It is extremely aggravating.

It is funny that you mention judgement. In the US, you have the liberals and conservatives. The common theme is that the left wants everybody to be open and non judgemental to people. They like to use the word tolerant a lot. But the moment a conservative states their views or tries to practice their faith, they are labeled as intolerant. The liberals are doing what they are “preaching” against. They are intolerant of anybody that has different views as them. Anyways I know that was off topic but I don’t think the US is heading in a good direction. I’m praying that everybody gets on board with the New Evangalization and ew can start filling up churches, expanding churches, and get people more involved.

 

[shelby_sun]

I am really starting to get dizzy! :hypno:

Everyone who has responded to this thread lists themselves as Catholic, yet many either don’t know the basics about Baptism or are actually protesting what the Church teaches about the sacrament! Hello? Is there anyone out there?

Glenda

Yes Glenda, we are out here. It was not stated that this same sex couple were breaking any Commandments. Just because they are acknowledge themselves as a gay couple does not mean they are sleeping together. Although it seems likely, we should not just assume that is so. Didn’t Pope Francis say “who am I to judge” referring to gay people?

Why should a child be punished for the sins of his parents? We are all sinners, even you. We all struggle to loyally practice our faith on a daily basis. It is not right to assume these women are not living by the laws of the church just because they are attracted to each other and living together.

I know one gay man who devotes his entire life (24/7) to helping other, the poor, elderly, mentally ill, dying, etc. He has done more good for this world in his 40 years than most 90 year olds that have read the Bible and gone to church everyday. Who are we to judge that person because of who he might or might not sleep with? I could think of not better man to raise a child in the Catholic faith than this man. He is a true example of a Christ like person. We could all learn from him.

 

[angelic06]

I am astounded that no one here has mentioned the following teachings:

1. If a child dies immediately after baptism, it is assumed that s/he will immediately enter unto everlasting life.
2. If a child dies w/o baptism, it is only questionable whether such a child will be.

So, yes, a quandary exists: a priest who baptizes a child of a gay couple may be sending a scandalous message that the Church endorses the gay couple’s lifestyle, but by not baptizing, yes, the child is being punished for the sins of the couple.

 

[Galbin]

I know one gay man who devotes his entire life (24/7) to helping other, the poor, elderly, mentally ill, dying, etc. He has done more good for this world in his 40 years than most 90 year olds that have read the Bible and gone to church everyday. Who are we to judge that person because of who he might or might not sleep with? I could think of not better man to raise a child in the Catholic faith than this man. He is a true example of a Christ like person. We could all learn from him.

What a lovely man!

 

[Rau]

So, yes, a quandary exists: a priest who baptizes a child of a gay couple may be sending a scandalous message that the Church endorses the gay couple’s lifestyle, but by not baptizing, yes, the child is being punished for the sins of the couple.

Information was provided earlier in the thread on the Church rules regarding the conditions for baptizing infants. The risk of scandal is not a relevant factor.

It is wrong to argue that the licit refusal to baptize a child punishes the child. The infant who is not likely to be raised in the Faith has no right to baptism. The only question the priest needs to answer is whether it is likely that the infant will be raised in the faith. If yes, then baptism is a right of the child, and an obligation on parents and priest.

 

[Galbin]

What country are you from if you don’t mind me asking?

Hopefully this isn’t too off topic…if it is I’m fine with the mods deleting it.

But you could not be more right imo about Catholicism in the US. Maybe it is different in the NE part of the country but I am right in the middle and part of the "bible belt’.

Anyway, there are way too many here that will associate with catholicism but are not active. What is sad is that we have high ranking Catholic officials in the government that have an oppurtnity to spread the faith…but instead they claim to be Catholic but preach false beliefs of the church. It is extremely aggravating.

It is funny that you mention judgement. In the US, you have the liberals and conservatives. The common theme is that the left wants everybody to be open and non judgemental to people. They like to use the word tolerant a lot. But the moment a conservative states their views or tries to practice their faith, they are labeled as intolerant. The liberals are doing what they are “preaching” against. They are intolerant of anybody that has different views as them. Anyways I know that was off topic but I don’t think the US is heading in a good direction. I’m praying that everybody gets on board with the New Evangalization and ew can start filling up churches, expanding churches, and get people more involved.

I am in Europe. Would rather not say my exact location.

It seems from this forum that US Catholicism is indeed practiced very differently to here. For example, no priest would ever dream of not baptising the baby of a couple living together. As sad as it is, I know many couples who actually planned to have their babies outside marriage, which I just can’t get my head around at all. Anyhow, that’s off topic.

The only time I’ve heard a priest give a sermon on gayness was when he talked about the sacrament of marriage and said that God made gay people and that, “God doesn’t make mistakes”. So not exactly condemnation of them OR their actions, as he was talking about the concept of marriage. And if he felt gay marriage was so wrong, he definitely would have mentioned it. In general, the CC here seems to be focused on tolerance, acceptance and love. This priest has often mentioned the sorrow of women who have had abortions for example, but even then he mentions their pain and doesn’t scream about how evil they are. I for one am extremely against abortion, but my point is that the CC here seem to be all about love and tolerance. Most Christ-like.