An infant dedication is not a Baptism, therefore not considered a Baptism. It is a special blessing when the parents decided to dedicate their child to the Church, they promise to raise them as Christian. Most (not all) Protestant denominations use Baptism as the only Sacrament for Salvation. They don’t have the Sacrament of Penance, for sins commited after Baptism. The Catholic Church teaches that the Sacraments are an efficacious sign which means they give sanctifying grace, when valid. The Sacraments are instituted and empowerd by Jesus Christ. In the act itself Christ works through the one who baptizes. There are plenty of Scriptural references (if anyone wants some of them I can list them in another post)
Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are *efficacious *because in them Christ himself is at work; it is he who baptizes, he who acts in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies (Catechism 1172)
For a person to receive sanctifying grace through Baptism, they must be properly disposed. It can be intentionally “blocked” by an individual who does not want it. A baby is not capable of doing this. Whole households were Baptised in the new testament, it did not specify age. Babies of Jewish Tradition are circumcised at 7 days. In the Old Testament it was a sign that made them a member of the people of God. Baptism is considered the new circumcision, but it actually makes us reborn as God’s children. (again if you want detailed Scriptural references, ask and I will write them out) What was ritual washing in the Old Testament, only a sign, became Baptism in the New Testament. When Jesus was Baptised the Holy Spirit rested upon him, making it more than a symbol.** "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 3:21)**
Protestants formed under Luther and Calvin view the Sacraments in the same way as the Old Testament. They are mere symbols, there is no efficacious quality. Faith alone is what saves. For them, a person is incapable of making this decision of faith before the age of reason (generally speaking, 7) . There is no Sacrament of Penance, so no way to cleanse sin after Baptism. To remedy this, the liberal views ie simply accepting Jesus as your personal savior, once saved, always saved developed. (and many others depending on the denomination, Lutherans Baptize babies, every denomination is different.)For them, Baptism must be done at the age of reason (usually around age 7)
In the Catholic Tradition, when babies are Baptised, the parents and community are making the commitment to rear the child in the Catholic Church… but they *also *receive sanctifying grace through the efficacious Sacrament of Baptism, they are made a new creation, the old has passed away and they are reborn in the resurrection of Christ. Origional and actual sin are washed away. For various Protestant faiths, because of the reasons I mentioned before, they simply “dedicate” their babies into the Church, promising to rear them as Christians.
This is, by no means, an exhaustive explanation. There are so many Protestant Denominations it is difficult to speak in general terms. As I mentioned before, if anyone is interested, I can give more detailed Scriptural references.
