Did my priest preach heresy?

[Madaglan]

Originally Quoted by DianJo:

While at Cursillo - which was the most wonderful thing to EVER happen to me - something happend to me one evening (which, I suppose is the whole point of Cursillo!). A small group of us went to adoration and it was during this time that I had this epiphany of sorts.

I’m surprised that your husband and other evangelical friends were so glad when they heard of your experience. I say this, not because of what you experienced, but where and under what circumstances you had this experience: in a Catholic chapel and in Eucharistic adoration!!!

Most evangelicals think Eucharistic adoration is completely wrong.

But I have a question on this: How can they be saved prior to Baptism? This is one thing that confuses me and maybe someone here can clear me up - if OSASers are not baptized how is it that they can “receive the Holy Spirit” before Baptism and claim to be saved? They don’t claim that Baptism does anything so essentailly they don’t really see a need to be baptized other than to show others they’ve been saved? It sounds like they could really do without Baptism altogether. They don’t claim to be saved through Baptism. It happened that way in Acts, too. I forget what chapter. Is it because God is not confined by our rules or what? Somebody clear me up on this because this happens all the time with OSASers.

To my understanding, most OSAS do not believe that water baptism is essential for salvation; it is, as you have said, simply symbolic, much as the Eucharist is simply symbolic and not necessary for salvation. My sister goes to a church where this is believed, and her church calls their non-water baptism a “believer’s baptism.” I believe that there was one circumstance in Acts by which people received the Spirit by a laying on of hands. I cannot remember the chapter or verse, but if I recall correctly, they had already received the water baptism of John the Baptist. They simply needed the Spirit.

That the early Church practiced water-Spirit-baptism as the norm is attested by the story of Phillip and the eunuch in Acts 8.35-39:

Then Phillip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus. And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Phillip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Phillip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Notice that the eunuch has only just heard of the gospel from Phillip. There is no indication that the eunuch has any profound “born again” experience before this incident. As this story takes place after Pentecost, one must ask himself, why does the eunuch feel such an urgency to be water baptised if the early Church believes that such a baptism is only a symbolic representation of an inner “born again” experience that one performs only after water-Spirit-baptism?

I think it is clear that, in hearing the gospel, the eunuch realizes how essential it is to be baptized–to be “born again” through water and the Spirit.

I hope that helped