Down syndrome and baptism

[StrawberryJam]

This is a funny story. So we really go by tradition that Jesus was born in December and on such and such day, but guess what? There is a one out of 365 day chance that is actually the day!
Those here who have said that children with DS are NOT angels, must tell me how they know this to be true. Based on what? Your idea of what an angel is?
How ridiculous.

 

[thomasf]

Humans are not angles, angles are not human spirits that have gone to heaven, angles and humans are different creatures. Down syndrome children, any developmentally challenged children should be baptized. All humans have the stain of original sin and should be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. I have a down syndrome niece and she’s definitely not an angel. She’s very human, and very capable of understanding about God, and capable of willfully sinning.

And the day we celebrate Christmas has nothing to do with this discussion.

 

[chero23]

If I may clarify, we have been told that kids with Down syndrome are angels. Now they don’t mean like St Gabriel or St. Michael Archangel. Wat the ppl mean is that their special ppl.

When I asked my gf hey ya believe someone must be baptized til they come to age of reasoning, what about kids with Down Syndrome, most unfortunately will never get to stage.

Her answer was their angels, so they don’t need baptism, I told her from the moment that were in the womb we have sin and Jesus told us to enjoy my fathers kingdom, everyone must be baptized.

She didn’t know how to respond, which I believe most protestant groups who, don’t believe in infant baptism are wrong bc individuals with Down syndrome as a whole will never be able to confess God bc of their state.

 

[StrawberryJam]

How can a baptism be a point of issue with down syndrome? As if a newborn has some understanding of what is happening any more or less than a human with down syndrome.
Why wouldn’t the concern lie with first Holy Communion?

 

[RyanBlack]

Earlier. Look at Acts 16…

Acts 16:14-15
One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God,* listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.
After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

Acts 16:30-34
Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.”
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.

Neither of these passages definitively proves that infant baptism was practiced in the Apostolic Church. To use these passages as proof of infant baptism involves an assumption that at least one of these two households included an infant. Since it is entirely possible that one or both of these households included no infants, neither of these passages proves that infant baptism was practiced by the first generation of Christians; rather, they point to a possibility of the practice of infant baptism.

 

[anp1215]

You hit the nail on the head with regards to a big issue with the Protestant concept of “believer’s baptism.” Many Protestants (such as Baptists, evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc.) believe that to be baptized, the person should be of an age and maturity level where they can make the decision for themselves (in my husband’s Baptist church he was baptized at 8). Therein lies the problem, what about those people who will never, barring a miracle, understand and be able to choose baptism? According to this mindset, they should be denied baptism, since they can’t choose it for themselves.

 

[Aran_Houlihan]

I think its fine to baptize a child who has Down syndrome and it a lode of rubbish if some one said they cant. everyone has a rite to be baptize

P: In nomine Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Introibo ad altare Dei. R: Ad deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.

 

[pollynova]

This is a funny story. So we really go by tradition that Jesus was born in December and on such and such day, but guess what? There is a one out of 365 day chance that is actually the day!
Those here who have said that children with DS are NOT angels, must tell me how they know this to be true. Based on what? Your idea of what an angel is?
How ridiculous.

One of my favorite quotes from the bible is from Hebrews, “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” What I take away from that is that we don’t know if that person we meet is just a regular person or maybe an angel in disguise so we should treat EVERYONE as if they were an angel. Remember in Tobit, everyone thought Raphael was just a regular person until he told them who he really was.

As for people with Down Syndrome, of course they should be baptized!

 

[englishredrose]

Have the child baptized on the QT if the mother won’t go along with it.

In my opinion for what it is worth and before those of you point out I am Anglican so it don’t count… I really do think that is not a wise move. This could cause deeper trouble down the line. If the mother is against it.

For the Father, the Lord will recognise you’re child and will see the whole situation. I see from later posts something about not being married as you got to sort out your religion before any ring goes on her finger. Then please, can you think about the child in these terms too? If it is the same discussion we are having as very confused here. But if you are not married then please leave the child out of religion until you both have your religion sorted, whatever that might mean. Does that mean she has to agree with you? That mayn’t happen because you are not going to agree with her either from the looks of that statement. It going to take you a long time to reach a mutual agreement where you are both at 50/50 with each other and respect each other for the choices you have both made. You cannot force her to become Roman Catholic or anything and neither can she force you.

So if it is the same discussion, please wait to have the child baptised until you have sorted things because I think there are issues deeper that will surface down the line if you not sorted them. If the child is hers then you cannot just go ahead and have them baptised. If the child is yours then fine but you would be wise to wait until you have a mutual agreement with your partner otherwise every disagreement or row will come back to this.

You have a lot to sort out and try not to use the child if you can especially if the child is of the mother and not of you though I don’t know because I haven’t read it all and I do not want to know as such. But leave the child out. You wont get any extra brownie points from God for getting them baptised. God will still recognise them because of themselves and your whole situation. Far better to sort that out first rather than use the baptism to sort it out.

peace be with you
xxx