I am going to be baptized, but there is one problem

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Can you answer my second question below that I posted earlier?
TheBomb.Com said:
Will this baptism be in anyway less than a Catholic baptism? Will baptismal gifts be lacking or deficient? Or will it be just like being baptized by a Catholic priest if it is valid?
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TheBomb.Com said:
I have one more question. Will this baptism be in anyway less than a Catholic baptism? Will baptismal gifts be lacking or deficient? Or will it be just like being baptized by a Catholic priest if it is valid?
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Why don’t you tell you’d you want to be Catholic, and ask to talk to a Catholic priest?
 
My father already knows, but I’m not being allowed to do so. Since I am a minor and not yet able to drive on my own, I can’t do anything about that.
 
TheBomb.Com said:
Are nondenominational baptisms valid
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Like others have said, yes…given the proper formula is used (which I’m guessing it is)
TheBomb.Com said:
Will this baptism be in anyway less than a Catholic baptism? Will baptismal gifts be lacking or deficient?
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No

I’m surprised your Dad is forcing you to get baptized…to be honest. It’s called believers baptism for a reason. If you don’t think you’re ready or don’t believe, then you shouldn’t be baptized. I was 19 before I decided to get baptized (in a non-denom church).
 
If they use water and the minister says the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” then it is a valid baptism that would be recognized by the Catholic Church. .
 
What is the age of religious majority in your country ? In mine you couldn’t be baptized at 16 without your explicit consent.
 
@Shorter_name

Welcome to CAF! In view of the fact that your profile says that you’re “Catholic-ish” and you’ve told us that you’re a former Youth Minister, in what denomination were you a Youth Minister, and will you please explain what you mean by “Catholic-ish?”
 
Shorter_name said:
your baptism in the Non denom church WILL be valid
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This is incorrect. For a baptism to be valid it must have the correct form & matter which is water and the words “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. While many Christian denominations do use the correct formula, not all do.

I am a current DYM and have spent years working with RCIA.
 
TheBomb.Com said:
He’s the spiritual head of the household as well as me being a minor. I don’t have a choice. I could try to convince him to do otherwise, but defending my own position is hard enough. For as long as I look like I don’t know what I’m talking about, I HAVE to do what he says.
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In other words, it is this baptism or no baptism at all (as I am aware of no Christian pastors of any legitimate background who will baptize anyone who is unwilling). You do want to be baptized, so in spite of what might be coercion if you were not willing, your father’s abuse of authority wouldn’t be an issue. (It is an abuse of authority to try to force someone, even your child, to avail themselves of the sacraments after they’ve reached the age of reason. That is only acceptable for the baptism of a child who is too young to decide for himself.)

If you want to be baptized, let the pastor baptize you, as it is your first reasonable opportunity. The chances are very high that he will use a valid formula. If he does not, your good-faith willingness to be baptized as soon as you can won’t speak against you. Pay attention to how the ritual was done: what words and actions were used. When you join the Catholic Church, you’ll be able to describe how your baptism was done yourself. If it was not done validly, you’ll be given a proper baptism. If it was, you’ll be ready to be given the remaining sacraments of initiation after RCIA.
 
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You are correct Horton, but I don’t know many that I have encountered that were not done in the correct form. So yes, if done in the correct form it still stands that it WILL be valid.
 
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As long as it is with water, and the trinitarian formula and make sure you have evidence of it.
 
Thank you for clarifying further. I don’t see it as an abuse of authority, but his right as spiritual head to deny or allow any sacrament he wishes. That’s how I’ve always seen it at least.
 
TheBomb.Com said:
Thank you for clarifying further. I don’t see it as an abuse of authority, but his right as spiritual head to deny or allow any sacrament he wishes. That’s how I’ve always seen it at least.
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No, I didn’t mean he was necessarily abusing his authority. I meant that if he were trying to force you to be baptized anywhere whatsoever now that you have reached the age of reason, that would be an abuse of authority. If your parents say they are not going to allow you to do something they believe is wrong while you’re living under their roof, that is a different matter. They are acting according to their consciences, too, after all.

For instance, if a Catholic parent were to try to force one of their children to be confirmed, rather than maybe forcing them to go through the preparation process as part of their education, that would be an abuse of authority. A bishop wouldn’t knowingly confirm someone who was being forced by a parent to ask for confirmation. A pastor probably would allow a student to go through just the preparation process when the student didn’t want to be there, provided the parents were requiring only that and not implying they could force their child to be confirmed. (That would depend on the circumstances; he might sometimes counsel the parents to allow the child wait on the preparation class.)
 
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You should respect your father. When you are an adult you can decide your theological and spiritual destiny. A trinitarian baptism is valid and recognized by the Church. We cannot advise a minor to disobey their parents.
 
Horton said:
While many Christian denominations do use the correct formula, not all do.
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To add to this, the level of confidence is a bit lower when it comes to non-denominational churches. With a denomination like the Presbyterian Church in America, we know official teaching is to baptize with water, according to the Trinitarian formula, and in accord with Christ’s command, so we can have very high confidence it is valid. Non-denominational churches can only be judged on a church-by-church basis, so it is advised to pay attention to the words used.
 
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