I want to be re-baptized

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Jesus_Is_God_1

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Hello CAF. I converted to Catholicism a few years ago. I was a Baptist for like 6 months but then I decided that I wanted to become Catholic due to it well… being the first Church! 😃 I was baptized in the name of the Trinity by full immersion in the Baptist church. My baptism was accepted valid and I was received. Within the past 2 weeks my conscience has for some reason been doubting it… I think I am in sort of an existential crisis right now… I know the Church accepted my baptism, and for a while so did I but… now I feel so left out. I don’t feel Catholic… I don’t feel like I am really even a Christian at all. Admittedly, this put me to tears. I really truly don’t know why I am feeling this all of a sudden but because I no longer feel my baptism was valid I refuse to partake of the sacraments. The only way I am going to be able to resolve this is if I were to get a conditional baptism. How do I ask the priest for this? Admittedly I feel kind of embarrassed asking, especially since I have known him for a few years now and he has been my confessor. But my conscience right now is killing me. How would I ask my priest for a conditional baptism? (and yes I understand the theology regarding re-baptism in the Church. Re-baptism is impossible, I am not asking for that. I am simply asking for a conditional baptism because my conscience all of a sudden has been doubting the validity of my original baptism).
 
You have a problem, and it’s not your baptism.

Tell your priest you are having a crisis of faith and ask for an appointment.

You have something going on, so you need to deal with it. Your baptism is valid. You were received into the Church and confirmed. You are Catholic.

Your priest will determine if there is any doubt about the validity of your baptism. I would say he’s already done so, since you were not conditionally baptized in the first place.
 
1ke said:
You have a problem, and it’s not your baptism.

Tell your priest you are having a crisis of faith and ask for an appointment.

You have something going on, so you need to deal with it. Your baptism is valid. You were received into the Church and confirmed. You are Catholic.

Your priest will determine if there is any doubt about the validity of your baptism. I would say he’s already done so, since you were not conditionally baptized in the first place.
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I agree.
 
1ke said:
You have a problem, and it’s not your baptism.

Tell your priest you are having a crisis of faith and ask for an appointment.

You have something going on, so you need to deal with it. Your baptism is valid. You were received into the Church and confirmed. You are Catholic.

Your priest will determine if there is any doubt about the validity of your baptism. I would say he’s already done so, since you were not conditionally baptized in the first place.
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I don’t feel like my conscience will settle unless I were to go through a conditional baptism.
 
Jesus_Is_God said:
I don’t feel like my conscience will settle unless I were to go through a conditional baptism.
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you need to work on your conscience, then. And you need to do that with your pastor, who has care of you. If you have anxiety in general, or are developing scrupulous tendencies, your pastor can help you through them.
 
Jesus_Is_God said:
I don’t feel like my conscience will settle unless I were to go through a conditional baptism.
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what is a conditional baptism?

someone posted a link for me a week or so ago on another thread about renewal of baptism. maybe that would work for you?
I can’t remember which thread it was posted on though.
 
I went thru a similar doubting period after I joined the Church. I was validly baptised in a Pentecostal church as a teen, but wanted to be re-baptised. My wise priest wouldn’t allow it as it was a valid baptism. Later I had doubts, but another wise priest told me I should trust the Church. So I did and the doubts stopped bothering me.

Trusting in the Church, which God put here for us, is vitally important.
 
I just really want to know if it’s possible I can have a conditional baptism. I am never usually a scrupulous person. I trust in holy mother Church, I do. But I really feel like I need to do this.
 
1ke said:
You have a problem, and it’s not your baptism.

Tell your priest you are having a crisis of faith and ask for an appointment.

You have something going on, so you need to deal with it. Your baptism is valid. You were received into the Church and confirmed. You are Catholic.

Your priest will determine if there is any doubt about the validity of your baptism. I would say he’s already done so, since you were not conditionally baptized in the first place.
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Well stated.
 
Jesus_Is_God said:
I just really want to know if it’s possible I can have a conditional baptism. I am never usually a scrupulous person. I trust in holy mother Church, I do. But I really feel like I need to do this.
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I’m sure it’s too late for a conditional baptism - your Baptist baptism was accepted as valid. If you can come up with a reason why it wasn’t valid you need to talk with your priest. You need to talk with your priest anyway about your doubts.
 
Jesus_Is_God said:
I just really want to know if it’s possible I can have a conditional baptism. I am never usually a scrupulous person. I trust in holy mother Church, I do. But I really feel like I need to do this.
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You have a strong and erroneous idea, you need to deal with it rather than give into it by accepting it as valid and real. You know in your mind that the idea is wrong, but you are allowing yourself to be guided by your feelings, and our feelings can be easily manipulated.

Seriously, go and discuss this with your priest, who will be able to ask the right questions and set your mind at ease better than we on the internet!
 
Bonnie said:
I went thru a similar doubting period after I joined the Church. I was validly baptised in a Pentecostal church as a teen, but wanted to be re-baptised. My wise priest wouldn’t allow it as it was a valid baptism. Later I had doubts, but another wise priest told me I should trust the Church. So I did and the doubts stopped bothering me.

Trusting in the Church, which God put here for us, is vitally important.
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👍
 
Jesus_Is_God said:
I just really want to know if it’s possible I can have a conditional baptism. I am never usually a scrupulous person. I trust in holy mother Church, I do. But I really feel like I need to do this.
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Not! The same Church that would “re-baptize” you, and which you would be comfortable with, declares that you are already baptized. So, it is actually the Church you doubt and not the baptism.

As 1ke said, you have a crisis of faith. A spiritual attack, if you will. Consult with your priest/confessor and think about offering some spiritual warfare prayers. Offer them at your low point, while trembling or in tears, and watch what happens.
 
I read it is forbidden to perform a second baptism if one was already validly baptized because the first baptism already left an indelible mark on the soul.
I think I assumed when I came into full communion with the Catholic church I would be re-baptized too, and I think I felt something was missing-like I wasn’t completely Catholic, but I don’t think I really comprehended what was meant by valid baptism. I know for sure my baptism at 2 years old in the Episcopal church was valid.
Perhaps you need to speak with your priest about why you don’t think your baptism in the Baptist church was not valid. However, it was already accepted by the Catholic church or you wouldn’t be Catholic now.
 
Jesus_Is_God said:
Hello CAF. I converted to Catholicism a few years ago. I was a Baptist for like 6 months but then I decided that I wanted to become Catholic due to it well… being the first Church! 😃 I was baptized in the name of the Trinity by full immersion in the Baptist church. My baptism was accepted valid and I was received. Within the past 2 weeks my conscience has for some reason been doubting it… I think I am in sort of an existential crisis right now… I know the Church accepted my baptism, and for a while so did I but… now I feel so left out. I don’t feel Catholic… I don’t feel like I am really even a Christian at all. Admittedly, this put me to tears. I really truly don’t know why I am feeling this all of a sudden but because I no longer feel my baptism was valid I refuse to partake of the sacraments. The only way I am going to be able to resolve this is if I were to get a conditional baptism. How do I ask the priest for this? Admittedly I feel kind of embarrassed asking, especially since I have known him for a few years now and he has been my confessor. But my conscience right now is killing me. How would I ask my priest for a conditional baptism? (and yes I understand the theology regarding re-baptism in the Church. Re-baptism is impossible, I am not asking for that. I am simply asking for a conditional baptism because my conscience all of a sudden has been doubting the validity of my original baptism).
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When you were baptized, you are thereby mystically joined to the Body of Christ and are spiritually born into the Family of God:

“. . . for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
–Galatians 3:26-27 (RSV)

You are now part of Christ’s life and have been mysteriously incorporated into His Life, Death, and Resurrection.

We can proclaim with St. Paul " it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me;"
–Galatians 2:20 (RSV)
 
I do feel spiritually under attack. I don’t know if this is Satan attacking me or what but I just don’t feel Christian… I don’t feel like I am in the grace of God. I don’t feel like a member of the Church and I am really really concerned about my salvation. I have never been scrupulous before. I don’t know if this is scrupulosity. All I want is to be close to God. But I feel so far from him right now and I feel like I am spiritually being kicked in the gut repeatedly. I haven’t even been sleeping well because of this. Thank you all for your advice though. I am going to go to my priest, talk with him, and I will still ask him for a conditional baptism. But if he says no then… I guess I just have to accept it and try and move on with my life…
 
Jesus_Is_God said:
I trust in holy mother Church, I do. But I really feel like I need to do this.
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Then do what your faith tells you, not your feelings. Your feelings contradict your faith.

You say you are not scrupulous, then consider if a person felt it was okay to have an affair, or a homosexual relationship, or some other sin that they knew as a matter of faith was sinful, while their feelings of love or something like love, lead them to believe they had to follow their feelings, do you think they should follow their feelings, or their faith? The same principle applies here.

I think your feelings are probably a remnant of you Baptist background, where pretty much everyone is re-baptized upon conversion from any other Christian faith. In fact, there are some trail of blood/landmark types that re-baptize those from other Baptist churches. Consider that your feelings may stem from seeing that such action is the way to “join”.
 
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