What is valid intention for baptism?

[Uncanny]

It’s my understanding that for a baptism to be valid, not only must the form and matter be present, but the one being baptized (if of the age of reason) and the one’s doing the baptism must “intend to do what the Church intends.”

I was baptized as a Protestant. The church in which I was baptized, and I myself at the time, did not believe that baptism washed away Original Sin, nor was the “door” by which one entered Christianity. It was more a symbol, something we just did because Jesus said to, but not because there was any inherent power in the event itself. It was not really even treated as a sacrament, in that particular church. Therefore, we did not intend for baptism to be washing away Original Sin, nor to be the gateway through which one entered Christ’s Church.

Does this mean that our intention was sufficiently deficient that my baptism was invalid, and that I might at least want to get a “conditional” baptism? If not, what does it mean, then, to “intend what the Church intends?”

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

The intention required of the minister for valid baptism is actually fairly flexible. Doctrinal errors are not considered to usually invalidate the sacrament unless they are of such a nature to completely distort the meaning. In fact, its generally accepted that even an atheist could validly baptize someone.

The intention required is to “do what the Church does” or to “do what Christ intends.” They do not need to have full understanding of the sacrament but only that they are baptizing as Christ instructed. Its a rather general intention and is a rather easy bar to meet. Most Protestant groups have the intention of baptizing as Christ intended and share our basic understanding of who Jesus Christ is. As previously noted, there are some situations in which the group’s understanding of Christ or the Gospel is so distorted that it distorts the very nature of the sacrament but these are fairly rare.

As for a recipient of baptism who is above the age of reason, the individual also does not need to have a full theological understanding of the sacrament. The individual simply needs to not be opposed to being baptized.