Why does the Catholic Church do infant baptism?

[TrueLight]

I think my dear friend that one of the issues hanging you up is the belief that everything we do today must be explicitly spelled out in Scripture.

What may help is to keep in mind that the Church holds both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition in equal standing and our faith practices are built on both, neither contradicting the other.

You are right. That is holding me up. Years of indoctrination. Although I do believe in biblical references as much as possible, I am beginning to understand the concept of tradition, which I do find beautiful.

But also, for me it would help if I knew the Apostles or immediate predecessors also followed this tradition as opposed to something that developed 400 years down the road. I don’t believe the church is infallible. Should I?

I do realized I have a lot to learn about church history.

The early Church Fathers were the first “recorders” if you will of that Sacred Tradition which we carry on today. If the early Church did not baptize infants then I am certain that Tradition would have been carried down from the Apostles to the early Fathers to today through the Papacy and Magisterium. If the Magisterium suddenly decided that now we can baptize infants, it would have been recorded.

My takeaway point is that when you look at the rituals and teachings of the Church you need to keep in mind you are looking at 2,000 years of continuous guidance under the Holy Spirit starting from the hands-on and oral teaching of Jesus, passing on to the Apostles (with some of it being recorded in Scripture) through the Magisterium and Papacy up to today.

Sorry if I rambled, hope it helps.

Thank you. Very helpful.

 

[skeyes]

TrueLight, I have been where you are. I would have liked for the Catholic Church to tell me why it disagrees with my protestant evangelical belief. I found myself trying to reconcile what I thought I knew to what the Catholic Church has always taught. I have learned that the question is not “why does the Catholic Church do this or that”? The question should be “why doesn’t the Baptist, etc do this, ie infant Baptism”? The Catholic Church will never argue against what you believe. She will however continue to tell the whole truth, and it is up to me to believe and get inline with the full truth. I hope my experience can help you put your questions in perspective.

In His service,

Stan

 

[Evan]

I really enjoyed those passages on circumcision. Any passages that link circumcision to baptism? I was always taught about a spiritual circumcision, not that baptism is the new circumcision.

Try this:

Colossians 2:11-13 (NKJV)
11 “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by
putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in
the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has
made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”

My answer to the question “Why does the Catholic Church do infant baptism?” Is that we started doing it in the 1st century and were never told to stop.

 

[CharlesPaul]

Coming from a protestant background, I am just wondering why the CC does infant baptism? Also, why don’t they do full submersion? Thanks everyone

I didn’t read the rest of the thread so if this is redundant, it just is.

Coming from an evangelical tradition, infant Baptism was easy for me to understand, when I came to learn Baptism is to the New Covenant, much as Circumcision was to the Old Covenant. So it would only make sense that Jewish Christians in the earliest days of The Church, would see Baptism of infants as logical, just as they Circumcised infants. This Tradition has been passed down through the centuries.

and remember;

“But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such.” The Gospel of St. Matthew 19:14

 

[Erich]

Although I do believe in biblical references as much as possible, I am beginning to understand the concept of tradition, which I do find beautiful.

That Tradition is how the Bible received its Table of Contents, after all

 

[TrueLight]

TrueLight, I have been where you are. I would have liked for the Catholic Church to tell me why it disagrees with my protestant evangelical belief. I found myself trying to reconcile what I thought I knew to what the Catholic Church has always taught. I have learned that the question is not “why does the Catholic Church do this or that”? The question should be “why doesn’t the Baptist, etc do this, ie infant Baptism”? The Catholic Church will never argue against what you believe. She will however continue to tell the whole truth, and it is up to me to believe and get inline with the full truth. I hope my experience can help you put your questions in perspective.

In His service,

Stan

You know, that is in interesting perspective. I can certainly study what made the protestant churches stop doing it.

 

[TrueLight]

I didn’t read the rest of the thread so if this is redundant, it just is.

Coming from an evangelical tradition, infant Baptism was easy for me to understand, when I came to learn Baptism is to the New Covenant, much as Circumcision was to the Old Covenant. So it would only make sense that Jewish Christians in the earliest days of The Church, would see Baptism of infants as logical, just as they Circumcised infants. This Tradition has been passed down through the centuries.

“But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such.” The Gospel of St. Matthew 19:14

Well I never thought the children would not enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

[TrueLight]

Try this:

Colossians 2:11-13 (NKJV)
11 “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by
putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in
the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has
made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”

BINGO!

Thank you!

 

[TheDoctor]

I don’t believe the church is infallible. Should I?

Not to derail the thread my dear friend, but to quickly answer - the Church (i.e. the Pope and all the Bishops in union with him - what we call the Magisterium) are protected by the Holy Spirit from teaching error regarding faith or morals. See this for a quick overview catholic.com/library/Papal_Infallibility.asp and then start a new thread or use the search function for “papal infallibility”. It will help you to understand how we (Catholics) are so certain that what the Church teaches is true and correct.

P.S. - poke around in the Catholic Answers Library/Faith Tracks off the main page at Catholic.com for a short solid grounding on some of the main points of the faith and Church history.

 

[dje101]

I didn’t read the rest of the thread so if this is redundant, it just is.

Coming from an evangelical tradition, infant Baptism was easy for me to understand, when I came to learn Baptism is to the New Covenant, much as Circumcision was to the Old Covenant. So it would only make sense that Jewish Christians in the earliest days of The Church, would see Baptism of infants as logical, just as they Circumcised infants. This Tradition has been passed down through the centuries.

and remember;

“But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such.” The Gospel of St. Matthew 19:14

Well, it was just that in my teaching of Baptism, it was always the “its just an option, not necessary for salvation. This is a willful, public display proclamation of your faith in Jesus Christ. It symbolizes your previous life in your sinful desires, the death of that life, and the resurrection of you, born again, into the life of Christ” type of thing. I had been taught that it had to be a decision that you made, so I was always confused as to why the CC did infant baptism when it is “a choice that you must make”, and since babies are too young to make choices…well, anyways, I think you get what I mean. Its the traditional Protestant teaching.

 

[mark_avery]

How could she not!

 

[JRRTFAN]

Coming from a protestant background, I am just wondering why the CC does infant baptism? Also, why don’t they do full submersion? Thanks everyone

The reason it may be puzzling to you is that we (and the Orthodox and many of the “high church” levels of Protestantism (and the Bible)) believe that Baptism conveys grace and, as 1 Peter says:, “Baptism now saves you.” Many Protestants do not believe that grace is conveyed by sacraments or the “Baptism now saves you”, and in the case of Baptism, believe it is an ordinance and a proclamation of faith. Therefore it only makes sense to Baptize somebody who can proclaim faith. Because it doesn’t “do” anything but make you wet.

We, on the other hand, do not think that the God conveying grace is contingent on this proclamation of faith. Therefore it is altogether appropriate for the grace of salvation to be granted to infants.

 

[TrueLight]

Not to derail the thread my dear friend, but to quickly answer - the Church (i.e. the Pope and all the Bishops in union with him - what we call the Magisterium) are protected by the Holy Spirit from teaching error regarding faith or morals. See this for a quick overview catholic.com/library/Papal_Infallibility.asp and then start a new thread or use the search function for “papal infallibility”. It will help you to understand how we (Catholics) are so certain that what the Church teaches is true and correct.

P.S. - poke around in the Catholic Answers Library/Faith Tracks off the main page at Catholic.com for a short solid grounding on some of the main points of the faith and Church history.

Okay, I will check out the Faith Tracks and the Papal Infallibility section. Thanks.