Why would anyone be baptized twice?

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I have a close friend that is Southern Baptist. Since I started RCIA classes we have had several discussions about religion and my classes, all very respectful of each others beliefs (she actually had a lot of questions about why Catholics do certain things). Anyway before the Easter Vigil we where discussing my upcoming baptism and she mentioned that she had been baptized twice, in the same church (once when she was 10 and again when she was 13). She said she did this because she didn’t feel like she was really committed when she was baptized the first time so they re-baptized her when she felt like she really had finally accepted Jesus. Is it common for non-Catholic Christians to be re-baptized?
 
Wow, that shouldn’t be Ephesians 4 is quite specific, one baptism. As a Catholic I can’t answer your question as to whether it’s common… But I think I might understand why it happened.

S. Baptist lack a sacramental view of the world, frankly they deny them all. In the S. Baptist tradition, there is more emphisis on the “moment of salvation”. When you truely “accept Jesus Christ into your heart”. They think this is what regenerates you (despite John 3), so given your friends questions I suppose that is why they rebaptized when they shouldn’t have.

We are born again of water and spirit, not of accepting Jesus Christ into our hearts as our personal Lord and Savoir. The second baptizm was invalid.
 
mswood said:
I have a close friend that is Southern Baptist. Since I started RCIA classes we have had several discussions about religion and my classes, all very respectful of each others beliefs (she actually had a lot of questions about why Catholics do certain things). Anyway before the Easter Vigil we where discussing my upcoming baptism and she mentioned that she had been baptized twice, in the same church (once when she was 10 and again when she was 13). She said she did this because she didn’t feel like she was really committed when she was baptized the first time so they re-baptized her when she felt like she really had finally accepted Jesus. Is it common for non-Catholic Christians to be re-baptized?
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That depends entirely on what the basic understanding of what baptism actually is, within the faith system. From what I have seen, many Protestants have a different view of what baptism actually does, or is for, than do Catholics. You would have to ask your friend what she thinks baptism is all about, and then you might understand her viewpoint. I do know that the concept of what baptism actually does is very closely tied to their particular idea of how salvation actually works…and from what I’ve seen, that can vary hugely from hyper-Calvinism to a completely works based theology. (not many of those out there…) At the risk of getting REALLY clobbered, Catholics and Mormons have a similar place on that spectrum…more towards works-based than 'grace only." Free will plays a huge part in our theology, and thus baptism also takes a more fundamental place in our beliefs. Those who move to the 'grace only" side have a view of baptism that is less concrete.

Of course, this is simply my impression. I’m sure that I’ll get corrected on all sorts of sides. 😉
 
Back when I was in my early teens, we lived in an area that you could say was on the edge of the “Bible Belt”. I attended several different churches. Nazarene, Baptist, Pentacostal, etc.

When I was attending the Baptist church, there were several “rebaptisms”. Some were people that were coming from a different baptist church in a different community, some were people coming from different faiths.

I never understood it either, but then I didn’t understand multiple “altar calls” either.
 
How ironic!!

I just got this picture in an email from one of the new Catholics that we welcomed into the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil.

Notice how the water being poured onto the baby’s head has turned into a Rosary.

How cool is that!!

If you click on the image, it should open up bigger (it did for me)
 
crazzeto said:
Wow, that shouldn’t be Ephesians 4 is quite specific, one baptism. As a Catholic I can’t answer your question as to whether it’s common… But I think I might understand why it happened.

S. Baptist lack a sacramental view of the world, frankly they deny them all. In the S. Baptist tradition, there is more emphisis on the “moment of salvation”. When you truely “accept Jesus Christ into your heart”. They think this is what regenerates you (despite John 3), so given your friends questions I suppose that is why they rebaptized when they shouldn’t have.

We are born again of water and spirit, not of accepting Jesus Christ into our hearts as our personal Lord and Savoir. The second baptizm was invalid.
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I’m not sure you have the correct understand of what Paul meant when he penned ‘one baptism.’​

Doesn’t the word ‘sacrament’ means ‘an oath’. Can an infant give an oath? BTW, the baptists believe baptism is the result of an ‘oath’ by the one being baptized to identify with Christ’s burial and resurrection. Maybe they are more ‘sacramental’ that you? Fuel for thought.
 
twopekinguys said:
How ironic!!

I just got this picture in an email from one of the new Catholics that we welcomed into the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil.

Notice how the water being poured onto the baby’s head has turned into a Rosary.

How cool is that!!

If you click on the image, it should open up bigger (it did for me)
Click to expand...
That is a REALLY cool picture!!

Do you know the person/people that sent you the picture? It’s not photo-shopped or anything is it? (I wouldn’t have any idea how to tell.)
I hope not, because I really hate when people do that kind of stuff - as if legitimate things like that can’t/don’t occur without technological manipulation. :mad: I really like seeing the ones that are legit. 👍
 
Jay53 said:
That is a REALLY cool picture!!

Do you know the person/people that sent you the picture? It’s not photo-shopped or anything is it? (I wouldn’t have any idea how to tell.)
I hope not, because I really hate when people do that kind of stuff - as if legitimate things like that can’t/don’t occur without technological manipulation. :mad: I really like seeing the ones that are legit. 👍
Click to expand...
I do know the people who sent it to me, however, I don’t know the people who sent it to them.

I did go to snopes.com to see if I could find anything on it, because like you, I don’t like the fake stuff either.

I have done some additional searching based on the info in the email, and came up with this link. It gives additional who/what/when and where kind of info.

catholicnotebook.blogspot.com/2010/03/valentino-moras-baptism-in-cordova.html
 
twopekinguys said:
I do know the people who sent it to me, however, I don’t know the people who sent it to them.

I did go to snopes.com to see if I could find anything on it, because like you, I don’t like the fake stuff either.

I have done some additional searching based on the info in the email, and came up with this link. It gives additional who/what/when and where kind of info.

catholicnotebook.blogspot.com/2010/03/valentino-moras-baptism-in-cordova.html
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. It really is a cool picture!
 
mswood said:
I have a close friend that is Southern Baptist. Since I started RCIA classes we have had several discussions about religion and my classes, all very respectful of each others beliefs (she actually had a lot of questions about why Catholics do certain things). Anyway before the Easter Vigil we where discussing my upcoming baptism and she mentioned that she had been baptized twice, in the same church (once when she was 10 and again when she was 13). She said she did this because she didn’t feel like she was really committed when she was baptized the first time so they re-baptized her when she felt like she really had finally accepted Jesus. Is it common for non-Catholic Christians to be re-baptized?
Click to expand...
Not sure if anyone has answered this question from a matter of Catholic canon law:

The Catholic Church considers a baptism from any Christian faith that uses the proper trinitarian form (“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”) to be a valid baptism. A proper baptism creates an indelible mark on one’s soul; a second baptism would do nothing and isn’t a norm for converts into the faith.

Baptisms would only be repeated on two occasions: Where the baptism was performed by a Christian-like sect that is not trinitarian or has significant doctrinal differences that make it, despite their name, not Christian (such as baptisms by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), or when the candidate cannot confirm if any baptism had ever taken place in their life. In these cases, a conditional baptism may be performed (Canon Law 869).
 
Dokimas said:

I’m not sure you have the correct understand of what Paul meant when he penned ‘one baptism.’​

Doesn’t the word ‘sacrament’ means ‘an oath’. Can an infant give an oath? BTW, the baptists believe baptism is the result of an ‘oath’ by the one being baptized to identify with Christ’s burial and resurrection. Maybe they are more ‘sacramental’ that you? Fuel for thought.
Click to expand...
Oath is only one definition for the word “sacrament”. There are 5 others according to Dictionary.com

–noun
1.Ecclesiastical. a visible sign of an inward grace, esp. one of the solemn Christian rites considered to have been instituted by Jesus Christ to symbolize or confer grace: the sacraments of the Protestant churches are baptism and the Lord’s Supper; the sacraments of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, penance, holy orders, and extreme unction.
2.(often initial capital letter) Also called Holy Sacrament. the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper.
3.the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, esp. the bread.
4.something regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance.
5.a sign, token, or symbol.
6.an oath; solemn pledge

In this case, I believe that definition 1 would be more appropriate. (bolding mine) Number 4 works well too.
 
twopekinguys said:
Oath is only one definition for the word “sacrament”. There are 5 others according to Dictionary.com

–noun
1.Ecclesiastical. a visible sign of an inward grace, esp. one of the solemn Christian rites considered to have been instituted by Jesus Christ to symbolize or confer grace: the sacraments of the Protestant churches are baptism and the Lord’s Supper; the sacraments of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, penance, holy orders, and extreme unction.
2.(often initial capital letter) Also called Holy Sacrament. the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper.
3.the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, esp. the bread.
4.something regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance.
5.a sign, token, or symbol.
6.an oath; solemn pledge

In this case, I believe that definition 1 would be more appropriate. (bolding mine) Number 4 works well too.
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According to your definition, I believe the original poster I was responding to was incorrect. I believe that person stated that protestants don’t hold to any sacraments.

Thanks for adding to this discussion and clearing things up for the mistaken poster.
 
Dokimas said:
According to your definition, I believe the original poster I was responding to was incorrect. I believe that person stated that protestants don’t hold to any sacraments.

Thanks for adding to this discussion and clearing things up for the mistaken poster.
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No, the person that you quoted stated that Southern Baptists “lack a sacramental view of the world, frankly they deny them all”. Not that all Protestants reject sacraments.

God bless you
 
Roman_Catholic said:
No, the person that you quoted stated that Southern Baptists “lack a sacramental view of the world, frankly they deny them all”. Not that all Protestants reject sacraments.

God bless you
Click to expand...

Ah you are correct. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.​

I will say I doubt if the sb’s would have a problem with baptism being a visible sign of an inward grace or having a mystical significance. I could be wrong; I’ve been wrong many times.​

And may God richly bless you and yours.
 
twopekinguys said:
How ironic!!

I just got this picture in an email from one of the new Catholics that we welcomed into the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil.

Notice how the water being poured onto the baby’s head has turned into a Rosary.

How cool is that!!

If you click on the image, it should open up bigger (it did for me)
Click to expand...
VERY cool!

It’s also very photoshopped, but as a lovely symbol of what it means to you guys, it’s pretty neat!
 
Jay53 said:
That is a REALLY cool picture!!

Do you know the person/people that sent you the picture? It’s not photo-shopped or anything is it? (I wouldn’t have any idea how to tell.)
I hope not, because I really hate when people do that kind of stuff - as if legitimate things like that can’t/don’t occur without technological manipulation. :mad: I really like seeing the ones that are legit. 👍
Click to expand...
It very much is 'photoshopped…" but at the risk of taking this completely off topic and into the realm of art and genres of art, there’s no problem with that! Whoever did this had this great photo, and saw in his/her mind’s eye what the event means, and also saw how to manipulate the image to let others see what the artist sees. That’s what art IS. It is no less special or meaningful for you to see this event through the eyes of the artist than it is to see it through a random pattern of water drops.

The only problem I would have with this image is if the photographer/artist claimed that no manipulation was done. THAT would destroy the spiritual and special nature of it, I think.
 
twopekinguys said:
I do know the people who sent it to me, however, I don’t know the people who sent it to them.

I did go to snopes.com to see if I could find anything on it, because like you, I don’t like the fake stuff either.

I have done some additional searching based on the info in the email, and came up with this link. It gives additional who/what/when and where kind of info.

catholicnotebook.blogspot.com/2010/03/valentino-moras-baptism-in-cordova.html
Click to expand...
Ok, NOW I have a problem with it.
 
Wow, I bet babies like Catholic baptisms more than Orthodox ones 😃 Much less frightening when you don’t get submerged three times, though I guess they get the “dying with Christ experience”. The baby in the picture looks so calm 🙂
 
I was “baptized” twice–

the first time–the true baptism–was when I was 12 years old and had gone through catechism classes with a Lutheran chaplain (my dad was in the Navy). I wanted to be baptized–even though no one in my family encouraged me in that direction.

The second time was after I became involved in evangelical Christianity–I thought that I really hadn’t understood the significance of baptism when I was 12–I hadn’t “accepted Christ”–or so I thought–and I also wanted to be baptized by immersion because I thought it was a more accurate symbol than the sprinkling I had had at age 12. So at age 24 I was “baptized” by immersion–in a non-denominational evangelical church.

My particular experience was played out again and again by other people in that church. People who had been baptized as children were “baptized” again as adults–presumably because now they REALLY understood what it all meant. (My brother and all of his children were also “re-baptized”)–I can’t tell you how many times I heard a testimony along these lines: "I was raised in a church-going family. Was baptized and confirmed. But never really had a relationship with Christ. Then I heard that the whole point of Christ coming to earth was to give us a relationship with God, not a religion, etc etc etc. " (“Baptism” =dead religious ritual, “Accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord” = true conversion.)
 
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