Here’s another way to look at it. You can clean your body with either a bath or a shower, so why couldn’t pouring be an acceptable form of baptism? It’s the same effect – you get wet and completely covered in the holy water.

Before we get to the answer, some housekeeping.

God can and does give grace to men in answer to their internal aspirations and prayers without the use of any external sign or ceremony. This will always be possible, because God, grace, and the soul are spiritual beings. God is not restricted to the use of material, visible symbols in dealing with men; the sacraments are not necessary in the sense that they could not have been dispensed with. But, if it is known that God has appointed external, visible ceremonies as the means by which certain graces are to be conferred on men, then in order to obtain those graces it will be necessary for men to make use of those Divinely appointed means.

A Sacrament, is an [b:2opwkv00]outward sign [/b:2opwkv00]of an [b:2opwkv00]inward Grace[/b:2opwkv00], [b:2opwkv00]Insituted by Christ[/b:2opwkv00] for our salvation. Some of the Sacraments were prefigured by rites preformed by the Jews in the Old Testament. In the case of the Baptism of John, first Jesus did not need baptism, because He was and is sinless. Secondly in the Scriptures we read in Acts I verse 5 [i:2opwkv00]”For John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.” [/i:2opwkv00] John’s baptism was not Trinitarian, (in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit) as the concept of the Trinity had not yet been revealed by Jesus when he baptized Jesus. So while Jesus sets an example for us, it is not by being baptized by the Sacrament that He would soon institute.

The second question is inferred by the passages which speak of those who received baptism in Jail etc, and has been the constant teaching of the Church from the time of the Apostles. I’ll look up the actual verses soon, but in the mean time, here is a long article from the CE
[url:2opwkv00]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm#V[/url:2opwkv00]

Her first baptism was and remains the valid batpism. She remains a Catholic, although if she is living with the Bio-Mom, may be taught things about the Catholic Church that are not true. Even if it was the other way around, and she had been baptized in the AG Sect, the baptism would have been valid. But only the first baptism, additional baptisms would not be valid.

What we as Catholics mean by our belief in One Baptism is that when someone is baptized with water, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. With at the very least the intention of doing what the Church does, the baptism is valid. Even when the person who is doing the baptism holds some erronious theological beliefs, the baptism is valid. In all the the seven Sacraments the Church teaches that the primary minister of the Sacrament is Jesus Himself.

For Baptism, anyone may preform the rite, although the Ordinary minister of the Sacrament is the Bishop or a priest, and the extraordinary minister can be a deacon or any male or female who has reached the age of reason.

The second baptism changes nothing. If the Child is raised from this point on as a Protestant, and decides to come back to the Catholic Church, she will simply have to go to confession. If she had been baptized in a Protestant Church, and never in the Catholic Church, the baptism would be valid, and if she decided to enter the Catholic Church would not be re-baptized in the Catholic Church, but would go through the process of being recieved into the Church where she would renounce the false teachings that she had adhered to in the past, and proclaim that she accepted Theological and Moral teachings of the Church, and would go to confession, then be confirmed.

Any valid Baptism, be it in the Catholic or Protestant church makes one a Catholic, for Jesus did not institute a Catholic baptism, and a Lutheran baptism, and a Baptist baptism. But only one. If one is baptized and joins a Protestant Church at the same time, they were momentarily a Catholic based on a valid baptism, but became a Protestant by the virtue of their entering that other Church, and are described as imperfectly united to the Church.

Many Protestant Sects like the AG, do not accept baptisms administered by the Catholic Church because they do not understand what the Church really teaches. They assume that all Catholics are baptized as infants, (which they do not accept) and they assume that all Catholics are baptized by sprinkling or pouring water on the person baptized, (another thing they deny). We can hope that they thought that they were doing the correct thing, and that they are motivated by untruths they have heard about the Catholic Church. We can pray for them, that one day they may learn the real teachings of the Catholic Church and one day embrace the fullness of the Faith.

No need for her to go to confession for this event. She did no wrong.

Soooo….why do Catholics baptize babies? Doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible that babies cant be baptized?

Yes im a non-Catholic christain and thanks for the postings. So what protestant churches dont believe in this kind of baptism?

James:

Thanks for that tidbit, shows we can all learn each day. Now I know something new.