A baptism is like an exorcism????

Question

OK, Had my daughter baptized last week. And there were two comments that the priest said that struck me. He first referred do the my daughter as a "pagen" then he said that ..."a baptism is like an exorcism". What is that all about. I have been to many baptism's and i have never ever heard any priest say this.

If a baby is born with pure innocence, then how can a baptism be an exorcist?

How can you exorcise an innocent?

Well i have always been told that a baby is born innocent. How can a baby be born into original sin? Unless being born is a sin? I don't know, but i don't agree with that nor do i agree that it was like an exorcism.

Thank you to EVERYONE who responded. I do appreciate it. I just wanted to make sure i wasn't missing anything here.

Ya, i was disappointed in our priest. There were two priests and i chose the one that i did cause he taught at the highschool i attended, so i knew him. Now i wish i went with the other. Thank you all again.

Answer 1

Wrong! A baptism is not an exorcism!

An exorcism technically isn't cleansing a soul - it's casting out a demon. A baptism, on the other hand, is meant to mark the child as a child of god and to wash away any sins she might have picked up since she was born, I guess? Definitely not the same thing.

Answer 2

First off we are not all born with pure innocence. We are born with the original sin of Adam and Eve. Infants are baptized to release them from that original sin.To refer to this as an exorcism does seem a bit strange in that it would presuppose that the child was possessed by demons which cannot be assumed. Baptism is simply the acceptance of the Lord Jesus as your Savior and as your model in life. When a baby is baptized it becomes the parent's job to see that the child is raised in the Light of Jesus and to be trained in the workings of the Church. It will be the child's responsibility later in life to decide to be confirmed in his faith. I'm curious if you were involved in pre baptismal classes. These subjects should have been clearly covered by them.
Well God Bless you and your child and remember to always ask questions to your Priest when you don't understand something . I think that by not doing so is one of the biggest reasons for people leaving their faith. I know that when I have concerns I always speak up and ask WHY!

Answer 3

Humans are born predators, and if we were not taught, we would go around knocking down each other, and worse. God does not assign guilt to animals such as lions, snakes, wolves, or uncivilized humans. That is the innocence of a baby.

That innocence is lost, when a young person begins to make moral judgements. That spirit, of moral judgement is exorcised by baptism. John the Baptist knew from personal experience that Jesus never judged anybody, and concluded that Jesus did not need the water. As John spoke, he recognized his own judgemental nature and asked Jesus to exorcise that demon from himself.

I am not sure why Jesus declined, and insisted on the baptism by John.

Baptism and exorcism are as real as our sense of guilt.

Answer 4

First off, no one is born with pure innocence. We are all born sinners, doomed to hell, and in need of salvation. I am assuming that if your daughter is an infant, you were at a Catholic baptism. Catholics believe that baptism can "save" you. This is not true. Only a relationship with Jesus can save you. The Bible portrays baptism as simply a public display of the relationship. It has no "saving' value at all. The Bible portrays baptism as a conscious decision, not done at birth.

Answer 5

A baby has original sin which is erased with baptism. I was believed that if a child died without baptism it would go to the limbo. But that changed a few weeks ago.

Answer 6

In fact, the rite of baptism includes a prayer of exorcism - not a solemn exorcism as in the case of possession or severe spiritual oppression, but a general prayer of exorcism, rejecting the influence of evil over this child (or adult) and requesting God's protection over him/her. This is described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1237. While your priest was technically correct in his terminology, such terms should not be tossed about lightly without providing suitable explanation, since doing so invites misunderstanding. Any priest you chose would have said the prayer of exorcism. It is required. But most priests describe the prayer in simpler terms, to avoid confusion.

Answer 7

Well, I'm Baptist, not Catholic; but I NEVER heard anything like this before.

Catholic baptism is supposed to remove the stain of original sin. Then all the child has to do is to is go to catechism, receive communion, and go to confession, and do penance, to deal with sins after baptism.

In Baptist (and most Protestant) theology, baptism is for believing adults. There is no record in the Bible of the baptism of any person but a believing adult.

Romans 6:4
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Matthew 28:19-20
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Acts 22:16
'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'

Romans 10:8-13
8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART" -- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Answer 8

I don't know in what context your priest said that, but to say it in doctrinal terms is wrong. Even if it was meant as a joke.

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word."

Few truths are so clearly taught in the New Testament as the doctrine that in baptism God gives us grace. Again and again the sacred writers tell us that it is in baptism that we are saved, buried with Christ, incorporated into his body, washed of our sins, regenerated, cleansed, and so on (see Acts 2:38, 22:16; Rom. 6:1–4; 1 Cor. 6:11, 12:13; Gal. 3:26–27; Eph. 5:25-27; Col. 2:11–12; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:18–22). They are unanimous in speaking of baptism in invariably efficient terms, as really bringing about a spiritual effect.

Protestant early Church historian J. N. D. Kelly writes, "From the beginning baptism was the universally accepted rite of admission to the Church. . . . As regards its significance, it was always held to convey the remission of sins . . . we descend into the water ‘dead’ and come out again ‘alive’; we receive a white robe which symbolizes the Spirit . . .the Spirit is God himself dwelling in the believer, and the resulting life is a re-creation. Prior to baptism . . . our heart was the abode of demons . . . [but] baptism supplies us with the weapons for our spiritual warfare" (Early Christian Doctrines, 193–4).

The Letter of Barnabas
"Regarding [baptism], we have the evidence of Scripture that Israel would refuse to accept the washing which confers the remission of sins and would set up a substitution of their own instead [Ps. 1:3–6]. Observe there how he describes both the water and the cross in the same figure. His meaning is, ‘Blessed are those who go down into the water with their hopes set on the cross.’ Here he is saying that after we have stepped down into the water, burdened with sin and defilement, we come up out of it bearing fruit, with reverence in our hearts and the hope of Jesus in our souls" (Letter of Barnabas 11:1–10 [A.D. 74]).
Peace and every blessing!

Answer 9

Never heard of this one before. Baptism is not for infants, but for those who can understand what sin is. It is done by immersion in the Name of Jesus Christ, (not the titles of the trinity), and it is how you have your sins washed away.

Answer 10

A baby doesn't need baptism. It is for people old enough to understand and to ask for it.