I asked my friend if I can join them fishing somewhere in our place and they readily agreed. They asked me to bring extra clothes in case we want to go swimming. After fishing (and no swimming at all), my friend's churchmate started sharing her faith with me... And I ended up "baptized" on a nearby pool of water in the vicinity. To cut the story short, the extra clothes that i brought were for my "baptism".. I felt that I was set-up by those christians.. So, does that mean that i'm already a christian and not Catholic? Thanks!
2007-06-06 13:22:43 · 17 answers · asked by miss_dibly 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You cannot baptize someone twice. Baptism is a one time sacrament, and any additional attempt has no effect.
You are as Catholic today as you were two weeks ago. And you were already a Christian. (We Catholics are Christians.)
2007-06-06 13:41:14 · answer #1 · answered by evolver 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeshua pointed out that we know what kind of tree it is by the fruit that it bears (Matthew 12:33). That is a metaphor that gives guidance on the very subject that you are asking about now: How to tell a true beleiver in God from a false one. There is one pre-requisite for becoming a Christian (John 3:18): faith in the Lord Yeshua, the annointed one (GR: Jesus Christ). When that beleif has been realized, the new beleiver, at that moment becomes indwelt by the Holy Spirirt. No Person has fellowship with God unless he has the Spirit within him. The Bible takes it even a step further by giving us a specific list of the fruits that a person living in the Spirit will bear, in Galatians 5:22-23a. The nine fruits are: 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.' So to answer your question: a true Christian has to exhibit these qualities. there is simply no way around it. However, it must also be said that Christians are not perfect; that is impossible. Some Christians are closer to God than are others. This will relate directly to the amounts of these fruits that the individual will bear. I know that some of this might sound a bit technical, and i apologize for that. I beleive however, proper Biblical interpretation and understanding is a must when trying to help relate to others concepts that concern our Lord. Anyway, I hope that this has helped you in some way. Pray continuously, study your Bible, and God will pour out all the wisdom that you can handle upon you (James 1:5). :-) And Test everything! (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
2016-05-18 08:43:21 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were baptized once ... just as every Christian is.
There's only one valid baptism to a customer, and as a Catholic, your original baptism was most certainly valid, and 100% effective.
Any additional baptism(s) are both illicit and unnecessary, and they are of no effect.
Your "friend" likely comitted a number of serious sins by treating you in this manner. The serpent in Eden comes to mind.
If you're a minor, you should definitely alert your parents, as this may be considered a form of child abuse, and it certainly constitutes unethical behavior.
You may also want to file a formal complaint with the "church" or denomination that did this to you ... and find a new friend to replace the old one.
Either way, you remain a Catholic. Put what happened behind you. Learn from it. Don't get swindled again.
Learn more about your Catholic heritage, and get on with your life.
2007-06-06 13:46:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As others have said, you are still a Catholic Christian, you were already baptized and whatever happened in the fish pond was gilding the lily, so to speak; it certainly didn't "undo" your sacrament. Basically, you just got wet. There are some among the non-denoms in particular who approach sharing their faith as a marketing project or sales campaign, as if there are prizes offered somewhere for the highest number of people who are "saved" as a result of their particular efforts. Unfortunately, this sometimes means using rather sneaky tactics like the one you described, but I have to admit this is one I hadn't heard of before. I'm sure they meant well but the fact remains that you were deceived ... and the end does not justify the means.
2007-06-06 14:18:16 · answer #4 · answered by Clare † 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Baptism:
remits all sins (both original sin and personal sin) and their temporal punishments. If one were to die immediately after Baptism, he would go straight to Heaven (assuming one presents no obstacles).
imprints an indelible mark on the soul of the baptized which marks him as God's, initiates him into the life of the Church, and allows him to receive the other Sacraments. It is through Baptism that we are born again -- regenerated -- of water and Spirit and receive new life.
infuses sanctifying grace, supernatural gifts, and virtues (according to the disposition of the soul receiving the Sacrament and providing he puts up no obstacles), making us true adopted children of God.
There is only one Baptism, therefore the Sacrament may be received only once (if one is unsure whether he was validly baptized, he is baptized conditionally. See below). For those who have reached the age of reason, the Sacrament must also be received in faith. If one does not have faith in Baptism but receives it anyway, he is still validly baptized, but the fruits of his Baptism will be delayed until he does have faith. In the case of infants, it is the faith of the parents that operates until the child himself reaches the age of reason.
Your still Catholic, a Christian.
I'm afraid you were duped..........or better yet...dunked.
2007-06-10 12:24:26 · answer #5 · answered by Isabella 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well first off no you don;t have to change your faith.
But why did they baptize you if they are Christian. All Christian Churches accept the baptism of another Christian Church (triune baptism). You can have a Methodist Baptism and become Catholic, you can be a Catholic and become Lutheran, etc etc. They will not rebabitize you because you have already been baptized.
Remember it is ONE baptism for the forgiveness of sin. No double dipping. No Christian church would rebaptise you so I doubt they actually are Christian.
Finally, consent and intent are key to baptism. All Christian religions asks you questions of acceptance and intent. If not again they are not Christian.
PS if you are Catholic you are Christian.
2007-06-06 13:34:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Funny. Accepting baptism is orginally a decision more than a ritual. It is basically meant to ritualize your decision to give up your body to God. If you were baptized without being willing to live your life for God it was pretty meaningless in the first place. There are of course two baptisms, this first baptism, baptism by water consacrates the body while baptism by fire consacrates your spirit and is thus considered the more important one.
If the baptismal ritual is performed by someone who knows how to do it a baptism by water can connect you to the energy of the religous stream/development path and bring you into contact with other members of the movement both living and dead such as saints and guru's. Most people, including priests, don't know how to perform this ritual effectively though.
Should you have been ritualy baptised and than later changed your mind it means you will be influenced by powers from their stream until you remove yourself from that stream which is an act of willing it with all your being or asking it's powers or leader to release you.
2007-06-06 13:40:27 · answer #7 · answered by han_ko_bicknese 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. Contrary to what "convert or die" folks think, conversion is a choice made willingly. Baptism is just an outward expression of your faith, expressing to the world your beliefs.
There's some differences between Protestant ("Christian" in this context) and Catholic beliefs, but baptism is a part of both of them.
You can't really be converted against your will; God's not limited to rituals or anything of that sort. He's a Big God. Don't worry. =)
2007-06-06 13:28:57 · answer #8 · answered by uncannydanny 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A person can be forced, at gunpoint to recant all of his or her religious beliefs. He or she can be duped into reciting the Lord's Prayer backwards as part of a satanic ritual. Or be tricked into being baptised. But that will not change you beliefs or your religion. No-one can change your religion for you, without your (spiritual) consent. This should be seen as their ceremony, not yours.
It intrigues me that you divide Catholics from Christians. I am both. Catholics have always been Christians (the original and the biggest). If you mean fundamentalists, say fundamentalist Christians.
So, no, you are still a Catholic, just ask a priest, I'm sure he will confirm this.
2007-06-06 13:35:31 · answer #9 · answered by Labsci 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No there is only one baptism as there is only one Jesus. You were baptized in the Catholic Church already so you do not have to do anything else no matter what they did. Don't worry about it. They think for some reason that Jesus did not know what he was doing when he started his Church.
2007-06-06 13:28:07 · answer #10 · answered by Midge 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋