I'm curious about the intent of baptizing an infant?

Question

Is it biblical? what is the purpose? Do some believe this "Saves": a baby?

Answer 1

The only justifiable reason for baptising infants is as a sign that the parents intend to raise the child in a Christian manner. In the Bible, all baptisms were done after someone was born again, as a sign to others of the change that has already occurred in their heart.

Baptism was always done by immersion and is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Answer 2

It comes down to what you believe about original sin. And no, babies who are not baptized do not go to hell. That's ridiculous, and Catholics do not believe that. Basically, we believe that baptism actually washes away sin, and is not just a symbolic gesture. As babies have original sin, they can have this removed at baptism. It is a great gift.

"The Catholic understanding is that baptism is a sign that effects what it symbolizes, bringing about several things. One of these effects is regeneration—God’s very life comes into the person, taking away the guilt of original sin and infusing sanctifying grace into the soul, making the person a new creation.

Evangelicals agree that baptism is a sign but not one that communicates grace to the believer. Rather, it symbolizes that the person has already been born again. If baptism is merely a sign that signifies a previous repentance and does nothing to the soul, then babies should not be baptized. But Scripture reveals that baptism does regenerate the soul and so should not withheld from infants..."

Here's the whole thing article
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0012sbs.asp

God Bless

Answer 3

Some main line Christian denominations believe it saves the baby.
However, it is completely unbiblical. Each man, woman, and child must come to Jesus individually. And that would mean that they all have to have to ability to reason and think.

For Catholics, infant christenings do two things:
1) It makes the child a member-by-proxy of the Catholic Church, thereby saving the infant. (Membership IN the Catholic Church is required for salvation).
2) It makes the parents feel better knowing that their child would be ushered immediately into heaven, should a tragedy occur before the child reaches the age of reason.

This too is unscriptural. The Catholic Church recognizes the age of reason to be about 7 years of age.
But tell me, have you ever seen a 2 or 3 year old lie to avoid a punishment? When they do, they are using reasoning to come to the choice of lying.

Answer 4

YES some people think that if you are not baptized and you die you are in limbo, you're neither in heaven or hell. Yes it is biblical Christian's get baptize when they are old enough to "accept the lord as there savior" catholics baptize there children when there little. the reason catholics baptize infants is because if the parent dies the God parents are suppose to take over raising the child. the Godparents are also suppose to guide the child to be a good catholic.

Answer 5

Sure it's biblical. Nice little allegory that will answer your question(s), at http://www.reformed.org/sacramentology/index.html

Scroll down to

"An allegory intended to illustrate Covenant Theology's view of history, the relationship of water baptism to circumcision, and the reason we baptize infants."

If nothing else, it'll shed a different light on what you may have heard in the past. It's nothing radical, it's mainstream Protestant belief. Not as prevalent as the Baptist viewpoint, but most people on YA have not considered this. And I'd like to get your response myself if you'd like to PM me.

Answer 6

I asked myself this same question once and searched it out through scripture and you know what? There is nothing about infant baptism in the bible. Baptism is supposed to be a believer's public confession for Christ. A baby can't make a decision or public confession for Christ and no one can do that for you.

Answer 7

No, it is not Biblical, it is an invention of man. Biblical baptism is immersion for forgiveness of sins. A baby cannot sin, therefore is in no need of baptism.

See source for complete article on infant baptism.

Answer 8

You gotta get 'em while they can't say no.

EDIT: LoL fireball, are you really so simple that your God can't figure out how to save a baby unless some clowns sprinkle water on it's head?

God: "Oh...oh damn. Look, the paperwork for the baptism didn't come through. I'm sorry kid, I'm going to have to burninate you forever. You don't have the right forms, see? My hands are tied. Do you have any idea how much trouble I'd get in with the legal department if I let you slide? We'd have to start letting everyone in!"

Answer 9

I'm going to answer this as a lay Catholic, but I'm not trying to be all official and dogmatic, just to answer it as I understand it. We are all born with what theologians call "original sin". This doesn't mean we are born already guilty of committing specific sins. It means we are born with an inborn predispositon towards sin. (My sister gave me the best definition I ever heard of original sin -- She call it "the inborn human tendency to louse everything up".) No effort on our part to "be good", no matter how sincerely we try, can succeed in the face of this inborn weakness. We can't "cure" ourselves. This doesn't mean everything we do will be bad, or that nothing we do can be good. It does mean that for all our lives, we will be failing to live up to our true human potential, failing to be what we were made to be.

Baptism is God's sacramental "cure" for this inborn flaw. God removes this inner flaw, which nudges us every day into wrong choices, and replaces it with his grace, which nudges us every day towards right choices. Baptism doesn't mean that from that moment on, everything we do will be good, or that being good will come easily. But it means that we won't be doomed to failure, because God's grace will be helping us, instead of leaving us crippled by that inborn tendency to louse everything up. The crippling defect of sinful human nature is put right, so that we can begin with a "clean bill of health" spiritually.

An adult will have already committed actual specific sins, during years of living with this inner flaw. Baptism removes the flaw, and lets that adult start fresh. An infant or small child, who is still below the age of reason, can't have yet committed actual sins. But for these young ones, baptism still cures that inborn flaw. Instead of the child being impelled in the wrong direction right from the cradle, God's grace can begin working in that child, guiding him in right choices, from the very beginning of his life, so that when he is old enough to knowingly choose sin, he will have the grace to fight that choice already at work in him.

Answer 10

no, just something the catolics made up