Shocking photo: late-term aborted baby lies in open casket at city hall funeral (Graphic Alert!)

Life Site News ^ | July 25, 2011 | JOHN-HENRY WESTEN

[jonrick46]

The debate over the indiscriminate practice of infant baptism has gone on for more than 160 years, since Soren Kierkegaard’s Attack upon Christendom. I will not add to the debate. However, from what I have read, the Roman Catholic Church is moving away from its emphasis on infant baptism. This is a good thing. It performs infant baptism as a affirmation of the faith of the adults present. The adults promise to provide the infant with a Christian upbringing. I suppose in the early church, with entire households being baptized, that the objective was to bring a commitment to the faith by all members of the family. It is my criticism that with extended families being smaller in size and spread out due to the mobility of our society, that the commitment is not as strong. It would be better if more emphasis were made for adult baptism as a sacrament of faith and according to the Church of England Theological Commission, "the focus of a creative act of God whereby a man is made one with Christ in his death, and resurrection, cleansed from his sin, admitted into the fellowship of the Ecclesia which is Christ’s Body, given the adoption of Sonship to the Father, and sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption."(The Theology of Christian Initiation (London: SPCK, 1949), pg 9.

I will credit the Roman Catholic Church with its practice of Confirmation. However it is the entire process of conversion, beginning with adult baptism and culminating in mature confirmation that is sacramentally effective. Being raised in the Roman Catholic Church, I believe that being confirmed at 11 years old was not what I consider a mature confirmation. I believe the Church puts it members through such a sacrament at too young of a age. By doing so, the person misses the real benefit one would get through their maturity. It is like the Church is so hung up on their theology that they fail to make their theology effective for the believer. And by doing so, many of their believers are falling into the moral quagmire because of their weak faith.

[NYer]

from what I have read, the Roman Catholic Church is moving away from its emphasis on infant baptism.

Well, that's news for me! Do you have a source?

Pope Benedict XVI baptises a newborn baby in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel on January 10, 2010 in Vatican City, Vatican. Held on the same day as the Baptism of the Lord and started by John Paul II, this annual event celebrates the baptism of children and marks the end of the Christmas season.

The present Catholic attitude accords perfectly with early Christian practices. Origen, for instance, wrote in the third century that "according to the usage of the Church, baptism is given even to infants" (Holilies on Leviticus, 8:3:11 [A.D. 244]). The Council of Carthage, in 253, condemned the opinion that baptism should be withheld from infants until the eighth day after birth. Later, Augustine taught, "The custom of Mother Church in baptizing infants is certainly not to be scorned . . . nor is it to be believed that its tradition is anything except apostolic" (Literal Interpretation of Genesis 10:23:39 [A.D. 408]).

Since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any human merit; children are baptized in the faith of the Church. Entry into Christian life gives access to true freedom. (CCC, 1282)

[cvq3842]

The radical Islamists teach their children hate and encourage them to blow themselves up, killing as many innocent civilians as possible.

We have aborted tens of millions of our children.

Yes, it’s different.

But I fear not as different as many believe . . .

[Morgana]