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A CUF member asks…What happens to aborted babies at death? Are they considered martyrs? Are they admitted directly into heaven?We don’t know what happens to aborted babies. In hope we commend them to God’s infinite Love and Mercy.Theologians are working on the answer. Recently, the International Theological Commission  came out with a document, The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised (April 19, 2007), that provides an extensive overview of the matter, and a conclusion:“Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered above give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptised infants...

Question: In a recent leadership class in our church, the discussion arose as to what baptisms would we or do we accept in our church. The answer was given that we would accept any baptism, including Roman Catholic, that was done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I was pretty sure that I had the doctrine down pat, and recall being taught by this very church that we would only accept baptisms done in churches considered to be based in true belief. This is to say that the baptism would be recognized for those from believing...

An atheism-promoting organization has withdrawn its lawsuit demanding that Christian baptisms of children be banned in Italy, after a U.S.-based legal team took on the defense of a bishop and the Roman Catholic Church there."This was a preposterous lawsuit, and we are pleased that it has been dropped," said Joseph Infranco, senior counsel for the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund.However, he said, "Americans should be aware that such lawsuits may seem far-fetched, but they really are happening … foreign legal decisions are increasingly cited in American courts."The ADF battled back when the Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics filed a...

I am considering being baptisted soon.

Eleven Inapang believers were baptized Sunday and others want to be baptized. Some of the church leaders and missionary Bill Housley determined that some who asked to be baptized needed further teaching. "The believers decided to do a 'big picture' or 'big story' class for those who had heard it and were believing but were having trouble articulating their faith," the Houslelys wrote. A small group of 15 to 20 people were expected for the class Tuesday night, but the whole village showed up. The Inapang Bible teachers began with who God is and what He is like and then...

The Risk of Love July 23rd, 2008 by Mark Shea Recently a reader wrote me to say, “I read a story on the Internet about a Catholic couple whose new baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and anencephaly (no brain). They chose to abort it. How on earth would you deal pastorally with such a horrible situation?” Such questions involve several parts. What does God think? What would I do? What should I make of those people over there? We feel torn between obeying God’s commands “Don’t kill” and “Don’t judge.” And in our culture, “Don’t judge” has much the...

To follow-up, Thanks to all the wonderful Non-catholics who said that Catholics were Christians, this post is for the Catholics to chime in. Do you think Protestants are Brothers and Sisters in Christ? Are Protestants Christians?

The Catholic Controversy of the Week (well, the most-prominent one) involves what you see above. That's a Mormon baptismal font, and in a move that sent the religion beat into overdrive -- and threatened to put a damper on the tip-top relations that just saw two top leaders of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints attend an ecumenical prayer gathering with the Pope for the first time -- an early April letter from the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy urged the global church to withhold parish registers from LDS, citing the Mormon practice of posthumous baptisms. The...

The first step toward being able to go to a Mormon temple is an interview with the "ward bishop" (roughly equivalent to a parish priest). During this interview a Mormon is questioned by the bishop to see if he has been faithful in his commitment to the teachings and ordinances of the Mormon church. The questions cover a variety of subjects, including his tithing track record; use of alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine; sexual immorality; and any failures to adhere to church doctrines and disciplines. If the applicant has had difficulties in any of these areas, he will not receive a...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In an effort to block posthumous rebaptisms by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic dioceses throughout the world have been directed by the Vatican not to give information in parish registers to the Mormons' Genealogical Society of Utah. An April 5 letter from the Vatican Congregation for Clergy, obtained by Catholic News Service in late April, asks episcopal conferences to direct all bishops to keep the Latter-day Saints from microfilming and digitizing information contained in those registers. The order came in light of "grave reservations" expressed in a Jan. 29 letter from the Vatican...

IntroductionIn some places in the English-speaking world, under the influence of a false feminism, a new and unauthorized practice has been introduced into the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism. The practice consists in substituting for the names of the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, in the formula for Baptism, the names of three functions. In one formula, the three functions named are: Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. In another formula, they are: Creator, Liberator, and Sustainer.Recently, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the office of our Holy Father with responsibility “to promote and safeguard the doctrine...

The Story of a Convert from Islam – Baptized by the Pope at St. Peter's His name is Magdi Cristiano Allam. For five years he has lived under guard, threatened with death. But his baptism has raised harsh criticism, against him and against Benedict XVI. The complete text of the accusation written by Aref Ali Nayed, architect of the letter of the 138 by Sandro Magister ROMA, March 28, 2008 – Three days earlier, in an audio message released over the internet, Osama bin Laden had accused "the pope of the Vatican" of having "a significant role" in fighting a...

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Italy's most prominent Muslim commentator converted to Roman Catholicism on Saturday during the Vatican's Easter vigil service presided over by the pope. Italian journalist Magdi Allam attends a meeting in Milan in 2005. An Egyptian-born, non-practicing Muslim, Magdi Allam has infuriated some fellow Muslims with his criticism of extremism and support for Israel. The deputy editor of the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Allam often writes on Muslim and Arab affairs. He told the Il Giornale newspaper in a December interview that his criticism of Palestinian suicide bombings generated threats on his life in 2003, prompting the...

Italy's most prominent Muslim commentator is converting to Catholicism by being baptized by the pope at an Easter vigil, the Vatican announced Saturday. Magdi Allam is the deputy editor of the Corriere della Sera newspaper and writes often on Muslim and Arab affairs. Born in Egypt, he has described himself as a non-practicing Muslim. He has long spoken out against extremism and in favor of tolerance. Pope Benedict XVI was baptizing seven adults during the service, which marks the period between Good Friday, which commemorates Jesus' crucifixion, and Easter Sunday, which marks his resurrection. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict led the world's Catholics into Easter on Saturday at a Vatican service where he baptized a Muslim-born convert who is one of Italy's most famous and controversial journalists. The German-born pontiff, marking the third Easter season of his pontificate, began the service in the atrium of a darkened St Peter's Basilica where he carved the Greek letters Alpha and Omega on a large candle. The basilica became a sea of flickering flames as thousands of faithful inside lit candles before the lights were turned on in a ritual symbolizing the darkness in the world...

Most Eastern Catholics would not be aware of this -- likewise many Roman Catholics in this area who have not traveled extensively -- but the Roman Catholic Church in the United States is actually two Churches: one East of the Rockies and one West. With a few notable exceptions, a Mass attended in, say, Seatle would be unrecognizable if one's only experience of the Mass of the Roman Rite was in one's home parish in Backwater Creek, Pennsylvania. Ditto for the celebration of other sacraments. I am reminded of a YouTube video of some months ago showing a baptism being...

Roman Catholic baptism figures are being significantly swelled by lapsed Catholics keen for their children to gain places at popular faith schools, new research suggested yesterday.While Catholics have traditionally had their babies baptised before their first birthday, a growing proportion are now approaching priests when their children are much older, according to an independent research body.Between 1958 and 2005, the proportion of "cradle" baptisms declined from 85 per cent to 64 per cent, while "late" baptisms rocketed from five per cent to 30 per cent. The proportion of adult conversions also fell. advertisement In 2005, the Catholic Church in England...

“Baptized with Sinners, Anointed for Service, Manifested as God’s Son” (Matthew 3:13-17)On this first Sunday after the Epiphany, the Gospel reading every year is the account of the Baptism of Our Lord, that great event when our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Heaven was opened. The Spirit of God descended on Jesus like a dove. And the Father’s voice came from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Today I want to say three things about this baptism, three things on which your very salvation depends:...

Baptisms for the Dead Jesus Christ taught that baptism is essential to the salvation of all who have lived on earth (see John 3:5). Many people, however, have died without being baptized. Others were baptized without proper authority. Because God is merciful, He has prepared a way for all people to receive the blessings of baptism. By performing proxy baptisms in behalf of those who have died, Church members offer these blessings to deceased ancestors. Individuals can then choose to accept or reject what has been done in their behalf.

KSL News has learned the man who went on a shooting rampage at two Colorado church properties had been baptized into the LDS Church a year ago. Matthew Murray killed four people and wounded several others Sunday, before he turned the gun on himself. He targeted people at two Christian churches, posting anti-religion messages online before the shootings. But a year ago, he welcomed religion in his life, according to one man who taught Murray about the Latter-day Saint faith. A.J. Ormond was there the day Matthew Murray was baptized. He says he immediately noticed a change; Murray seemed happy,...

“Baptized into the Name of the Living God”On November 11, the little child is baptized. On November 11, this child is made alive in Christ, alive in the Spirit. On November 11, this little child is baptized into the name of the living God. The little child I’m talking about is Martin Luther. He was born on November 10, 1483, and then baptized on the next day. And since November 11 was the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, he was given the name Martin. But the most important name he received that day was the name of the...

Here’s a list of some simple things we do that almost any church can do: 1. Mention the value, purpose and benefits of baptism regularly in sermons. 2. Videotape some of your baptisms. Prepare a music video of baptisms to show in your worship service so people who’ve never seen a baptism can witness one. 3. Have clothes ready for people who decide spontaneously to be baptized after a service. 4. Make it a party atmosphere. It’s a celebration, not a funeral. Applaud baptisms! 5. Invite small group members to witness the baptism and identify them before each baptism. 6....

Baptism and the usus antiquior I have carried out a Baptism once or twice using the older form and preferred it greatly to the rather didactic and plodding ceremonies of the newer rite. Looking through it again today confirmed me in the view that it is so much more, well, "pastoral". It is a relief to drop the liturgical re-education necessary to prevent the mother handing the baby over to the Godmother for the ceremony. The "exorcism" in the newer rite is as bland as possible in contrast to the older rite's determined exorcisms, warning the devil in the name...

Dear Camille, To those of you against the war in Iraq, here is what you do not understand: Iraq is but one battle in the 60-plus-year ideological struggle we call "the war on terror." Do you really want to leave Iraq and wait for the enemy and ideology that dropped the World Trade Center to grow into a much stronger, deadlier and efficient killing force? Did you not understand or believe President Bush in his address to the nation on Sept. 20, 2001, when he said: "Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but does not end there ......

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH RESPONSE TO A 'DUBIUM' on the validity of baptism conferred by «The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints», called «Mormons» Question: Wheter the baptism conferred by the community «The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints», called «Mormons» in the vernacular, is valid. Response: Negative. The Supreme Pontiff John Paul II, in the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, approved the present Response, decided in the Sessione Ordinaria of this Congregation, and ordered it published. From the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 5 June 2001. +...

QUEENS, NEW YORK - In what is believed to be a first, a baby within the Orthodox Church In America has rejected infant baptism. This past Sunday was supposed to be a joyous occasion at St. Timothy's Cathedral in Queens. Joseph and Ruth Worchewicz were looking forward to the baptism of their infant son, Michael. Everything was going according to plan as they handed their baby over to Priest David Polashowski. The Orthodox Church fully immerses its infants because, they say, the Greek word baptidzo means "I immerse." Desiring to be consistent with the bible, the Orthodox Church puts its...

I once knew a Baptist who was sleeping with her boyfriend. She knew this was wrong, but consoled herself that she was “bringing her boyfriend to Christ.” She told me, “If I can just get him to salvation” (meaning “saying the Sinner’s Prayer, and asking Jesus into his heart as his personal Lord and Savior”) then he can’t lose it.” She believed in “eternal security.” After the prayer, they’d be free to pursue unfettered fornication.Serious Catholics roll their eyes at this. We know “having said a prayer once” guarantees nothing. We recognize (at least when non-Catholics do stuff like this)...

One of the most nagging questions in Christianity is whether or not baptism is necessary for salvation. The answer is a simple, "No." But you might ask, "If the answer is no, then why are there verses that say things like ‘. . .baptism that now saves you . . . ‘ (1 Pet. 3:21, NIV) and ‘ . . . Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins . . ." (Acts 2:38, NIV)? This is an honest question and it needs a competent answer. But, before...

Introduction I have learned much since my first writing on this subject. I still believe that the content herein, while certainly not inspired, captures the truth closely. However, I reserve the right to change my view based upon further enlightenment. I made an effort to lend a hand to those arguments that are used in disagreement. After all, the goal is to uncover the Truth, and not to invest oneself in a particular position or idea. I would like to elaborate further on the “Thief on the Cross” argument often used to dispel the notion of baptism as requisite for...

Taiwan's Hsing Chu diocese welcomed a 114-year-old woman into the Church at Easter, the Fides news service reports. When Bishop Luke Liu Hsien-Tang, bishop emeritus of the diocese, poured the water on the head of Xu Song Re Ai, the people present burst into warm applause to welcome the oldest Catholic in Taiwan. The event was announced by all the media in Taiwan, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. The diocese arranged for Miss Xu Song to be baptized on Easter Sunday, after 21 people had received the sacraments of Christian initiation during the Easter Vigil Mass. Over 200 people were present...

Beijing (AsiaNews) – Thousands of people were baptised into the faith in Catholic churches across China on Easter night.  Yet in some areas the underground Church is still subjected to persecution and imprisonment.    In Beijing alone during the Easter Vigil, the number of adult baptisms numbered in the thousands! In the Church of Our Holy Saviour (Beitang) there were 180; in St Joseph’s (Dongtang) hundreds and in the Church of St Michael, where the Chinese of Korean origins, hundreds more, added to these, baptisms carried out in the underground Church.  The wave of religious rebirth and conversion to Catholicism is...

Psalm 28:3 ``The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of majesty hath thundered, The Lord is upon many waters." Water Numbers 5:17 "And he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall cast a little earth of the pavement of the tabernacle into it."   For the Christian, water, as the matter of Baptism, is life. Tertullian (b. 160), making a play on words based on the Greek acrostic ICQUS , or Ichthys, meaning "fish" and indicating "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour", wrote in "De Baptismo," "But we, little fishes, after...

Several weeks ago I had the unique experience of witnessing my first infant baptism. I suppose that one statement says a lot about my own spiritual background in that I managed to live 54 years without ever seeing an infant baptism in person. I was raised Baptist and have spent my ministerial career serving in churches that practiced believers' baptism by immersion. Those are the circles in I have moved and felt most comfortable. And yet when all of Christendom is taken in consideration, that position is decidedly in the minority. Catholics, the Orthodox, Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and all...

The Early Church Fathers believed that being baptized was being born again. They baptized both adults and infants and they used three methods; immersion, pouring and sprinkling. The DidacheAfter the foregoing instructions, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living [running] water. If you have no living water, then baptize in other water, and if you are not able in cold, then in warm. If you have neither, pour water three times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit....

Pope Benedict was baptised at birth and will most likely be baptised again one year after his death, not by his Roman Catholic Church but by a Mormon he never met. The Mormons, a United States-based denomination officially named the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), encourage members to baptise the dead by proxy in the belief they are helping the deceased attain full access to heaven. Church members are told to focus on their ancestors, a rite understandable in a relatively new denomination founded in 1830. But so many now perform the rituals for celebrities, heroes and...

“Few doctrines are more central to the life and identity of the people of God than baptism,” declared Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel L. Akin in his exegetical and theological treatise on Romans 6 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s second conference in its Baptist Distinctives Series, Sept 29-30. The conference was titled “Maintaining the Integrity of a Local Church in a Seeker- Sensitive World: The Baptist Perspective on Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Church Discipline.”Akin said baptism inaugurated the public ministry of Jesus, citing Matthew 3:13-17, and is at the heart of the Great Commission, citing Matthew 28:16-20. From...

This is a question that is asked by many. And it is one that is quite easily answered, Yes, He will. Psalm 86:5 states "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." The scriptures also teach us that God would have all men come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." We see by these two verses that the...

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Newborns bring us "God's smile" and thus should be received with love, says Benedict XVI. The Pope baptized 13 babies, six girls and seven boys, in the Sistine Chapel today, on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and emphasized the importance of the family in receiving every newborn child. With the baptisms in the historic chapel, Benedict XVI was continuing a tradition introduced by Pope John Paul II. Today's celebration gathered some 300 families, parents and relatives of the newly baptized children. "Every child that is born brings us God's smile and...

January 8, 2007 The Baptism of the Lord Psalm: Monday 1 Reading 1Is 42:1-4, 6-7 Thus says the LORD:Here is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one with whom I am pleased,upon whom I have put my spirit;he shall bring forth justice to the nations,not crying out, not shouting,not making his voice heard in the street.a bruised reed he shall not break,and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,until he establishes justice on the earth;the coastlands will wait for his teaching. I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,I have grasped you by the hand;I formed you,...

When you go through the streets you see buildings which are quite different from warehouses or cinemas or living-houses or shops or public-houses. Sometimes they have towers or pointed windows instead of square ones, but there is always something about them which makes you say, "That is a church" or possibly a "chapel." There is also usually a board outside them with a name upon it and hours of "services." Sometimes these churches are open; if they are Catholic ones, they nearly always are. But a man might well feel too shy to go in, at any rate without being...

Christian BaptismI will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ; lest, if we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in...

A Critique of a Critique In Response to Professor John Erickson Professor John Erickson's critique [1] of Father George Metallinos book I Confess One Baptism... [2] poses a challenge to the Orthodox conscience, since it deals with a subject which is at the center of theological speculation today: ecumenism. The very fact that Professor Erickson is a former Lutheran renders the issue even more substantial. Indeed, the conclusion that he draws in his critique clearly betrays his desire to uphold a theological pluralism which he considers Orthodox and, together with this pluralism, certain fundamental theological deviations which have encumbered such...

Baptism by sprinkling Rick Martin | God's Old Testament promise symbolized God’s original Old Testament promise to His people that He would save them was symbolized by His promise to purify them through sprinkling. Ezekiel 36:24-29 24 "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within...

Baptism: Beginning of a New Life Previous articles in this series have covered the vital spiritual tools of prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting and repentance. But to receive the greatest gifts of God, there is another step you must take—the commitment of water baptism. by Don Hooser Related Articles The Privilege and Power of Prayer Learn, Live and Love the Bible Meditation: What's on Your Mind? Fasting: A Spiritual Power Tool! Repentance: A Profound Turnaround! The greatest gifts anyone can receive come "from above"—from our Creator God (James 1:17). And God offers us two gifts that are by far...

Just watch it.

BAPTISM By Francis A. Schaeffer In introduction, there are several things to emphasize as we begin this study. 1. We do not believe in Baptismal Regeneration. Let me remind you that it was over the question of the sacraments that Calvin and Luther differed during the Reformation Period. To Calvin, and those who have followed him, the important thing is the individual's coming directly to Christ for salvation. In regard to baptism, we who are Presbyterians, are interested primarily not in the water baptism but in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which takes place when the individual accepts...

THE Pope will cast aside centuries of Catholic belief later this week by abolishing formally the concept of limbo, in a gesture calculated to help to win the souls of millions of babies in the developing world for Christ. All the evidence suggests that Benedict XVI never believed in the idea anyway. But in the fertile evangelisation zones of Africa and Asia, the Pope — an acknowledged authority on all things Islamic — is only too aware that Muslims believe the souls of stillborn babies go straight to Heaven. For the Church, looking to spread the faith in countries...

Elder R. Jackson, left, and Daisy Ferguson rejoice during the baptism in Columbia on Sunday. __________________________________________________________ With the cry of “Let Jordan roll!” from the pulpit, the spray from fire hoses rained down on a pulsating crowd of worshippers, celebrating salvation and renewal Sunday in a mass baptism that covered nearly a block of Read Street. Dueling praise bands from Columbia and Charlotte blasted a brassy, joyful noise. Men, women and children, dressed in white cotton emblematic of innocence, raised their hands to the heavens. One young boy in his mother’s arms cried in apparent fear, but most of the...

There are many who press that we are saved by “faith alone,” yet it is surprising that most of them will not defend such teaching in an open forum. When we look at the Bible’s teaching on salvation, it should be evident that we agree on at least two principles. First, we must accept only what the Bible says on the subject. Second, we must accept all that the Bible says on the subject. It is clear that, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8)....

RICHLAND -- Naveed Haq, now widely portrayed as a Muslim American so angry at Israel that he shot up a Jewish charity in Seattle, had recently converted to Christianity. His conversion is perhaps the most startling contradiction in a puzzling life. He had a degree in electrical engineering and was the son of a successful engineer. But he couldn't hold a job and recently worked as a security guard and retail clerk in the Seattle area. His father was a founding member of the Islamic center here. But the son was rarely seen at a local mosque for more than...