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Child Baptism

Do you agree with the baptizing of babies

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    5

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NO!

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..."

Babies can not believe or count the cost.

They have to understand fully what is going on and why.
 
Monkey Del said:
NO!

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..."

Babies can not believe or count the cost.

They have to understand fully what is going on and why.

I would say No! For the reason Monkey Del stated above. :wink:
Now I think the parents could have them dedicated to the Lord.
 
I looked at the quote that used the word children and not babies. Babies should not be baptized for the reasons that have been pointed out. As far as children, again it depends on their age, maturity level and why they are being baptized.
 
I've seen kids the age of five confess faith and get baptized (not in my church). They are craddle Christians and seem to lack real zeal for the faith, do you find the same thing?
 
Now I know that what I am about to write is in no way the "magical" age, but there are a couple of things interesting in the Bible.
  • The Bible tells us of the birth of Jesus and then we do not find anything else until He is grown except for one thing. In Luke 2:49 at the age of 12, we find Jesus say "I must be about my Father's business". Jesus at this age was then old enough to to God's will. Are children younger better equipped than Jesus to do God's work?
Again, I am not trying to teach a "magical age of accountability". I just felt this was worth mentioning.
  • Another interesting account is that of Jairus' daughter being raised from the dead. I find it interesting that Mark 5:42 points out that she was of the age 12! Why would the Holy Spirit find it relevant to add this information? Could it be because at this age she was "old enough" for Jesus to give life.? Granted Jesus could raise anyone from the dead He wanted to no matter what age they were, but He also gives spiritual life and could we not apply this in a spiritual manner?
Again, I am simply pointing out some possibilities for your consideration.
 
Most people that were young children when baptized ended up being baptized again when they were older and wiser. That is precisely what happened to me. My Mom pushed me into baptism at 12 years old but I still wasn't completely aware of what it meant. Most protestant around here say only children 12 and over could recieve water baptism.
 
My eldest son requested baptism when he was seven years old. I had just read to him the story of Phillip and the eunuch. His words were--"I believe in Jesus--so what stops me from being baptised?" I had no way of saying no when i saw the earnest way he contended. The following sunday morning he walked up to the pastor of the church and asked to be baptised!

My middle son was also 7 or 8 when he requested Baptism, my youngest son was 12 before he requested baptism. The choice for baptism must come from the individual.
 
I was 7 years old when I committed my life to Christ and was baptized. What I understood is that rejecting Christ and dying in my sins resulted in my going to hell for eternity. The alternative was yielding to Christ, letting Him be the ruler of my life and joining Him bodily in heaven when I died. I chose to avoid hell and go to heaven.

I think as adults we make the choice more complicated than it is. My childlike faith believed that Jesus is God's son, that He died on the cross for my sin, that He rose from the dead, and that He is seated with His Father in Heaven and that He will return one day to take me home.

Why are we surprised when children make such a clear and obvious decision?

Sure, there have been times when I've disobeyed. But, I've never wandered far and have always repented out of a true desire to be pleasing to my heavenly Father. The sense in which I mature, I believe, is in comprehending the depth of His love for me and the incredible blessings that are mine in this life from following after His Word.

My two youngest sons (aged 8 and 10) will be baptized this year. My other three children (aged 21, 18 and 15) are strong Christ-followers and I'm not worried about their continued walk. God is faithful!

Finally, I'd have to say I probably witnessed more as a young child than I have as an adult. I'm working on changing that now.
 
God has given us a free will, and having such all of Mankind may choose to follow the truth (christianity) or some other deity. Therefore I think baptising children under the age of twenty-one is unethical. When one is twety-one he or she has an understanding of the world equal to that of an adult, enabling that person to make a choice between different paths. God does not demand us to believe, he asks it of us. Therefore we have a choice. He tells you not what you must, but what you should.
 
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