Baptism

[DesEtoiles]

What do most churches require in order to baptize your child there? Do they require you to take classes, be a member, make donations?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. this is what I know

some priests require that both parents promise to raise the kid Catholic, and some don't. Don't know if Methodists require any profession of faith; I was baptized into that church as an infant, but my parents were both members. I think one has to profess their faith, but again it might depend on the minister.

[Horse with no Name]

2. In the last church I went to

In order for you to be baptized, you had to go in front of the congregation and take Jesus into your heart...by stating it in front of everyone.
You couldn't be a member of the church if you weren't baptized.
When you were a member, you were expected to tithe.

[YankeyMCC]

3. Catholics require

Proof the parents and god parents have been baptized (and I think confirmed, I forget). They also require the parents and god parents to attend a class. This extent of the training varries some are just a 30 min class others are classes over the course of weeks.

Then of course you have to promise to raise the children catholic.

[DemGirl7]

12. Weird....

Because I was baptized Catholic,like the rest of my siblings, but I don't think my parents and or my godparents ever attended classes..maybe the local church never required those things in my case.

[H2O Man]

13. Different priests have different requirements.

My sister is Catholic. When she and her husband were planning to have their children baptised, they checked with the different Catholic priests in the area, and there was not one standard policy.

I have read the bible myself, and believe that baptism is supposed to be a ceremony for adults, not infants.

[pelagius]

4. Episcopal Church...

...will baptize anyone willing to get up and make specific affirmation of Christian faith (basically the contents of the Nicene Creed) or have it done on their behalf (in the case of infants/children).

The entire ceremony can be found here:

http://holycross-raleigh.org/bcp/299.html

[pelagius]

5. Also, no fees for baptism or any other sacrament...

...ever. They take up a collection at most services, but you are never required to pay for any sacrament. They are, in the Church's eyes, the free gift of grace.

[sickinohio]

6. the Baptist's baptize

after being a "born-again" christian; more specific, the Freewill Baptists, they take you down to the river or whatever, after you have been born again, they have an old-fashioned singing and prayer and preaching and dunk you in the water.

oops - spelling!!!

[onager]

7. Our Baptist church had a water tank...

...where we got dunked. It was a sort of Holy Jacuzzi without the water jets, up behind the choir.

I did it when I was 9 years old, after a relative explained that I could die in my sleep and roast like a little Frito forever in Hell if I remained un-dunked.

That's not the only reason I've been an atheist most of my adult life, but it didn't hurt.

There were no requirements, other than going up during the "Altar Call." Our church had baptisms once a month. You had to wear a robe with old clothes underneath, as I remember.

No confessing the sins out loud, but that was common in a lot of the Fundamentalist churches, like the Sanctified and Holiness. Also at tent revivals.

Human nature being like it is, there's nothing like hearing a litany of steamy sins being confessed out loud at a long, hard revival meeting to put folks in the mood for more sinning. ;-)

[Maat]

9. So, Onager, you are saved forever!

[onager]

10. Heh! Well, I guess that's one way to look at it...

:hi:

[Maat]

15. Yep.

Peace and Blessings to You!

[sickinohio]

14. Yep - we were baptized when we "repented" and thus "born again"

Always an "altar call". The "sinner" would walk up to front of the church. Then everyone would gather around, get down on their knees and pray for you to accept Christ in your life. Then, after much praying by all the already-born-agains, and you accept Christ in your life, you would stand and "testify" that you are now a born-again christian. It's that easy to be "saved". And, age doesn't matter. You could be five years old, and if you walked up to the alter, you could become a born-again christian!!

[Nikia]

8. Evidently not in the Methodist Church

I have seen children, middle elementary school and older, come forward on their own to be baptized. My cousins (three children of one of my uncles) were baptized on the same day in my grandmothers church when the oldest was 7 and the youngest was two even though their parents were not religious and didn't attend church (although my uncle may have been on their membership rolls from his confirmation as a teen). Anyway, their parents attended but did not stand up for the children, my grandmother did, although the oldest made her own affirmation.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. I know only the Episcopal and Lutheran churches

Both denominations will baptize either children or adults.

It is assumed that people who have their children baptized are Christians. Why would they do it otherwise? The only requirement for having one's child baptized is to make arrangements with the clergy person in charge. Some parishes, like mine, have group baptisms severall times a year, while others will schedule them individually whenever a family wants it done.

During the ceremony, the parents and godparents promise to raise the child as a Christian. In most churches that baptize infants, there is no dunking involved. The clergy person simply sprinkles water over the child's forehead.

(I believe that the Eastern Orthodox do dunk the baby in the font, though.)

Adult baptism occurs after a conversion experience and it is not done if the person was already baptized in infancy, since the mainstream churches all recognize one another's baptisms. Adults usually take a period of instruction, often along with the people who are going to be confirmed. For adults, confirmation usually follows as soon as possible after baptism.

In the Lutheran and Episcopal churches, adults, too, are baptized by having water sprinkled on their heads.

I've never heard of anyone charging for baptisms.

In the case of weddings, churches will charge a variety of fees, because the janitors and organist have to work outside their regular hours. There is no fee for the actual ceremony, but many couples provide a gratuity for the minister, who may have spent several hours with them over several weeks. It is not required, though, and from growing up as a preacher's kid, I know that perhaps 1/4 of couples gave nothing.