Religious topic: Baptism, Post #2

In my previous post "Religious topic: Baptism, At What Age?" I focused on the purposes of baptism and how various churches focused on different aspects of the purposes. I also showed that because of those different focuses the ages for baptism vary among churches because those different purposes emphasis different ages.

I am writing a second post on the subject of the age for baptism because the comments of my readers indicate some serious concerns.

Most of the commenters are concerned that people to be baptized should be old enough to make a conscious decision on their own, understand clearly what they are choosing, and make a commitment to living that religious choice.

The issue of being born as sinners and the need to have a conversion from sinful ways to God's ways was mentioned. Because of the need for conversion, commenters believed that the age for baptism needed to be old enough for persons to make a conscious decision about such a conversion.

Those beliefs in sinfulness and conversion are also held by most of the Christian churches and in those churches their procedures and ceremonies for adult baptism emphasize those issues.

The churches that emphasis baptism at early childhood ages look at baptism as being a way for the person to grow up already in a church that has turned away from the sinful nature of human beings. Those churches indicate that children baptized so early must continue to be educated in their faith so that as they grow they will accept the understandings of what baptism is all about and be able to live in those ways. Those churches also accept baptism as adults and young adults.

Also pointed out by commenters was the Christian belief that Jesus' passion, death and resurrection have already provided salvation for everyone. Most Christian churches believe that and also believe that individuals, through baptism, accept and are bought into Jesus' salvation.

There are some people who believe that Jesus' salvific acts were once for all and that people do not really have to do anything (like baptism or join a church) in order to be saved - - they are already saved by Jesus' actions. Most, but not all, churches believe that unbaptized people who live a good moral life can achieve salvation and go to heaven upon their deaths.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (section 1213) says:
"Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."