How Many Times Have You Been Baptized And How...

[MParedon]

Hi! I'm usually a lurker and I love all the stuff I've learned on this board. I don't know how to do a poll here, but I've sortof wondered this.

How many times have you been baptized in your other faiths [i]and[/i] how does it compare to the Catholic conversion experiance? Not just conversion to Catholicism but the Catholic concept of converting to the Lord within Catholicism as an ongoing proccess and growth.

When I was in Highschool (cradle-Catholic that learned just a smidge of the basics) I got irrationally irratated (more like confused) as to why my friends would get baptized more than once. They were changing churches, but not denominations, just different churches with people they liked better (it seemed to me). I would get heated and think that they were denying their baptisizm so that it was more like a membership pass than...well the way a cradle-Catholic thinks of baptisizm...a sacremental grace. I would ask, "What? The first baptisizm didn't take?" and my friends would get upset and say, "No, you don't understand. It's different." and that is as far as we would go.

Now that I've recently had a conversion experiance, and can recognize that I've had a couple before-but I didn't know enough about the Church to know it. I [i]understand[/i] now. I have a feeling that my friends were having conversion experiances and chose to show it with baptisizm. Whenever I think of my conversion experience I attribute the graces given to me in Baptism, 1st Communion, and Confirmation. The Confirmation graces have been kicking in pretty recently. I look back and think, WOW! I'm so glad that I was baptized as a child, those graces helped me out so much and I'm getting a little teary eyed right now, but I feel like that FOOTPRINTS poem, you know the part I'm talking about? Being carried and I didn't even know it.


[b]BUT[/b] my theory on multiple baptisms could be just conjecture on my part, I could be totally off base. Sooo, with all these lovely Anonymous Converts, I hope I can tap into your explainations.

Edited May 28, 2004 by MParedon

[Sojourner]

I've been baptized only one time, as an infant, in the Reformed Presbyterian Church. Thought about it doing it again a few times, symbolic of a conversion experience like you're talking about, but now that I understand Baptism more fully and I appreciate the depth of meaning and grace conveyed through the sacrament. I'm glad I never did it again.

I too have felt the effect of those graces in my life, and wouldn't change that for anything. I look forward to being able to give my own children the gift of being baptized as infants into Christ's Church. Yay!

[Ellenita]

I've been baptised twice! I was baptised when I was 14 in the Anglican church at Easter midnight mass (it was a high anglican church) and I remember it felt really special - the church was built in 1200s and it was packed for the midnight service which was held by candle light so it was very beautiful. There was lots of incense and parts of the mass were chanted! It's quite a strong memory for me and we're talking several years ago now! I know without doubt it strengthened my belief and faith in God.....so I'm sure I received grace through it.

A few years later I joined the Christian Union at the university where I was a student - it was dominated by evangelical protestants who very firmly implied I was not a christian unless I had a 'born again' experience. In the UK at the time many people were nominal 'C of E' (Church of England) so maybe they felt they were right to make this judgement! Anyway after a time of trying out different denominations, I ended up in the Baptist church where I eventually had a full immersion baptism - they did not accept the anglican baptism as being valid. This was in a very plain baptist church, during a normal sunday service and I had to give my testimony first and was then baptised. I remember it felt right at the time - I was given the same bible verses by two different, unconnected people which sort of made me feel it was right....remember that I was in a system that believed we could only rely on scripture as the infallible word of God. My family were very confused about my decision to have another baptism though - only my mum attended the service.

Neither of these baptism experiences compare to the joy that I felt at my confirmation in the Catholic church during the Easter Vigil though. I absolutely had to stop myself from dancing with joy! Everyone who has spoken to me since then who was at the Mass has said that I radiated with joy! It did feel completely different - it felt like I had received a special gift..even thinking about it now, it's difficult to find the words to describe it!

My family, none of whom are Catholic, all came to the Mass - I know it's had a profound effect on them....they are still asking questions about it!

[akamarymag]

once in the Lutheran church

[Crusader_4]

Once in the Presbyterian Church before i became Catholic.