Faith Required For Baptism?

[mortify]

For our phatmass theologians! If faith is required for baptism, how can baptism effectively remove original sin in an infant? What if an adult who does not have faith receives baptism, does it still have some affect on him?

Ive been reading a bit on it, just trying to understand

[puellapaschalis]

I asked this of my parish priest once. He replied that with a tiny baby, even though he be tiny, he's all there and he's perfect. He has legs even though he can't walk yet; he has vocal chords and a tongue even though he can't use them to communicate by speech yet. Everything is there, but it needs to yet be developed. In the same way the baby has also received the gift of faith (because the parents/Church ask(s) for it?), even though it be an infant faith which the infant cannot yet express.

[Paddington]

*bump*

I'm just guessing that Baptism in a grown person who feigns faith will leave an indelible mark. Marriages can be invalid if feigned, but they are ultimately performed by the couple and not the priest.


Here is a scenario that will come close to the topic.

Baby Timmy's parents are going to have him baptized as an infant.
They decide to wait until he is 4 so that he will be able to profess faith verbally.
There is no doubt that he will sincerely profess faith if encouraged by his parents.
Then his parents ball-up and wait until he is 8, so that he would safely be at the age of reason.
Still, at age 8, he will believe sincerely if encouraged by his parents. He will not tell his parents, "No. I think I'm gonna explore my options a little more. Maybe I should look into Islam or Buddhism to see what they are all about."
That won't happen and he is at the age of reason.
A Baptist or Pentecostalist family will have their child baptized at about that age if they are not negligent. The child doesn't resist. It is still the child's choice, but we are talking about something that children accept. They don't realize how much they are committing, but they don't imagine themselves to be uncommitted. And Heaven and Hell really seals the deal. Maybe if it is a mixed marriage where daddy is going to Hell or something, then the child would resist. Maybe. In the Catholic Church, it has been promised that the child will be raised in the faith. Now that promise doesn't pan out lots of times, but there was still a promise and the indelible mark remains.

Now what is the difference between Timmy at 8 (about when he would be baptized in a Baptist church) and Timmy as an infant? Lots of differences, but one of them is that the infant is innocent. One of the differences is not that Timmy is opposed to the idea.

I remember being about 5 or 6 and having arguments with my friend about whose parents were more powerful, all-knowing, etc. There were lots of comparisons with parents to God. If I remember rightly, God didn't always get first place in an attribute. But, our parents could've set us straight on that point in one minute. We would've taken it. Because it's from our parents.

Edited July 17, 2008 by Paddington

[Deb]

Faith is not required for baptism of an infant. (obviously) Holy Baptism is a sacrament and the beginning of a spiritual life. It leaves an indelible seal upon the soul. It removes original sin. It is basically a sacramental washing of the soul. Baptism also infuses us with sanctifying grace and supernatural gifts and virtues.

Usually an adult does not get baptized in the Catholic Church until they have been through RCIA and would then be baptized, make their first Holy Communion and be confirmed. If they have no faith, I am not sure why they would go through nine months of classes. If they did and had no faith, and it contained the proper matter and form, I can't think of why it would not be valid because of lack of faith. If it makes no difference in baptizing and infant or a two year old etc, why would it in an adult?