Well consider my upbringing and faith to understand that baptism is an acceptance of Christ as your savior, and that he died for your sins, your cognative acceptance of that fact is your ticket to eternity with him...
That’s why I have always wondered about the baptism of newborns...I believe you have to personally understand and accept the necessity of that act to recieve that blessing...
IIRC, children are saved, to a certain point, where baptism would be needed for the life you live after the learning of that lesson...
But that is just what I recall from my teachings...Obviously different from Catholisism, and other sacrament religious faiths...
Not trying to spark a debate on the differences of the faiths...
Many believe that we are in a spiritual war against an adversary that does not discriminate based on age. We seek protection, through baptism, for our children from Satan and all of his forces.
We may not fully understand this conflict, but we believe it exists, and that we are a part of it.
The choice one makes down the road, within the Catholic and many if not all of the protestant churches is referred to as Confirmation. It’s the confirmation of the vows made in baptism, when we had no choice.
IIRC, children are saved, to a certain point, where baptism would be needed for the life you live after the learning of that lesson...
I have always been with you on this point too. As a non-Catholic, I have always been hesitant about this issue.
BUT, having been a student of the Scriptures for more than 40 years, I realize that the more I learn, the less I know.
From my studies, I have been fascinated by the Typological aspect of the Bible. e,g,, Baptism, as we know it, was first manifest by the Israelites passing through the divided waters of the Dead Sea (or, Reed Sea). The Israelites were, in effect, being Baptised by this miracle. It was a precursor of the Baptism rite as practiced by John the Baptist and, later, the Christian Church.
Other Old Testament miracles and events are then made manifest in the life of Christ. The Pascal Lamb, for example.
Anyway, many things which the Catholic Church practices had always been a stumbling block for me. The Virgin Mary, the Saints etc., etc.
I now know, that I just don’t know. But, I have been able to accept these things based upon the admonition that, to paraphrase, “that which you bind up on earth, shall be bound up in Heaven...”
Sure. I understand the point of view. :-)
What happens to unbaptized children who die before the age of reason?
The parents bring the child for this first Sacrament of Initiation, and it is THEY who pledge to raise the child in the faith. At Confirmation, the child, now older, chooses freely to accept the final Sacrament of Initiation, and become an adult in the faith.