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I believe the dictates for Baptism are repent first and then be baptized. The key being repentance.

Absolutely. And I was trying to figure the relationship between belief and repentance, and it seems clear that one necessarily forces the other. Neither can exist alone.

Some observations, FWTheirW: It is helpful to me to recall that "repent" and metanoite and Shub and all them words don't simply mean,"Realize you've done bad stuff and feel bad about it" but "think again" "change your mind" and "turn", activities of which the "bad stuff" is only a part -- an important part, to be sure.

Then it seems to me that life in Christ includes an increasingly deep awareness of one's sinfulness and of the horror and evil of sin - hand in hand with an increasing awareness and gratitude for God's mercy and love.

In 1971 I was conversing with a guy who had conducted an effective radio ministry in the Mid-West. He was an Episcopal clergyman, back when Episcopalians believed in God (who me? bitter? Why would you say that?), so he had a parish. He said that his experience was that people would "come to Jesus" first and then, maybe a day later, want to confess their sins. He concluded that the awareness and acceptance of the love of God clarified (as I guess I just said?) their vision of how little they deserved and how much they needed that love.

In my alleged thinking, repentance is a lifelong project.

As I say, FWIW ....

And I was trying to figure the relationship between belief and repentance, and it seems clear that one necessarily forces the other.

That's a great point. The individual first comes to belief then recognition of their fallen state.

However, our EO and RC FRiends believe their priests can place the Holy Spirit into the infant at Baptism, by those magical powers they claim to have. So they would by their mystical powers force the Holy Spirit into someone who has not believed yet and repented. Doesn't seem consistent with SCRIPTURE.