Non denominational baptism

paloma

Is there a ceremony to be baptised as a christian but not specifically a catholic or indeed any named branch of christianity? A non denominational but christian ceremony.

PDN

Just ask at any non-denominational church.

paloma

Ok first sarky answer out of the way, I'll be more specific. Hypothetically would a catholic church or church of Ireland baptise someone as a christian without a specific denomination of christianity attached to the ceremony. Just suppose I want to become a christian but I'm not sure which branch yet!!!

Fanny Cradock

I think it was just a joke on PDN's part.

Anyway, I've never heard of anything like this. I'm no authority though!

But do you suppose you might be putting the horse before the cart? I don't think you become a Christian through baptism (and I'm not attempting to dissuade you from this important ceremony). You become a Christian through Christ. I would think that batism is something you don't rush into unless you are sure. Something to think about!

Anyway, the best advice I could offer is to contact someone in the COI\ RCC\ Pentecostal\ Evangelical etc. church to see if they can point you in the right direction.

PDN

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

I think it was just a joke on PDN's part.

It wasn't a joke, and I fail to see how any reasonable person could see it as sarky.

There are plenty of non-denominational churches around that, if they are satisfied that someone has genuinely received Christ as their Saviour, will gladly baptise them. Now what the hell is sarky about that?

Fanny Cradock

PDN wrote: »

It wasn't a joke, and I fail to see how any reasonable person could see it as sarky.

Fair enough!

ISAW

PDN wrote: »

It wasn't a joke, and I fail to see how any reasonable person could see it as sarky.

There are plenty of non-denominational churches around that, if they are satisfied that someone has genuinely received Christ as their Saviour, will gladly baptise them. Now what the hell is sarky about that?

I know of one chapel in dublin which has orthodox roman Angican Methodist and Presbyterian services. Actually the romans have a liturgy. I have been at baptisms there. One cleric pointed out to me the existance of a "certificate of common baptism" . This related to the denominations using the chapel. anyone who recognises a "common baptism" can use it. so for Example Free Presbyterians (Ian Pasiley's crowd) only believe their baptism is a true baptism so they would not be let into this chapel to organise ceremony.

But in going over that I discovered there is an actual certificate of batism which on the obverse has "this baptism is recognised by ... " and a big list of all the denominations.

http://books.google.ie/books?id=pZ0_2XWXAsMC&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=common+baptismal+certificate&source=bl&ots=ORJq65z3lZ&sig=KdCHw1EwdZy_Bx1U5je-UEsmSlE&hl=en&ei=hr-FS-2qH5OI0wTxm_zGCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=common%20baptismal%20certificate&f=false


http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:JPSlFicVE40J:www.irishchurches.org/files/ArticleSusanGately.pdf+common+baptismal+certificate&hl=en&gl=ie&sig=AHIEtbRast2aIcpnBSeeUKQoPw_ebRJQgA
look at top two paragraphs of page two

PDN

ISAW wrote: »

so for Example Free Presbyterians (Ian Pasiley's crowd) only believe their baptism is a true baptism so they would not be let into this chapel to organise ceremony.

Hold on, I think I must be misunderstanding you. You made it sound as if the Free Presbyterians don't recognise the vallidity of any baptisms except their own!

ISAW

PDN wrote: »

Hold on, I think I must be misunderstanding you. You made it sound as if the Free Presbyterians don't recognise the vallidity of any baptisms except their own!

As far as i knew they don't recognise common baptism and it is as you have understood it.

But I should in hindsight probably say "except their own and anyone else not in the group which includes Roman Catholics and which recognises common baptism "

They are not listed on the common baptism cert and don't as a church recognise common baptism and leave it up to their members:

Article of faith 6A
each member of the Free Presbyterian Church shall have liberty to decide for himself which course to adopt on these controverted issues, each member giving due honour in love to the views held by differing brethren, but none espousing the error of baptismal regeneration.

http://www.freepres.org/sep_details.asp?sep_baptism
Evangelical Protestants reject the Romish notion of baptismal regeneration,
...
In the World Council of Churches, Baptists and paedo-Baptists are seeking to work out an acceptable position that will do justice to all their traditions. They are doing this in a spirit of compromise on every major doctrine of the gospel. That is a betrayal.