Baptism, November 6, 2014 Daily Reflection

Infant BaptismMy Junior Theology students were assigned a formal argumentative paper last week. Last night I was grading them. The argument was which entrance to the Church will help you to form a deeper bond with God; infant Baptism or RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation into the Catholic Church?

RCIA

The majority sided with RCIA because as an adult you would make the decision on your own. They researched many sources and one fact that was stated frequently was that the process of RCIA lasts at least a year and the candidate learns about the Catholic Church. Those who argued for infant Baptism made the case that it is better to have God in your life from the beginning instead of half way through.

The most objective opinion I heard was from that of my daughter, who said, “It just depends on which way God calls you. What matters most is that you are baptized.” My husband said, “One is not better than the other they are both equal options.”  In the minds of many teenagers who believe they are not given enough choices or independence it would make sense that the majority would side with making the choice as an adult through the RCIA process.

If you had to pick a side would you? If you would which would you choose?

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