I am a victim of infant baptism. Let me beg you, don't do this to your children. Religion is a deeply intimate choice and having someone brand you for the rest of your life steps on that intimacy.

I don't believe in infant baptism.  I believe that being baptized is a very personal thing, showing that you understand the decision you have made and are ready to make an outward expression of that decision.  I don't think there is a specific age for that though.

Oh, but to add on to that. I like to get the bulletin at churches I have not been to. Like, if I'm trying it out. Just to see everything that's going on and all that.

I don't think Jesus cares. 

I believe in infant baptism. If infant baptism is not valid, then I am not baptized, my entire family going back at least 400 years (probably more) has not been baptized, and well over a billion Christians world-wide have not been baptized, and billions more throughout history.

While one's faith is indeed a very intimate choice, there are choices that parents can make for their children, and I think baptism is one of the most beautiful. I used to envy my Protestant friends as well as people came to know who had converted to Catholicism in their adult years and had not yet been baptized until that time.

But I have come to realize that I wasn't "branded" or cheated out of anything; when I was one month and one day old, my parents presented me in the Temple of God and made me an offering to Him, asking Our Lord to free me from the Sin of Adam, the sin that my own parents passed on to me. They asked that I be free from that so that the Way of the Lord may be prepared in my soul and I may have a lifetime to walk it. I can't imagine even twenty-five years later the graces that were planted in me that day that have only begun to sprout, those that have long been blossoming, and those that still lie dormant in my being, waiting for that particular time when God stirs it to take root.

I love my parents for having me baptized at so early an age. Left to my own devices, especially my high school and college years, I would never have chosen baptism on my own. I am so thankful that they made that decision for me, as they made many others of which I should not get upset about.

As for the other part of the question, about complicated liturgies, I love that, too. I think, though, that the Catholic Church is greatly misunderstood in this. Though the liturgy has been very "ritualized" in that there are certain things to be done and certain ways to do them, there is actually considerable "freedom" in the way of music, what prayers are used, even what occasion to recognize (ordinary time vs. the feast of a saint, for example). What I love about the Mass, among many other things (such as the Eucharist) is that vestiges of the ancient Church still remain in our celebration and, over all, very little has changed. Almost every moment (literally every moment in most of the Eastern rites) is pregnant with meaning. The prayers we pray are ancient, some of the Eucharistic Prayers dating back to around the year 200. The entire story of salvation is told at every Mass, as we start with music, prayer and then a reading from the Old Testament, a psalm is sung or spoken antiphonally (like in the early Church), an epistle is read, then an Alleluia sung as the Gospel is brought forward. We hear the Gospel proclaimed by the priest, deacon or bishop (or the pope if you are lucky!), and afterwards we hear the homily. We hear how the Gospel applies to our life, how we can take the ancient Word of God and yet live it as though it were just spoken. We then stand and profess our faith with the Nicene Creed.

We then bring the entire community's prayers before the Lord, asking for "our daily bread," offering prayers on behalf of the community as well as the prayers in our hearts. Some parishes and small communities even encourage people to speak their prayers out loud. But always, even if I were to say, "I would like to pray for so-and-so's health. We pray to the Lord." And everyone responds, "Lord, hear our prayer." Every prayer of every person becomes the Church's prayer all over the world.

Then we all kneel as we prepare to receive the Lord in the Eucharist, praying the ancient prayers, singing the same song the angels and saints sing in heaven (the Sanctus or Holy, Holy), we offer our gifts of bread and wine, just as Melchizedek and countless others since, we proclaim the mystery of our faith that Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again, we remember and witness anew the Last Supper during which Jesus established the Eucharist, we affirm all of these mysteries of faith with the Great Amen before we pray in the manner Christ taught us, the Our Father.

We then offer a sign of peace, shaking hands and embracing one another that we may enter into communion with one another in peace and joy. Then the Eucharistic bread is broken, and we remember that Christ's own body was broken for us, his blood poured out. We beg the Lamb of God to have mercy on us, and to grant us his peace. Then the priest holds up the Body and Blood of Christ and says, "This is the Lamb of God, this is he who comes to take away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his table," to which all the faithful assembled respond, in the manner of the faithful centurion, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." It is the only time I can think of during which the congregation uses "I" instead of "we" or another word signifying the plural.

We all then come forward to receive Jesus Christ in his entirety.

While this happens there is often music, and people return to their places to pray and be with Our Lord as He is with them and, when all is finished, there may be time for announcements, but often those are left to the bulletin. There is a final blessing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and then we are sent forth "to love and serve the Lord." "Thanks be to God!" That is our mission (the word "Mass" means "to send."), to take Christ with us into the world.

This has been going on, this exact same sacrifice (though some of the ways have changed a little throughout the many centuries) that took place at the Last Supper, throughout all the horrible persecutions, and over 300,000 times every day (and even more on Sundays).

I absolutely love it; it is my whole life and the center of it. It is my home and where I come from, because from a very early age it was where I was born. I have realized over the years that the Church is my true home, that all those years when I was "forced" to go to Church and only after going could I return home... this is backwards. We are sent from Mass into the world; when we go to Church we go home, and after going home then we are sent to the various places where we dwell, work, or otherwise sleep and keep our stuff.

Sorry for the long comment.

The Bible clearly teaches that baptism is only for the saved, those who have accepted Christ as their Savior.  Therefore, infant baptism is not Biblical.  Baptism is an identification with Christ.  You are showing others that you made a choice to follow Him.  Baptism does not make you saved, but it does show others that you have made that decision.  Also, baptism is by immersion to symbolize the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord.

As far as the bulletin question, I prepare our church's bulletin each week.  It has a general idea of what is going on that day, for example the times of Sunday School, services, choir practices, etc., but it does not have a detailed description of everything that will go on in the service, such as all of the songs to be sung and so on.  I prefer that, but there is no right or wrong way to do it.

@Theophilus166@xanga - that's exactly what i was thinking.

and here are my two cents: i wouldn't baptize a child as an infant, but i wouldn't not go to a church that performs infant baptisms. my old church did infant baptisms and teenage confirmations (although we were not Catholic), so it gave people a chance to confirm their personal belief in what they had been taught since infancy.

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - Catholics aren't the only ones with "strict" services. Presbyterians premeditate that which should be contained in a service, and though maybe we stick with is moreso than we should (as many Christians believe services should soley be 'let by the spirit'), I think its an excellent way of being sure we are glorifying God.

To those who believe that WE can choose what we do in a church service, aka anything we do will honor God, I just want to remind you that this is true, and you should be doing everything to honor God your gifts all the time. HOWEVER, specifically, in Church service on the Lord's Day, we are to seek that which God has said to do at this specific time. It's kind of complicated, and I haven't got it all figured out yet, but remember that WE (broken, sinful people) cannot choose what goes into a service-- only God can. Which is why people have a litergy, to be sure that all God wants in the service is there. Any thoughts?

@sirnickdon - The individual might be Mormon.  If my memory isn't failing me completely, the 'age of accountability' in the LDS church is 8.

@captain_jaq@xanga - Your comment is so incredibly wrong, hurtful, and offensive. How dare you call billions of Christians "victims" who have been "branded".

@writersblock1117@xanga - The Bible does not clearly teach that.  If it did, it would not the minority position among Christians throughout history.  It being the minority position, the burden is on you to establish why infant baptism is unacceptable; certainly, you are not in a position to blithely declare what the Bible clearly teaches, and leave it that.

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus rose from the dead.  We do not infer it; it is taught.

You infer that baptism is only for the saved.

There is a difference.

-NDSR

@hubbaduh@xanga - actually this isn't even half of my post. I did not assume that. Though reading it here it may sound like I did. Remember Revlife does at times alter things it uses.

thank you

@Kristenmomof3@xanga - Sorry that they butchered your post like they did.  I've heard from a few other people how Revelife has done that in such a way where what they (Revelife) posts ends up being a completely different post than the original.  It's a shame when they do that.  Thanks for clarifying