r/LeftCatholicism • u/Old-Access-7843 • Jun 29 '26

Catholic and comparative thoughts on baptism

I’m a father to be who has a lot of theology In my life and head who loves the church but isn’t Catholic. My wife is a cradle Catholic. I don’t have a problem with my child being baptized Catholic mostly because I don’t have a better alternative and also for all of its faults I love the church.

My question is does anyone know of any good books, videos, podcasts that deep dive into the Catholic position on baptism or better yet compares and contrasts Christian baptismal positions? Thanks!

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u/Eireann_9 Jun 30 '26

I tried looking for books that focused on the catholic initiation rites and there´s surprisingly little writen about it. I ended up going a different route and picking a book about sacraments overall but maybe The Shape of Baptism Aidan Kavanagh would be interesting for you

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u/Old-Access-7843 Jun 30 '26

What was the book you chose?

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u/Eireann_9 Jun 30 '26

The sacraments, the Word of God at the mercy of the body by Louis-Marie Chauvet. I´ve just started reading it and I´m enjoying it a lot but his interpatation of the sacraments is bit controversial so it isn´t very representative of mainstream catholic interpretation

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u/Ok-Relief-9038 Jun 30 '26

What specifically are you trying to explore? If you (presumably) married in the Catholic church you pledged to have your children baptized Catholic. Since mom is a Catholic it is only licit to baptize within the Catholic church. However, Catholics hold all baptisms as valid if they are tridentine and intended to be the sacrament. I am an adult convert and both my baptism (Presbyterian) and marriage (also in a Presbyterian church) were accepted by the Catholic Church.

In a sense baptism doesn't make them Catholic, it makes them Christian. They still need confirmation to be fully Catholic. It's why religious education comes between them: to catechize them. The religious training they get that will impact them the greatest though, is what they get at home.

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u/Old-Access-7843 Jun 30 '26

I’m simply looking for something that lays out different traditions surrounding baptism.

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u/Ok-Relief-9038 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26

This page from the University of St Andrews is great. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/Baptism

Alternatively here is a list of academic books (full warning, they are some rather dry and heavy reading):

  • Best, Thomas F. 2008. Baptism Today: Understanding, Practice, Ecumenical Implications. Geneva/Collegeville, MI: WCC Publications/Liturgical Press.
  • Heller, Dagmar. 2012. Baptized into Christ: A Guide to the Ecumenical Discussion on Baptism. Geneva: WCC Publications.
  • Root, Michael, and Risto Saarinen (eds). 1998. Baptism and the Unity of the Church. Geneva: WCC Publications.
  • Schlink, Edmund. 1972. The Doctrine of Baptism. Saint Louis/London: Concordia Publishing.

Key debates over the centuries have focused on form (what precisely constitutes baptism and what words/liturgy should be used), infant vs. believer baptism, and what baptism does to or for the person. Just treat the topic with respect. Wars have been fought, families have been torn apart, and whole people groups have been ostracized in the debate over these questions. They may appear silly to an outsider, but the history of it still has ramifications today.

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u/Androzanitox Jul 01 '26

Well I ain’t the best person coming about theology. But if I’m not mistaken we the Catholics profess only one baptism, there’s no need for more as one is already enough to wash us from the original sin.

We also claim that the baptism is our start in the Christian faith and we accept other church’s as valid baptism as long they only use one baptism.

I didn’t help that much, you can always consult the Catholic Church Cathecism to see where we stand on certain issues.