The Catholic tradition and many other Christian denominations stand united on Ephesians 4:4-6, which says: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” So, once baptism (water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) happens, it’s a once-and-for-all kind of thing. If you move to a different part of the country or even switch to another denomination or convert to Catholicism, you’re covered.

However, in other Christian denominations, the practice of infant baptism (Catholic tradition) is not considered sufficient because they believe in what’s called “believer’s baptism.” A believer’s baptism requires the person being baptized to say, “I believe in that.” An infant can’t express that belief, so a person would need to be baptized in that specific tradition. This is sometimes referred to as “re-baptism,” although that’s a bit of a misnomer because these Christian denominations would not have considered whatever previous baptism happened to have been adequate.

Also, if someone were moving between the Mormon Church and another Christian denomination, including Catholicism, he/she would need to be baptized again because of theological differences.

From Busted Halo Cast #336. Check out all of our podcasts where we answer your questions of faith and subscribe to them in the iTunes store.