© Copyright 2002 Grace D. MacKinnon
Grace MacKinnon is a syndicated columnist and public speaker on Catholic doctrine. Readers are welcome to submit questions about the Catholic faith to: Grace MacKinnon, 1234 Russell Drive #103, Brownsville, Texas 78520. Questions also may be sent by e-mail to: grace@deargrace.com. You may visit Grace online at www.DearGrace.com.
Their third child was “dedicated” in their new church. Now their fourth child is due to be “dedicated” in a few weeks. My understanding is that a Christian dedication is a Protestant invention, practiced by some and condemned by others. There is no biblical basis for the practice of dedication, which misleads parents from seeking baptism for their children at the first opportunity. Am I, as a practicing Catholic, obligated to go to this dedication ceremony? This is a close family member, and I was there for the baptism of their first two children. I attended the third child’s “dedication” not knowing at the time what it was, although I knew it did not seem right. The fourth child is soon to be dedicated. Now that I am more educated on this subject, should I go and be polite or not go and explain my reasons? What do you suggest?
Grace: Although an infant “dedication” in a Protestant or non-denominational Christian church may be a very nice ceremony, and the persons participating in it may be well-meaning, it is not in accord with what the Catholic Church believes and teaches regarding personal salvation. Let us look at why.
Protestants and non-denominational Christians generally believe that a person is saved when he or she has accepted Jesus “into his heart.” We say “generally” because there are today so many different branches of Protestantism that it would difficult to be specific about what each one believes. Let us say, therefore, that they generally teach that once a sinner accepts Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, he is then, at that moment, saved no matter what else may happen to him in the future.
An infant, who has not yet committed personal sin, is not in need of any conversion at that point but is still expected by a free act to “accept Jesus as his personal Savior” once he is old enough to do so. After the dedication ceremony, many non-denominational churches practice some type of water baptism for those old enough to request it of their own accord. Thus, in their view, Baptism is not necessary for infants. They are already saved. Instead, they have what is referred to as a “dedication” in which a child is offered to God.
The problem with this is that Jesus taught something else. It is the Catholic Church’s belief that Baptism is a sacrament – a sign instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, to confer sanctifying grace. And we believe that it is absolutely necessary to baptize a child as soon as possible after birth for the washing away of the stain of Original Sin. After all, it was Christ who taught clearly that, “no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (John 3:5). He was speaking of Baptism and its necessity for salvation. He also gave His apostles a mission to go out and make disciples of all nations, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:18-19). Scripture indicates that this Baptism was conferred on entire households, including children, not only adults (Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; 1 Corinthians 1:16).
You will notice He said “no one” could enter the kingdom (i.e., be saved) without Baptism. The Church, from her earliest days, took this very seriously, and still does. Think about this: to deny the necessity of infant Baptism would be to deny the doctrine of Original Sin, and to deny that would be to deny the Fall of Man, and this would deny the necessity of the coming of Christ to accomplish our salvation. But Protestants and non-denominational Christians generally do not seem to agree, although some do, and those who do baptize their children in infancy. So, you are right. Infant dedication is practiced by some and condemned by others.
Those are some of the distinctions, though there is a great deal more we could say about it. But your main concern is whether or not you are obligated to attend this “dedication” and whether or not you should attend. To answer the first question, certainly you are in no way obligated to attend. Family ties, of course, are very strong and this can present a touchy situation. But our obligation to God is stronger than any family ties.
Should you attend? That depends upon the situation. It is important to remember that the people who are inviting you are rightly called Christians also. They are trying to follow Christ too, but they simply do not have the full understanding of what He taught on this matter. What makes your situation especially difficult is that one of the couple renounced the Catholic faith and has left the Church. If there has been an outward denial of the Catholic faith and you feel that your attendance could cause confusion or scandal to the faithful, then it may be best not to attend.
There is no easy answer to this situation. This is what happens when a house is divided: everyone suffers. Let us continue to pray for Christian unity.
