I was baptized in a Baptist Christian church; currently I am converting to Catholicism.  I was wondering, the nun that runs the program said my baptism in the Baptist church should be fine as long as it was with water and the spirit.  I was wondering if you could tell me if that is the way I was baptized, or am I going to have to be re-baptized into the Catholic church?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Between Faiths

Dear Between Faiths,

If we understand you correctly, you want to know if your baptism in a false religion will qualify you for conversion to another false religion.  We really couldn’t say; we try and provide Bible answers here.  Neither Catholic nor Baptist doctrine is our specialty.  You’ll notice the Bible never refers to God’s people as Baptists or Catholics – God’s people are known as christians (Acts 11:26).  God doesn’t teach that all denominations are acceptable.  In fact, God hates denominationalism.  There is only one church pattern (Eph 4:4)… one church pattern that follows the New Testament’s teachings.  Many say that they serve God, but saying that you serve God is not the same as being a christian (Matt 7:21-23).  Christianity rejects the traditions of men (Mk 7:8).  If you want to serve God and go to heaven, you have to reject Baptist creeds and Catholic catechisms – no more listening to those who forbid marriage and tell you to abstain from certain foods (1 Tim 4:2-3).  Seek God through the purity of His Word and His Word only (Jhn 14:15).  Read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” to see what the Bible requires of us for salvation.  Don’t accept groups that pick and choose what verses they want to hear and avoid the rest – they pervert the gospel (Gal 1:6-7).  The sum of God’s Word is truth (Ps 119:160).  Accept no substitute.

I read Richard Dawkins book The God Delusion, and having doubts, on my own made the switch from Christian to agnostic.  I had been accepted into Christ during my youth and later in my life came closer to Christ, enforcing my beliefs.

After reading this book, as I said, I had made the switch and confessed to both my parents and a few friends that I didn't believe in the Bible.

My parents, as I would have guessed, cannot stand the fact that I denied Christ.

Now, I am having doubts, feeling that I just lost my soul and that I am going to hell for the mistake I made.  (I made this choice before, once or twice, but felt God forgave me and that He was still drawing me closer.)

Now I am unsure what to believe – people or the Bible – and what my faith is.  I want to come back to being a Christian, but I am afraid there is no use as Jesus said, “Whoever denies Me, I will deny to My Father.”

Is there really no hope?  Am I lost for good?

Sincerely,
Soul In Despair

Dear Soul In Despair,

Yes, there is hope, and no, you aren’t lost for good.  Your question has two parts to it.

1. Can I be forgiven of denying God?
2. Does God really exist, or is Richard Dawkins right?

You can be forgiven of denying God.  Paul was forgiven of denying Jesus (1 Cor 15:9-10).  Peter denied Jesus (Matt 26:75), and he was forgiven.  Now is the time to repent and begin anew.  We recommend you read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” to learn about what it takes to obey God.

The second part of your question has a little more depth to it.  The short answer is, yes, God does exist.  We have several articles that you might want to read.  Read through our articles in the EVIDENCES category of the archive; almost all of them pertain to your situation and will reinforce your belief in God.  We also recommend that you rent or buy “Expelled” by Ben Stein.  That movie has an interview with Richard Dawkins where Dawkins admits that he has no idea where life came from.  He even guesses it might be aliens that put life on this planet!  That film does a good job of exposing the bias and prejudices that men like Richard Dawkins have.  And last, but not certainly not least, we highly recommend that you go to our congregation’s main website (www.mvchurchofchrist.org) and listen to a series of lessons preached by a geologist, Dr. Don Patton, on Science and Creation.  Every one of those sources should help to reinforce that evolutionists don’t have the answers; God’s Word does.

Jewish people claim that Jesus can't be the Messiah because in the book of Deuteronomy, they say that God says that every man is responsible for his own sin, and therefore there is no requirement for one man to die for the sin of many, as Jesus did.  Can you shed some light on this for me?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Unkosher

Dear Unkosher,

It is true that Deu 24:16 says that everyone is accountable for his own sin.  In fact, your sin earns you a wage – death (Rom 6:23).  Our sins have made us accountable to pay a debt that is too big for us to repay.  Therefore, God sent His only begotten Son to pay the debt for us.  His sacrifice was a gift freely offered (Eph 2:8-9); it wasn’t a requirement; it was a blessing from God.  There is no contradiction between Deuteronomy’s statement that we are accountable for our own sins and the gift of salvation found in Jesus.

     Hi, ya!  What is your take on "soul victims"?  I am Southern Baptist, and from what I can find, it is a Catholic thing… something about a soul that God has chosen to go through more in life than most people (trials and things, like Job, I guess).  I’m just wondering because sometimes I wonder when God is going to give me a break LOL!

Sincerely,
Hard-Pressed

Dear Hard-Pressed,

The teaching of ‘soul victims’ is a Catholic theology, not a Bible one.  According to victim soul doctrine, certain people are chosen by God to suffer more than others and to specifically partake in Christ-like pains.  According to Catholic tradition, these people experience mental and physical anguish, even exhibiting visible wounds in their hands and feet (like Christ did).  It isn’t just that these soul victims suffer more than others; it is that their sufferings help to complete what Jesus’ sufferings didn’t.  These soul victims are chosen by Jesus to appease the anger of His Father.

Now, here’s the truth: the Bible does teach that some people suffer more than others (Job is a great example of this), but it NEVER teaches that certain people are chosen by Jesus to suffer or die to satisfy the Father’s anger – this is totally blasphemous.  The Father, just like the Son, finds no pleasure in our pain and suffering.  God may discipline us, but that is always for our long-term good, not harm (Heb 12:7-9).  Jesus’ blood atones for our sins (1 Jn 1:7); no one else’s blood can do that.  The idea that certain people are “victims” to help atone for others’ sins directly contradicts Bible teaching.

I was studying the Bible with my friend (she is a Mormon), and she showed me a verse that talks about baptizing dead people (1 Cor 15:29).  What is that all about?

Sincerely,
Coffin Dunker

Dear Coffin Dunker,

God does command baptism for the dead… but not how the Mormons teach it.  Baptism for the dead is a Mormon practice where they baptize a living family member on behalf of a dead relative.  The Mormons then profess that “proxy-baptism” saves the soul of the dead relative, turning them into a Mormon.  There is nothing in the Bible that teaches this doctrine, and they misuse 1 Cor 15:29 when they refer to it.

1 Cor 15:29 is in the middle of a discussion Paul is having with the Corinthian church about life after death.  Paul just got done explaining that Jesus died and lived again (1 Cor 15:15-18).  Paul will then later explain that he is willing to be persecuted even to death in order to preach the gospel (1 Cor 15:30-32).  The statement about baptism for the dead is smack-dab right in the middle of that context.  Therefore, whatever “baptism for the dead” is referring to must have something to do with life after death and the willingness to die for the gospel because you have such a hope.

Baptism removes our sin (Acts 2:38).  Baptism saves us (1 Pet 3:21, Mk 16:16).  When we are baptized, we move from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life (Eph 2:1-5).  That spiritual death (i.e. eternity in hell) is what Paul is referring to in 1 Cor 15:29.  People are baptized for death, to remove spiritual death, and live in the hope of eternal life (Tit 3:7).  Jesus came and preached to those living in the “shadow of death” (Lk 1:79).  When we obey the gospel, we have passed out of death and into life (Jhn 5:24).  Jesus even went so far as to say that we will never see death if we keep His word (Jhn 8:51).  In the context of first Corinthians chapter 15, Paul is talking about this eternal death.  When people are baptized, they are baptized to avoid the eternal death that awaits all who are outside of Christ.