Is it possible to baptize a child twice and why is a second sacrament needed?

Baptism is one of the seven sacraments of the Orthodox Church. The church life of a Christian begins with him. This sacrament consists of three times immersion in water (sometimes immersion is replaced by dousing with water) and invocation of the Holy Trinity. The baptized person, as it were, “dies” to a sinful life and is reborn to life in Christ.

In the Creed (this text is well known to all churchgoers, it is included in the daily prayer rule, it is sung together during the liturgy) there are the words: “I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.” That is, “single baptism” is part of the Orthodox creed. Therefore, re-baptism is impossible. Except for isolated, special cases.

Why do people usually want to be baptized a second time?

According to the biblical canons, the rite of baptism implies the personal desire of the person on whom this rite is performed. Therefore, some Orthodox believe that the fact of a person’s baptism in infancy is incorrect and invalid. And already in adulthood they decide to perform a repeat ritual for themselves, already having a conscious desire to do so.

Among other things, a person’s desire to repeat this ritual can be facilitated by the need to remove damage, a change of name, the need to wash away sins and receive protection from magical influences.

Removing damage

A common reason why believers turn to priests for re-baptism is to remove damage. In this case, they are baptized with a new name and keep it secret so that attempts at witchcraft do not affect the person. However, in Orthodoxy all this is considered nothing more than superstition that came from paganism. Damage is not recognized by the Christian church, and the rite of baptism is not considered a magical ritual that protects against occult influences.

Therefore, it makes no sense to be baptized again in such a situation.

Name change

One of the options for combating damage or attracting good luck in a magical way is a person’s desire to change his name. In Orthodoxy, the name of a child at baptism is given in honor of a saint, who should become an example for a person to follow in adult life. Because of this, many superstitions arise.

For example, if a person is named after a martyr, then he will certainly become a martyr himself. Therefore, people, in order to avoid a martyrdom, decide to change their name. Of course, all these are superstitions; they have nothing to do with real life. When a child is given a name in honor of a saint, it is understood that he will take his example as a spiritual person and adopt his moral principles. And it is not at all necessary for a person to live exactly the same life, becoming a martyr.

To change your name in the Orthodox tradition, there is only one way - taking monastic vows. But this path is not suitable for everyone, but only for those people who want to completely change their way of life by connecting their lives with the service of the church.

Amulet against magical influences

The same situation as with protection against damage. Some people perceive baptism as a magical rite that can protect against witchcraft. The Orthodox Church does not recognize witchcraft and considers it a superstition that came from paganism and the occult. Therefore, re-baptism to protect against magical influences makes no sense.

Wash away the sins

Another common reason why people turn to church for re-baptism is the desire to wash away their sins. When a person lived an unrighteous life, committed misdeeds, but eventually realized their severity and decided to wash away his sins with the help of holy water.

This approach is also considered incorrect. Holy water by itself is not capable of washing away a person’s sins unless the person confesses and receives communion. The rite of baptism itself implies only entry into spiritual life. In this situation, confession will help a person - during this ritual a person receives God's forgiveness.

Repeated baptism is possible if a person does not remember whether he was baptized as a child or not

It happens that people do not remember whether they were baptized in childhood or not. Then the priest can meet halfway and baptize them, but during Baptism he adds to the prayer the words “If you have not been baptized,” that is, “if you have not been baptized.”

Whatever the reason for rebaptism, it is always the desire to solve life’s difficulties. What the Bible says:

“Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

(Rom. 6:3-4)

That is, those who believe in Jesus Christ are baptized into His death in order to be resurrected after suffering with Him in life.

What is the Sacrament of Baptism Really?

Baptism is a rite that is performed once in a lifetime, at the birth of a child or when a person accepts the Orthodox faith. During the ritual, it is believed that a person dies for a carnal sinful life and is born for a spiritual life. In this case, a person is cleansed from original sin. The baptismal ceremony for a newborn is carried out at the will of his parents, since they are entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the child faith. Parents who decide to baptize their child in a church need to purchase a cross and a special shirt.

The process lasts about forty minutes in total. The first stage is the Announcement - the reading of special prayers, signifying renunciation from Satan and reunification with Christ the Savior. Afterwards comes the Baptism itself. The baby is dipped into holy water three times, saying the accompanying words. After this process, the baby is accepted by a godparent of the same gender as the child.

The next stage is Confirmation. The newborn is washed with myrrh and given sacred gifts designed to strengthen him in the spiritual life. The priest, together with the godparents, walks around the font three times. Excerpts from Paul's letter to the Romans and from the Gospel are read. The priest washes the ointment from the baby's body and trims it in the shape of a cross. Hair falls into the font.

As a rule, this is followed by the ritual of churching, when the child is carried in the arms of a church minister through the temple to the altar, which means the beginning of his church life.

The only condition for second baptism

Re-baptism is possible only in one situation: if the first baptism is declared invalid. Apostolic Canon 47 speaks of the responsibility of priests. It is considered a sin:

1. second baptism, if the first was true;
2. the priest's refusal to perform the sacrament if the first was not true (committed by schismatics, heretics).

The rule itself sounds like this:

A bishop or presbyter, if he who has been truly baptized, baptizes again, or if he does not baptize someone defiled by the wicked, let him be cast out, for he who mocks the cross and the death of the Lord, and who does not distinguish between priests and false priests.

Is it possible to baptize a person a second time? The priest answers the question:

Is it possible to be baptized a second time?

In the prayer “Creed”, pronounced during the ceremony, there are words about a single baptism for the remission of sins. These words mean the power of the sacrament, which is performed for a person once in a lifetime. It is impossible to perform this ritual two or more times, and there are no compelling reasons for this. If a person has committed sins in his life, led an unrighteous life, the ritual of confession will help him forgive his sins.

During confession, in case of sincere repentance, a person receives forgiveness from God and is cleansed of sins. Therefore, if a person feels that at some point he has fallen away from the faith, he should confess and receive communion. The rite of confession itself performs in this case the function of a second baptism.

People want to be baptized a second time due to superstitions and general church illiteracy

Why do people demand rebaptism? The priests explain this by insufficient church literacy and superstitions.

For example, like this:

• if you cross a child a second time, he will get rid of damage or the evil eye;
• I have so many sins that a second baptism is necessary to wash away all these sins;
• if you cross yourself into another name, no evil eye or curse will work;
• if you baptize a child with a different name, his fate will change, like that of the saint in whose name he was named.

Such thoughts are a great sin for Orthodox Christians.

According to the canons of the Orthodox Church

Baptism is the spiritual birth of a person, possible only once in a lifetime.

And the Apostle Paul said:

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism"

(Eph.4:4)

Christianity is based on the Creed, which contains in the 10th sentence the indisputable truth - “I confess one baptism...”

Text of the Creed:

1. I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of everything visible and invisible.
2. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, one being with the Father, by Him all things were created.
3. For the sake of us people and for the sake of our salvation, He came down from heaven, and took flesh from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
4. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
5. And rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
6. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
7. And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; His Kingdom will have no end.
8. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets.
9. Into one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
10. I recognize one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
11. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen

When a person who believes in Jesus Christ comes to confession in a timely manner, repents of his sins and receives communion, no magical demonic rites have any effect on him.

Therefore, re-baptism or name change, according to priests, is simply unacceptable. And all such desires are sinful, this is the influence of Satan.

What if the first baptism was performed incorrectly?

If a child was baptized in the wrong way, for example, if any mistakes were made during the ritual, the stages of the sacrament were not followed correctly, or the necessary prayers were not read, then this situation is an exception to the rule, and children who underwent the ritual in the wrong way can be baptized. Such cases are rare, but they are a good reason to undergo the ritual twice in your life.

Archpriest Dionisy Svechnikov

Recently, the site has received many letters from people interested in the possibility of re-baptism. This desire is usually motivated by several reasons. People sincerely believe that re-baptism can get rid of damage, the evil eye, a generational curse, and will solve life and even financial problems. Sometimes the thirst for re-baptism is motivated by the desire to change the name. Many people imagine that if they receive a new name at baptism, which “only God will know,” this will save them from magical influence. Enemies will “cast spells in the old name” and therefore all their spells and hexes will “fly by.” But sometimes the reason for re-baptism is stated to be a very good, at first glance, goal. For example, some people who were baptized in childhood and leading a sinful life suddenly come to faith in God. It seems to them that re-baptism will wash away this “sinful growth” on the soul and cleanse it of all bad things. I think it’s time to understand in detail all these superstitions and consider them from the position of the canons and traditions of the Orthodox Church. This is what I will try to do in the article brought to the attention of readers.

I'll start in order. First, it is necessary to determine where people’s desire to be baptized again comes from. The motivation for rebaptism is overtly occult beliefs. Damage, evil eye, generational curse, crown of celibacy, love spell, etc. - this is occult terminology, widely used by all kinds of magicians, sorcerers, psychics, healers and other figures in the occult sciences. Therefore, it would be quite logical to say that the belief in the “cleansing power” of re-baptism was inspired precisely by these “compassionate comrades” who want to solve all the problems of their clients for a fee. I have repeatedly had the opportunity to talk with people who came to the temple with the desire to be baptized again. When I ask why they need this, as a rule, the answer is that the need for this action was indicated to them by a psychic (fortune teller, magician, sorcerer, etc.). I once saw an advertisement on one of the Russian TV channels, in which an occultist claimed that re-baptism is the most powerful remedy against damage and the evil eye. I think that these facts are quite enough to understand that the superstition about re-baptism is clearly of occult origin.

Having dealt with the source of superstition, it is worth assessing it from the position of church canons and traditions. According to the doctrine of the Orthodox Church, baptism is one of the seven church sacraments, in which the believer, by immersing the body three times in water with the invocation of the name of the Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, dies to a carnal, sinful life, and is reborn by the Holy Spirit for Eternal Life . Rebaptism in itself is impossible. Baptism is a spiritual birth, and it, like a physical one, can only be one. It is necessary for a person to be saved, for “Whoever is not born of water and the Spirit cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Christ clearly says in the Gospel: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). The Savior speaks of faith in God. This Gospel passage does not and cannot have any other meaning. After all, sending the apostles to preach, Christ teaches them: “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Thus, based on the words of the Savior Himself, a necessary condition for accepting baptism is faith in the Trinity, and not at all an occult belief in baptism as a solution to all problems. Baptism does not at all solve everyday and financial problems and is not a “tool” for removing damage.

So why do occultists send people for baptism? After all, they send not only baptized people for re-baptism, but also unbaptized people for first baptism. However, this does not change the meaning. It is no secret that to attract people, occultists widely use Orthodox paraphernalia - crosses, icons, incense, church candles, Orthodox prayers. Why do they need this? The answer is obvious. Not every person will go to a fortune teller or psychic if he tells him something like this: “I practice black magic, I am in direct contact with demons, and in order to get help from me, you need to serve the devil.” In order to attract a client, it is necessary to hide behind something sacred that does not arouse any suspicion in a person. And even pretend to be a saint! This is the key to success, because a person always reaches out to the holy, the divine. A person comes to a psychic, and his whole house is filled with Orthodox icons, lamps are hanging, incense is being burned, church candles are burning, and the minister of the black cult, hung with crosses and even episcopal panagias, is receiving clients with a blissful face. Sometimes you have to deal with people whom occultists send to the temple for candles, incense, and icons. It can be difficult to convince these people that they are grievously sinning by following the lead of fortune tellers and psychics. After all, they are sent to the temple of God, and not to a satanic temple. Unfortunately, few can be brought to their senses, because... For most of these people, visiting fortune tellers and psychics becomes commonplace and even the norm of life, and the opinion of the occultists themselves becomes an indisputable authority. These are the fruits of spiritual illiteracy. After all, turning to occultists is turning to the devil. Engagement in the occult is communication with demons and serving them. The Holy Scriptures are replete with moments that clearly speak of the sin of turning to occultists. Even in the Old Testament it was forbidden to contact such people or to practice magic and witchcraft on pain of death. This is what Scripture says: “Do not cast spells or tell fortunes” (Lev. 19:26), “Do not turn to those who call the dead, and do not go to magicians, and do not bring yourself to the point of being desecrated by them” (Lev. 19:31) , “You shall not let a sorcerer live” (Exodus 22:18), “And if any soul turns to those who call the dead and to magicians, to go after them as a harlot, then I will turn My face against that soul and will destroy it from among its people.” (Lev.20:6), “...there shall not be found among you one who guides his son or daughter through fire, a soothsayer, a soothsayer, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a charmer, a conjurer of spirits, a magician, and one who inquires of the dead; For anyone who does this is an abomination to the Lord" (Deut. 18:11), "And you do not listen to your prophets and your fortune tellers and your dreamers and your magicians and your astrologers... for they prophesy lies to you" (Jer. 27 :9-10). And here is what is said about their fate after death: “But the part of the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, is in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8), “Blessed are they who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter into the city through the gates. And outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices iniquity” (Rev. 22:15). Thus, occultism is a godless and abominable matter, and turning to occultists is an undoubted sin. It’s sad, but many people do not understand this at all, because they are spiritually illiterate. Therefore, they cannot discern deception veiled as a sacred thing.

But what exactly is the use of consecrated objects by occultists? For them, covering with Orthodox paraphernalia is a blasphemous act, for which, they believe, the devil will give special power. Church candles, incense, icons and other consecrated objects are used by occultists in magical rituals, and not at all for their intended purpose. Sometimes, to complete a magical ritual, a person is asked to take the enchanted candle to the temple and place it there. It is difficult to imagine a more blasphemous act. A person who follows the lead of occultists and carries out their instructions is an actual participant and performer of a magical action. But for him, this action is presented by occultists as some kind of good, divine revelation, unambiguous help from God. Needless to say, this is far from the case. But if some occultists limit themselves only to the desecration of consecrated objects, then others go further and send their clients to participate in church sacraments. As a rule, these are the sacraments of baptism, communion and unction. It is interesting that the church sacraments are presented as certain steps on the way to the full achievement of the final goal proposed by the occultist. The steps following the church sacraments are a continuation of the “work” of the occultist. But in fact, this is the desecration of a shrine, the desecration of a sacrament performed in the Church. This is the basis of the occult “doctrine of re-baptism.” But the goal achieved by repeated baptism can be anything. Starting from removing damage, the evil eye and generational curse, healing from illnesses, right up to solving all everyday and even financial problems. But if church sacraments can really help a person heal from spiritual and physical illnesses, then the actions of occultists cannot in any way lead to this, for nothing good can come from the evil one. “Treatment” by occultists only makes many people worse; those diseases that they tried to cure with the help of occult methods begin to progress; chronic diseases that have been dormant for decades appear in an acute form; completely new, sometimes incurable, diseases also appear.

As I already said, both baptized and unbaptized people are sent to be baptized. Sometimes, having learned about a person’s desire to be baptized again, it is possible to turn him away from committing such a grave sin. But in order to achieve their goal, some resort to deception and are baptized again. Sometimes occultists themselves instruct their clients not to say that they have already been baptized. There is a clear sinful action of both the occultists themselves and their visitors. In addition, a person who comes to baptism, even if he has not been taught to deceive the priest and has not yet been baptized, develops an incorrect, distorted opinion about the sacrament of baptism (as well as about other sacraments). Such a person, not without the participation of an occultist, imagines that baptism will certainly save him from all problems, heal him from illnesses, remove damage, the evil eye, bring good luck, and even instantly make him rich. It is absolutely clear to a churchgoer that this is far from the case, and baptism is not a cure for all diseases and does not lead to a solution to all the problems described. But the fact of the matter is that churchgoers almost never become clients of occultists. Unchurched people fall into their bait of “holiness”, drawing knowledge about church sacraments, canons and traditions not from the Law of God and the catechism, but from tabloid, occult newspapers and magazines and television programs like “The Battle of Psychics.”

Thus, having examined the “doctrine of re-baptism” from the position of the Orthodox faith, we come to the conclusion that this desire or action is sinful, for it is a voluntary acceptance of the devil’s suggestion, and from the position of church canons it is simply unacceptable. In addition, repeated baptism does not save a person from the above problems, does not solve his everyday and financial difficulties, but on the contrary, as an obviously sinful and blasphemous action, it only adds sorrows and worries.

From the occult “doctrine of re-baptism” also follows the opinion that a change of name guarantees a person the futility of the efforts of sorcerers and magicians who inflict damage on him, the evil eye, etc. You could even say that they are interconnected. I won’t find out what came first – “the chicken or the egg”, but I remember that people began turning to churches with a request to change their name much earlier than with a request for re-baptism. What is the essence of this occult belief about the benefits of changing your name? Occultists claim that a person’s name is used in magical rituals. This action is apparently similar to the commemoration of Christians by name during services. The priest, making a bloodless sacrifice, performing a prayer service or requiem service, remembers by name the living or deceased members of the Church, praying for their health or repose. It seems that a similar action is performed by an occultist during magical rituals. But, instead of calling on God in prayers, the devil is called upon here. These can be simple conspiracies using a person’s name, or magical rites and rituals that are much more complex in their structure, even human sacrifices.

According to ancient magical beliefs, with the help of names you can subjugate spirits or get rid of their influence. It is this formula that carries with it the reading of conspiracies that contain the names of fallen spirits. By reading the conspiracy, a person enters into direct communication with the demon and calls him by name. And if the conspiracy is read “on any person,” i.e. with the pronunciation of his name, then, according to the same magical belief, it is possible to establish control over a person or have a certain magical effect on him. In essence, a person or occultist, reading a spell or performing a certain magical ritual, asks the demon, whose name he calls upon, to influence the person in relation to whom the magical action is performed. This action underlies all magical rituals. It would be quite logical to assume that this is exactly the “technique” used by demons in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ, whom they called by name. This “trick” clearly had no effect, for the demons did not have any power over the Savior, but, on the contrary, asked not to torment them: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me” (Mark 5:7). From the Gospel account of the healing of the Gadarene demoniac, we know that the demons, at the command of the Savior, came out of the unfortunate man and entered the swine herd, which immediately rushed off the cliff into the sea: “And all the demons asked Him, saying: send us among the swine, so that we can enter them. Jesus immediately allowed them. And the unclean spirits came out and entered into the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the sea, and there were about two thousand of them; and were drowned in the sea" (Mark 5:12-13). Thus, we can say with confidence that without special permission from God, demons cannot even enter pigs, let alone a person. Without God's permission, demons cannot enter or leave a person, or even cause him any harm. Therefore, knowing a name cannot give power over a person. Accordingly, the occult teaching about changing the name must be recognized as untenable. Let a person have at least ten names, but knowing them all does not give him any power over him, unless there is God’s permission. An Orthodox Christian who lives according to the commandments of God and is under the grace-filled protection of church sacraments is not afraid of any damage, evil eye, generational curses or other occult abominations. The Lord Himself protects him! And if you get carried away with such beliefs, then the Lord can indeed allow sorrow, illness and many problems. Therefore, an Orthodox Christian must have a negative attitude towards any occult teaching, for it is demonic. “What does light have in common with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? (Cor. 6:14–15). An Orthodox Christian should not be subject to demonic teachings!

But I wonder why exactly do occultists send their clients to the temple? The answer is simple. According to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, a person is given a name on the eighth day of birth. To do this, the priest reads a special prayer for naming the name. Because this good tradition is now undeservedly forgotten, and many people simply do not know about its existence; this prayer is read immediately before baptism. In the Orthodox Church there is also a pious tradition of naming a child in honor of one of the holy saints of God. This saint is considered the heavenly patron of a person, to whom he will resort for prayer help throughout his life. In the sequence of morning prayers, which every Orthodox Christian reads when rising from sleep, there is a prayer for the invocation of the saint whose name you bear. It seems that every church-going Orthodox Christian prays to his saint with special zeal. Occultists who teach about the benefits of changing your name cannot but know about all this. That's why they send people to the temple. Giving a name is a common action of the priest during baptism. But naming occurs only once in a lifetime, just as baptism occurs once.

What happens when a person comes under the influence of the occult “teaching of changing one’s name”? In fact, a person neglects not only his name, which his parents gave him, but also his saint, after whom he is named. Instead of calling on his heavenly patron for help in difficult moments of his life, a person begins to run to fortune-tellers and psychics in search of a “magic wand” that will instantly get rid of all problems. But in fact, the “doctrine of changing the name” carries the same blasphemous function as the “doctrine of re-baptism.” But one cannot expect anything else from occultists acting at the instigation of the devil. It is a pity that many people fall under their corrupting influence. As I already said, all these are the fruits of spiritual illiteracy.

Another fruit of the spiritual illiteracy of some people is the desire to be re-baptized for a seemingly good purpose. At the beginning of the article, I already gave one example when some people who were baptized in childhood, but lived in sin for a long time and at a certain point came to faith in God, want to be baptized again in order to get rid of the slavery of sin and be cleansed of sinful filth. Well, the desire is very good and laudable. The font of baptism, indeed, washes away all the sins of a person who, having repented of his sinful life, expresses the desire to live in Christ. For him, baptism becomes a sacrament that cleanses from sinful filth and gives the opportunity for a new, spiritual life. And an already baptized Orthodox Christian, in order to be cleansed of his sins, must resort not to re-baptism (which is generally unacceptable under any circumstances), but to another saving church sacrament - the sacrament of repentance, confession. During confession, a person is forgiven of his sins; the Holy Spirit acts on him at this moment. And the priest, according to God’s promise, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven” (Matthew 18:18) reads a special prayer of permission over a person. Through confession, a sinner continues (or begins) his path to God.

I would like to remind the reader that re-baptism for an Orthodox Christian is impossible under any circumstances. This saving sacrament is performed once in a lifetime and is the birth of spiritual life in Christ. Well, let the Lord judge how each of us lives it. May God give us all the intelligence to understand His holy will and discern the demonic machinations, of which there are a great many in the modern world!

Orthodoxy and peace

Are there other exceptions to rebaptism?

Another situation in which a person can perform the ceremony again is when he does not know for sure whether he was baptized in infancy or not, and he does not have the opportunity to know for sure. The fact is that during the times of the Soviet Union and the persecution of the Soviet authorities against the Orthodox Church, many believers baptized their children in secret. If parents did not lead a church life and did not regularly take their children to church, then the children grew up not knowing whether they had been baptized.

If, as an adult, a person decides to take the path of faith, but he has no way of knowing whether he was baptized in childhood, for example, if his parents had already died by that time, then the person has the right to perform the ceremony again, even if he was baptized in infancy.

Godparents must be chosen responsibly. They are changed only as a last resort

Often parishioners also ask: “Is it possible to be a godmother twice?”

Becoming a godmother or godfather to different children is allowed as many times as you like. The main thing is to weigh whether a person is ready to bear responsibility for this. You need to help your godchildren in Christian upbringing and everyday matters.

Godfathers and mothers are called godparents. Their choice must be approached very responsibly.

During the sacrament, they swear before God that they will help the child grow up to be a true Christian. Throughout his life, godparents must teach their child to avoid sins.

Like natural parents, there can only be one of them - only those who participated in the sacrament. You can’t change godparents if you suddenly don’t like them.

Godparents at the sacrament of baptism

In the most extreme cases, if there is a really compelling reason to change the godfather, the priest can entrust the care of the godparent to one of the witnesses present at the baptism.

It is not necessary to choose two godparents at once. For a boy, one recipient is enough - a man. For girls - women. A husband and wife cannot be godparents for the same child.

In rare exceptions, it is allowed to baptize a person without godfathers, and a priest is considered the godfather.

The rite of baptism appeared more than two thousand years ago. Until now, not all Orthodox Christians know exactly the meaning and significance of this sacrament. It is simple: this is the first meeting with the Church and God, which gives access to all other sacraments.

After Baptism, a person begins a new relationship with the Lord - pure, with love, humility and devotion. They are baptized not in order to solve everyday problems or get well, but in order to join the Church, save the soul and receive Eternal Life with God.

To get rid of troubles you don’t need to be baptized twice. It is better to turn to the Lord with a prayer of repentance and receive forgiveness and the Grace of the Holy Spirit from Him. God bless us all.

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Adult baptism in church

It is worth saying that a person is considered an adult from the age of 14, and a person can be baptized at any age. In ancient times, a period of catechumen was established for people who wished to be baptized, and they were declared catechumens. Before being baptized, an adult had to diligently prepare for the ritual: study the basics of Christianity, read a lot, and, before passing a kind of exam on knowledge of religion, attend services without fail. Thus, the catechumens were introduced to the life of the church, and only the priests decided whether the catechumen was ready for Baptism. Today, the rules for conducting the Sacrament are different from those that were before.

Godparents are not needed when baptizing an adult . Since an adult makes the choice to take the path of Orthodoxy independently and consciously, he must, of his own free will, expand his knowledge about Orthodoxy. And also during the Sacrament of baptism, a person himself is able to answer the priest’s questions and read prayers. However, if the person being baptized has the opportunity and desire to invite experienced mentors to the Sacrament who will help him in churching, in the form of godparents, this is not prohibited.

The ceremony can take place on any day, including Lent . But from a technical point of view, it is not always possible to carry out baptism during Lent. Due to the fact that Lenten services on weekdays are quite long, in some churches during Lent baptisms are performed only on Saturdays and Sundays. In any case, when planning baptism, it is worth discussing whether it is possible to baptize during Lent, in the church where the ceremony will be performed.

All close families, including unbaptized ones, can attend the ceremony. The only question that arises is: why? If unbaptized people themselves have not accepted Christ into their hearts, how can they help and inspire someone who enters the Orthodox faith?

The entire baptism ceremony takes on average 1-1.5 hours . The time may vary depending on the specific temple and the priest who will perform the sacrament, therefore, how long baptism lasts in a specific temple can again be clarified when planning the Sacrament.

The ceremony can take place both in church and at home. There are no special canons in the Orthodox Church that would prohibit baptism at home. A few centuries ago, the Sacrament took place much more often at home. This had its reasons: peasant families mostly had large families, with 9–15 children in families, and the mother’s body simply did not have time to recover after childbirth. This led to younger children being born weak and often unviable. In such cases, when the road to the temple could lead to a deterioration in the condition or death of the child, the priest was invited home.

Preparation for the ceremony

First of all, you need to talk to the priest in the church . It is best to wait until the end of the service and ask the clergyman to speak with you. It is necessary to prepare for the meeting: read the Gospel in order to learn about the life of Christ, be sure to memorize the basic prayers (“Our Father”, “Hail the Virgin Mary” and “Creed”), study Christian teaching and understand its essence.

Most likely, there will be several meetings with the priest. The priest must make sure that your intentions are serious and that you are ready to be baptized. There are no rules governing how many meetings there should be. But, like a real psychologist, the priest understands that it is difficult to discern a person the first time, so, as a rule, at least three audiences are held. During the audiences, you can ask all the questions you are interested in about Christianity, talk about God and his role in life, and find out how baptism takes place. It is important to be sincere and answer questions honestly.

It is worth asking how much baptism costs only after the priest has made a decision. You can ask either the priest himself or in the church shop; some churches also have a price list. In most churches this service is free and only donations are accepted; in other cases the cost is on average (in Moscow) 2-4 thousand rubles.

Before baptism, it is necessary to observe fasting, which involves abstaining from meat and dairy products, eggs, alcohol and tobacco products for three days to a month. And also during fasting it is necessary to abstain from fun and intimate relationships, make peace with everyone with whom you were in a quarrel, and confess. On the eve of baptism, you cannot eat or drink water from midnight.

Both men and women must have for Baptism:

• A baptismal shirt (it should be white; a baptismal shirt for men resembles a long shirt, for women it resembles a dress). After the ceremony, the shirt cannot be washed and worn in everyday life. It is believed that it can be worn during a serious illness to aid recovery.
• A towel (it should also be new, white and preferably large).
• Flip-flops or open-toed slippers (feet must be exposed).
• Pectoral cross on a chain or rope. It is important to remember that after the sacrament of baptism it cannot be removed only on the basis of medical indications.

The baptism of women also occurs according to the following rules:

• the head must be covered as a sign of humility before God;
• clothing should not be provocative;
• there should be no cosmetics or jewelry on the face;
• baptism cannot be performed during the menstrual cycle;
• In order not to feel awkward when immersed in water (the baptismal gown can get wet and see through), you can wear a swimsuit under it.

The practice of adult baptism may vary from church to church. In some churches, the font is surrounded by a screen, and in this case the immersion takes place without clothes, and the clergyman sees only the head of the person being baptized. While planning your baptism, you can find out all the details of the ceremony in the church shop.

How does the Sacrament happen?

The process for adult baptism is as follows:

• The rite of baptism begins with the naming of a person's name . This name identifies the Saint who will become the heavenly patron.
• Next comes the laying on of the priest's hand to receive blessing and protection. The priest's hand represents God's hand. From this moment on, the Lord will provide protection and protection to the baptized person.
• First, the priest expels unclean spirits from the temple , and then the person himself must renounce the dark forces . The person turns to the west, which symbolizes dark forces. At this time, the priest reads prayers and asks questions that the person being baptized must answer. After this, you need to turn to the east, make a promise to serve only God and read the “Creed” prayer.
• A priest in a white robe blesses the water in the font (or this is done in advance), followed by anointing the water first with oil , then the person being baptized to cleanse him of sins. The person being baptized is immersed three times in already blessed water under a special prayer from the priest . At this moment, a person goes through the stage of rebirth.
• At the end of the baptism procedure, a cross and a baptismal shirt are put on the person, also while special prayers are read . Next, the rite of anointing , during which the clergyman makes crosses on the body of the person being baptized, pronouncing the words “Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” After all, the clergyman and the baptized person walk around the font three times , thereby symbolizing eternity.

After the Sacrament of Baptism, the usual life of a Christian must change. This means that a person must begin to fulfill the commandments of the Lord, live correctly, give up certain habits, think about his actions, change his attitude towards others.