Posted by Bible Probe on October 02, 2006 at 11:18:18:
Is anyone else aware of the Anabaptist story, from the early 1500's? I have told
Tarek about Muhammad's desire to see his victims tortured. What many do not know
is that our good Christian brethren, the Anabaptists were tortured on their way
to their executions. And, in the Middle Ages (better called the Dark Ages), the
victims of the Inquisition were also tortured. In this country, the Amish are
descendents of the Anabaptist movement.
As we know, Jesus would not have ever approved of this! Whereas, apparently
Islam and their Allah does. The ghastly Muslim stonings of women that continue
today, testify to this.
The Anabaptist movement began around Zurich Switzerland and spread to Austria
and to central and southern Germany. Their main "crime" seems to be that they
challenged the two main established churches at the time with their radical or
anti-establishment beliefs. These were both the Reformed Protestant
Churches and the Roman Catholic Church. There were tens of thousands of
Anabaptists. Most were hunted down and rooted out by by church and local
government officials.
What irked the church and local officials in the Dark Ages was that the
Anabaptists spread about the teaching that Infant Baptism was not scriptural, and
that it was unacceptable to be Baptized before the age of reasoning, and after
one was saved by the Holy Spirit. In short, they pushed the re-baptizing of
adults who had previously been baptized as infants. Some Anabaptists also point
to the 1st century example of the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 19. Montanus, the
Montanists, and Tertullian (2nd and 3rd centuries) denied infant baptism,
practiced believer's baptism, and rebaptized those baptized by heretics.
The Donatists (4th century) re-baptized those who had been baptized by bishops
who were traditors, or who were from churches stained by fellowship with
traditors. Anabaptists (rebaptizers) were made criminals under the code of
Justinian (A.D. 529).
Anyways, in many historical accounts, after being tried, and while being led to
a lake to be executed by drowning --the sentence often read that the cart
carrying them was to stop on the way, and the prisoners were to have skin torn
from their bodies 5 times or so.
This is torture. As was burning at the stake. What do you think Jesus would
think about this? How do you suppose Jesus will treat all those who took part in
these tortures without asking for His forgiveness?
As to Baptism. Jesus says we must be Baptized by both water and the Holy Spirit.
The Church has held since its beginning that it is better to do it while one is
an infant. There is nothing precluding a second Baptism. But personally, I think
the first Baptism is important in case something happens to the child.
Nevertheless, Jesus said UNLESS you are baptized by water and spirit you will
never....
CODE OF JUSTINIAN REGARDING RE-BAPTIZING FOLLOWS:
TITLE VI. To AVOID THE REPETITION OF BAPTISM.
1. The Emperors Valentinian, Valens, and Gratian to Florian, Lieutenant of Asia.
We think that a bishop who, by unlawful usurpation, has repeated the sacred rite
of baptism, is unworthy of the priesthood; for We condemn the error of those
who, trampling under foot the precepts of the Apostles, do not purify those who
have obtained the sacraments of the Christian denomination by a second baptism,
but defile and pollute them under the pretext of cleansing them.
Given at Constantinople, on the sixteenth of the Kalends of November, during the
Consulate of Gratian, Consul for the fourth time, and Merobaudus, 377.
2. The Emperors Honorius and Theodosius to Anthemius, Prętorian Prefect.
Where anyone belonging to the ministry of the Catholic sect, is convicted of
having baptized the same person twice, he shall, along with him who induced him
to commit the offence (provided he is of such an age as to be responsible), be
condemned to death.
Given on the twelfth of the Kalends of April, during the Consulate of Lucius,
413.
3. The Emperors Theodosius and Valentinian to Florentius, Prętorian Prefect.
Permission should not be given to apostates to baptize, for the second time,
freeborn persons or their own slaves who have been initiated into the mysteries
of the orthodox faith, or to prohibit those whom they have purchased, or have
control of in any way, but who have not yet embraced their own superstition,
from accepting the doctrines of the Catholic Church.
Anyone who does this, or any freeborn person who permits it to be done to
himself, or does not give information of it after it has been done, shall be
sentenced to exile, and to pay a fine of ten pounds of gold, and shall be denied
the right of either making a will or a donation.
We decree that all these rules shall be observed, so that no judge shall be
permitted to punish a crime, when brought to his attention, with a smaller
penalty than that prescribed by law, or not to punish it at all, unless he
himself desires to undergo the same penalty from which, by his dissimulation, he
has released others.
Given at Constantinople, on the third of the Kalends of June, during the
Consulship of Felix and Taurus, 428.
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