Baptism

===Validity considerations by some churches===
[[File:Окрещённый ребёнок.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Russian Orthodox]] priest greeting an infant and its godparents on the steps of the church at the beginning of the [[Sacred Mystery]] of Baptism.]]

The vast majority of Christian denominations admit the theological idea that baptism is a [[sacrament]], that has actual spiritual, holy and salvific effects. Certain key criteria must be complied with for it to be valid, i.e., to actually have those effects. If these key criteria are met, violation of some rules regarding baptism, such as varying the authorized rite for the ceremony, renders the baptism illicit (contrary to the church's laws) but still valid.<ref>{{Cite book|title=An Ecumenical Proposal About The Sacraments|last=Bruno|first=Luciano|year=2015|pages=16–17}}</ref>

One of the criteria for validity is use of the correct form of words. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the use of the verb "to baptize" is essential.<ref name="cathen" /> Catholics of the [[Latin Church]], Anglicans and Methodists use the form "I baptize you in the name of...". The [[passive voice]] is used by [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Byzantine Rite|Byzantine]] [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Catholic]]s, the form being "The Servant of God is baptized in the name of...".<ref name="GBN-1">{{Cite book |year=1998 |publication-date=2000 |title=The Great Book of Needs: Expanded and Supplemented (Volume 1): The Holy Mysteries |translator=Saint Tikhon's Monastery |pages=37 |place=[[South Canaan Township, Pennsylvania|South Canaan, Pennsylvania]] |publisher=[[Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary|Saint Tikhon's Seminary Press]] |isbn=9781878997562 |url=https://stmpress.com/collections/service-books-1/products/the-great-book-of-needs-volume-1 }}</ref>

Use of the [[Trinitarian formula]] ("in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit") is also considered essential; thus these churches do not accept as valid baptisms of non-[[Trinitarianism|Trinitarian]] churches such as [[Oneness Pentecostals]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wilks |first=John |date=2013-04-30 |title=The New Evangelical Subordinationism? Perspectives on the Equality of God the Father and God the Son Dennis Jowers and H. Wayne House (eds.) Eugene: Pickwick, 2012. 464pp. pb. $51, ISBN 978-1-60899-852-4 |journal=Evangelical Quarterly |volume=85 |issue=2 |pages=164–165 |doi=10.1163/27725472-08502010 |issn=0014-3367}}</ref>

Another essential condition is use of water. A baptism in which some liquid that would not usually be called water, such as wine, milk, soup or fruit juice was used would not be considered valid.<ref name=Fanning/>

Another requirement is that the celebrant intends to perform baptism. This requirement entails merely the intention "to do what the Church does",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a1.htm |title=Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1256 |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=April 13, 2014}}</ref> not necessarily to have Christian faith, since it is not the person baptizing, but the Holy Spirit working through the sacrament, who produces the effects of the sacrament. Doubt about the faith of the baptizer is thus no ground for doubt about the validity of the baptism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/INTENTIO.TXT |title=On the Intention Required in the Minister of the Sacraments |access-date=April 13, 2014 |archive-date=January 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130195101/http://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/INTENTIO.TXT }}</ref>

Some conditions expressly do not affect validity—for example, whether submersion, immersion, affusion (pouring) or aspersion (sprinkling) is used.<ref name="Peters2001"/> However, if water is sprinkled, there is a danger that the water may not touch the skin of the unbaptized. As has been stated, "it is not sufficient for the water to merely touch the candidate; it must also flow, otherwise there would seem to be no real ablution. At best, such a baptism would be considered doubtful. If the water touches only the hair, the sacrament has probably been validly conferred, though in practice the safer course must be followed. If only the clothes of the person have received the aspersion, the baptism is undoubtedly void."<ref name=Fanning>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm |title=William Fanning, "Baptism" in ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (New York 1907) |publisher=Newadvent.org |access-date=April 13, 2014}}</ref> For many communions, validity is not affected if a single submersion or pouring is performed rather than a triple, but in Orthodoxy this is controversial.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

According to the Catholic Church, baptism imparts an [[sacramental character|indelible "seal"]] upon the soul of the baptized and therefore a person who has already been baptized cannot be validly baptized again. This teaching was affirmed against the [[Donatist]]s who practiced rebaptism. The grace received in baptism is believed to operate ''ex opere operato'' and is therefore considered valid even if administered in heretical or schismatic groups.<ref name="ODWR">{{Cite book|first=John |last=Bowker |author-link=John Bowker (theologian) |title=The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=[[Oxford]] |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-866242-4 |oclc=60181672|title-link=Oxford Dictionary of World Religions }}{{Page needed|date=August 2010}}</ref>