No. Baptism is the first fruit of repentance. The Church of Jesus Christ baptizes those who are called of God unto repentance. Infants and children cannot repent nor have an understanding of its full meaning and therefore have no need of baptism. The steps of salvation are faith, repentance, baptism and reception of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands. We do not baptize children or infants.
Does everyone get baptized at the same time or at the same age?
No. The Lord works with each of us differently. There can be no set time on when we are called by God and when we repent of our sins. Alma 34 warns us, “…do not procrastinate the day of your repentance…” This means some of us do procrastinate. We are commanded to repent by Jesus Christ, “…unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3) It is our choice to obey the commandments of God or not. Therefore, we are all baptized at different ages of accountability as the Lord calls, we feel his prompting and obey his glorious gospel.
Who is more powerful – Adam or Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ’s plan of redemption is more powerful than sin or death. It is more powerful than the fall of Adam. As Paul spoke to the Romans, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18) Therefore, children are alive in Jesus Christ who takes the curse from all children who die from this earth (see Moroni 8).
Baptism means “Immersion”
Baptism literally means to immerse. Immersing an infant or a child could hurt or harm them. This brought stages of change into the apostolic church over centuries. Baptism changed to infants and therefore stopped being a baptism. It stopped being a bodily immersion. These changes polluted the simple truths of the meaning of baptism itself.
Clarity from the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon clearly explains infant or children’s baptisms are a mockery before God. It is a perversion of the gospel not present in the New Testament or Book of Mormon. See Moroni 8:5-23:
…the word of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, saying: …the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me…
…I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children. Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach – repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin…baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.
But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world…For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity. Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy.
