Exceptions

With the Donatist revolt and the practice of having catachumens wait on baptism for greater study came two main exceptions for baptism.

1. For those baptized in an incorrect baptism Catholics allowed some into the church without rebaptism. Though they did rebaptize on their own terms. Donatists did not accept all baptisms and rejected some from the church,

The idea God can accept them if we are wrong led to the idea the Church was possibly incorrect and doubts arose. It  is true, if we are wrong about anything God will do what is right, but this led to questions on the limits of God's mercy when some hadn't done his will. Many tried to speak for God and may have included people when God never said he would. Sometimes even going against direct statements from the Apostles.

The questions just led to doubt which is always expressed in liberal usage of God's instructions.

2. When the council of Nicea decided Catachumens should wait on baptism, it asked the question what if they die accidentally while waiting.

They had to develop an exception that those meaning to be baptized someday would be saved.

Yet, we know many did not accept this since they developed alternate modes of baptism such as sprinkling to make sure they did something to try to meet the requirement.

The Baptist faith and many faith only antinomial theologians were based upon this exception, that baptism was unnecessary because in their mind all recognized those intending baptism were saved. Thus it was a precedent they built upon. These groups appeared more after the Council of Nicea.

The precedent was of human origin, God had made no statements about it and the idea of waiting was unbiblical in the first place.

The Baptist Church in essence came out of this Catholic exception. They were Catholic.