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Mike, I'm going to agree with you in a sense. For you, baptism is overemphasized. Not overemphasized in the sense of whether it is a necessary part of the process of salvation, whether it is a command of God, but overemphasized because baptism is an outcome of faith, and you don't believe, or at least you've said you don't, and as far as I know, you don't. Until you believe in God the creator, and his son Jesus the savior, baptism doesn't make any difference one way or another. Folks urge you to think about it, because they care about you. They emphasize it because they long to see you respond to the love of God and accept his invitation. (That's one way of saying what baptism amounts to, accepting his invitation.) I'm also going to assert (even though you might think I'm dogmatic and stubborn) that no one who is not in a covenant relationship with God has a promise or a right to expect that God will respond to their prayers, for forgiveness or anything else. Christians (people who have been born again because of their faith in Christ) have been told to pray, in the name of Jesus, and assured that God hears their prayers. No one else has been told that. God can do what he will at his discretion, I'm not trying to limit him, I'm just referring to the promises in the Bible. Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, (NIV) Just rambling a little, perhaps a mistake, your question about baptism being the only unforgivable omission, I would never conclude that or teach it. If we never believe we will never be saved. If we never confess Christ before men he will not confess us before his father. If we never repent we will never be forgiven. If we never love God and our neighbor we cannot be saved. If we won't forgive, we won't be forgiven. Being forgiven isn't merely by asking, not just words thought or expressed, even for those who already are Christians. Repentance - turning around - is called for. Could I steal a hundred dollars, put the money in my pocket, pray for forgiveness, and walk away with $100 and forgiveness? Not in any Biblical frame of reference. Nor could I decide to steal $100, pray for forgiveness, and then steal the money without still being a sinner. Can someone be forgiven in advance for refusing to do something that God has commanded, or choosing to do something he has forbidden? Can one be forgiven for a failure and make no effort to correct the failure, when it is in their power to do so? I'm very sorry the various answers don't seem sensible or clear to you. Even sorrier that mine seem set in a position and very stubborn. Please do keep reading, and questioning. I think that, despite the communication problems, Jesus observation about another man in another discussion could be true of you: "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Mark 12:34 NIV
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