Wow, the OCA is even looser than i thuoght.
Celebration of Christmas on the 25th, Priests without beards, and now allowing protestants into the church without a proper baptism??
With The Catholic Church, that is an entirely different story. Accepting Catholics into the ORthodox Church (WHich I personally think is pointless given it is the same church) is one thing. But Protestants??!?!?!? WHo Gave any of them the right to legitimately baptise in the name of the trinity??? Accepting Protestants into Orthodoxy is insulting not only to them, but to all of their (now fellow) orthodox as well because it recognizes the protestant form of the sacrament as legit.
No Protestant Baptism can be recognized by the Orthodox/Catholic church, only our priests have the power to give someone a valid baptism, and the sacredness of baptism must be upheld by re-baptising all non-orthodox/catholics into the church.
Even Catholics who weren't baptised by immersion should be re-baptised, I think, and that isnt because Catholic baptisms are necessarily invalid but because I think that only baptism by immersion is proper. And with Protestants, their sacrament of baptism is not only invalid in the eyes of non-oca Orthodox, but improper as well (ie by sprinkling and the like, not immersion with the exception of baptists and pentecostals). Again though, even if Protestants baptised by immersion it makes no difference because this is not done by someone ordained from the time of christ as in holy orthodoxy/catholicism and is thus nothing more than a bath for whoever is being "baptised".
For All newcomers to Orthodoxy I would encourage you for your own sake to talk to your priest and have him baptise you to be SURE YOU HAVE A VALID BAPTISM!! Baptism is very important and you cant afford to have not been baptised (or for a protestant "baptism" to serve as you initiation into the Church). BTW, why was the mormon guy re-baptized and the other protestants not?? Sure, their teachings are even more heretical than those of mainstream protestants, but if you arent orthodox/catholic no matter how far or close then no sacrament that you receive should be viewed as valid or as a sacrament in any form. lets not rely on the kind words of the exceedingly liberal OCA clergy to risk your soul being gentle and ecumenical. above all PLAY IT SAFE, be sure you have a valid baptism no matter what anyone says in a church where you know the sacraments are valid and god will recognize it (ie an Orthodox Church).
DJ Hurricane