Simple question. Yes or No.
Please explain why they do or do not have a choice.
I do not need to know why they will not go to heaven, just need to know your belief as to if a Baby has the choice and why you believe so.
2006-09-17 03:05:08 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thank you Captain :)
2006-09-17 03:11:42 · update #1
oh brother
can they be having a choice when they can't even think?
2006-09-17 03:30:53 · answer #1 · answered by St.Jon A 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
Most doctrine on this subject is Christian, and most of that is based in Catholic doctrine. Generally, Catholic theology holds that a child under the age of seven has not reached "the age of reason," and so is not capable of making choices that would lead a reasoning adult to hell. In other words, just as a crazy person can't choose to commit a crime, a baby doesn't have the mental equipment to choose to do things that would land it in hell.
On the other hand, Catholic and most Protestant theology also believes in original sin--the "stain" of sin we're born with because we got kicked out of Eden. Getting baptized washes away this sin, "wiping clean the slate." If a baby dies before it can be baptized, it can't go to heaven because it still has original sin on it. But it can't have done anything to send it to hell, since it's not old enough to sin consciously. So in Catholic theology it goes to a place called Limbo, which is essentially a giant waiting room full of unbaptized babies, pagans like Plato who would have gone to heaven if they'd been born in time to hear Christ's message, and any other souls that can't get into heaven but don't deserve hell. Limbo is not fun, but it's not a punishment either. It's...limbo. Most theologians believe that Limbo will eventually be emptied at the end of days, after Christ defeats Satan and the Kingdom of Heaven is restored. The souls within it will be taken up to Heaven--although some sources state that they will be "at the foot of the table" compared to baptized, virtuous Christians.
2006-09-17 10:17:59 · answer #2 · answered by vanveen 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. From the Calvinist side, no, the only choice ANYONE has is against God. However, Baptism shows the infant's membership in the body of Christ no less than believing adults have that membership, with the intent of both the parents and the church nurturing the child's belief.
Bottom line, though, God is in control of salvation, not Man. Do you think God Himself cannot make proper decisions concerning those under the age of reason???
2006-09-17 10:32:36 · answer #3 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will go to Heaven without being accounted for anything. Because they are innocent and didn't commit any sins. Islam rejects the Original Sin concept in Christianity, in Islam all babies are considered innocent (whether they are non-muslim's babies or atheist's babies or muslim's babies) and if they die during infancy they will go to Paradise.
2006-09-17 14:08:25 · answer #4 · answered by ATK 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, no. A tiny baby is not capable of making decisions, their brain doesn't work like that yet. They don't even know of heaven and hell, nor could they understand the meaning of heaven and hell... but that's just what I think.
2006-09-17 10:10:41 · answer #5 · answered by captain weems 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
babies goes to heaven, they have no knowledge of good & evil, can't do much to sin at that age.
2006-09-17 10:11:43 · answer #6 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
they will just go to heaven,becuz they were born with a natural believe in god"the only one god" and then their parents confuse him/her and convert them to other religions
2006-09-17 10:11:14 · answer #7 · answered by comma 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You already asked this...
2006-09-17 10:07:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋