**Original Sin....?!?

Question

If you sinned and died before repenting, you would go to hell right?

It is said that everyone is born with the original sin – so since a child is born with sin, and dies suddenly, wouldn’t that mean that the child will be going to hell? There is no way a 4 month old baby can repent for a sin that it was born with so technically speaking; off to hell the baby goes.

Does it bother you that I sound harsh? I am only repeating what **Christians** have told me. Or does it just sound cruel that a new born baby is burning in hell for eternity because of original sin. She didn’t have a chance

And if God is the one who says who dies when, doesn’t that mean that God killed a baby before it had a chance to age and repent and therefore God sent that baby to hell? Nice God

Oh and no bible quotes please - just your own words. (people will read it that way)

Nope I'm An Atheist (thankfully!!!)

Answer 1

Well, I don't believe in hell nor Satan. I believe that the loving God I know would never send his children to such a place. I believe that all of that was created to control humans through fear. Apparently it is working on several people. No I do not feel you sound harsh. But if speaking what is a readily known fact from the bible, how can it be harsh? Christians from every where really do not understand what they really believe in. I have studied religions for years and still can find a balance among any of them. It it just plain weird to me to live by another mans list of rules of things you can or can do. I am an adult and I personally do not need another man telling me what is right or wrong. I can figure it out for myself. I am quite tired of all of these religious freaks on here who don't really have a clue as to what they believe. I think that most of them sound pretty idiotic to me.
God does NOT kill anyone. He is an all loving God.
Great questions.
PS I thought that Jesus died for our sins? So how can we be born of sin again? Humm doesn't make any sense to me.

Answer 2

I know what you mean...**Christians** use scare tactics to try to get you to convert. "IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, YOU WILL BURN IN HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY!" What kinda crap is that? First, you find me where it says in the bible that people who sin will burn for ever. You tell me where it says that God will send you to a place where you will be in pain forever. There are many places in the Bible that says that "The dead are concious of nothing at all." They have no thought, they have no pain, they have no nothing. They are dead.
And about sin. "Sin" is a state. We all sin. We have inhereted it from our original parents. As far as babies are concerned? They have no thought of God, they are innocent. They do not intentionally sin, like people do.
Why is it that when you learn about other people's religion you hear about the negatives first? Is there no positives in religion? I have faith that there is a God, so I try to be the best that I can be. I do not want someone else saying to me do this, do that or you'll go to hell. That is between me and God. Not between me, a middle man then God. It's between me and God. When he judges me and decides my future, he'll know what tendancy I lean toward. Don't let ANYONE tell you Doctrine. By the way, did you know that the Idea of hell came into existance, WELL after the Bible was written. In Jeremiah (one of the scriptures I remember) it says that there were pagans that were buring their children alive. God turned his back. He said, "This is something detestable, something that would never be brought to my mind, something that would never come up into my heart." Would God change his mind? No!
Anyway, I hope this makes you feel better.

By the way, I don't think your atheist...I think your agnostic...just an opinion...otherwise you would never have posted this question!

Answer 3

Among Christians, I believe Baptism removes Original Sin from an infant. My biggest worry is all the children raised as Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and any other religion other than Christian. Supposedly, they're all going to Hell, many without even hearing the name Jesus Christ or what Christians believe he stands for. Basically, the Stairway to Heaven will be built with the bones of the innocent. I have a problem worshiping a God that can be that cruel.

Answer 4

This is a concept that is not held by all Christians. I honestly do not see how anyone who can think and read can hold this position.

If you read your Bible, there is NOTHING in it to support such a position. As a matter of fact, it states that you must reach the "age of accountability" before accepting Christ, and being buried symbolically with him in the watery grave of baptism, to arise and walk in the "newness of life" as a Christian. A Christian is a follower of Christ, who lives their life based on the teachings and precepts of the New Testament Church. If you do not have the mental ability (due to age or infirmities) to be able to do this, you also do not have the ability to choose NOT to do this (sin). Read the 10 Commandments. Do you know of any baby who can break any one of them????? Thus, if you cannot knowingly make the decision to sin, you also cannot knowingly make the decision not to sin.

The "original sin" caused the need for redemption. But on the Day of Judgement, only Adam and Eve will be judged for their actions on that day. Each will be judged according to their actions, not based on the actions of others. I find this to be a wonderful thought, because if I were to be judged for the "original sin", what's to stop me from being judged for all the murders committed since time began???? or all the rapes???? You get the picture.

Any "Christians" who tell you this, tell them to prove it with their Bible. They can't. And any "Christians" who can't put their money where their mouth is need to rethink their ideologies.

The Bible is the "inspired Word Of God". Christians need to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent. God said so!

Answer 5

I'm so sorry if this sounds rude, but... You might try not asking such important questions from poorly formed Christians.

Formed/formation - is to go out and learn the ins and outs of your faith. Sadly we have a lot of Christians out there telling people this or that who have NO formation.

Sounds like you've been the willing victim of some of them.

You need to understand original sin, heaven, hell (and how one gets there) along with many other concepts of Christianity. That would take a lifetime. Sadly, so many stop at elementary grade sunday school.

God does not send newborns to hell. And many Catholics pray daily for the dead who may be in limbo, hell or purgatory to alleviate their sin and in hopes that they will attain heaven.

The flip side of that coin is that someone who spent their entire life in sin can repent on their death bed. Isn't that lovely?

Answer 6

I was raised Roman Catholic and this was what we were taught....If you are under the "age of reason" (somewhere around 7) you couldn't go to Hell. Babies who died before baptism went to Limbo, which the Catholic Church has dropped. (Now that's another subject). I guess its Heaven now. Anyway, children were not considered to go to anywhere horrible.

You could go nuts with the manmade rules.

As far as an older child or an adult - depended on the severity of the sin. There are two categories: venial and mortal. Venial got you time in Purgatory. Mortal - well, you get the idea. Most sins were considered venial. Murder was a prime example of mortal sin. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 prayer indulgences.

Prayer indulgences helped shorten your time in Purgatory. How long all that was - who knows.

Sounds like a Milton Bradley game, doesn't it.

Answer 7

Everyone goes to hell upon death, even Christ did. The problem is there is no word in the oldest scrolls that translates as hell, only the grave. Christ laid in the grave for three days, having no power to do anything, until he was resurrected as a spirit being. At that point, he did go see the fallen angels, which were not living in hell.

Everyone goes to hell (the grave), until the Resurrection. As for children, their Resurrection fully depends on the conduct and the heart conditions of the parent, just as it was in Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as those before the flood. Once the children die, and whose parents died without their names written in the Book of Life, or do not live through Armageddon, will just remain that way. No lasting punishment. That comes from the adoption of pagan beliefs by the original catholic church, in order to keep people in line and following the elite leaders without question.

Answer 8

I don't believe in the concept of Original Sin nor in the Atonement Doctrine. Sin is a deliberate, conscious decision of going against the will of God. A baby obviously can't do that. Also, since sin is an action, it cannot be inherited or passed on to anyone else. It is our own responsibility to accept the consequences of our own sins and if we so choose, repent and ask forgiveness for those sins.

I also don't believe in an actual place called "Hell". The concept of Hell simply refers to being eternally absent from the presence of God. In effect this means if we make the final decision to not follow God, we cease to exist. God is not so cruel as to torture someone in a burning lake of fire for eternity.

Answer 9

There is something called the age of accountability... this means that if a child is too young to know the difference between right or wrong (or if they are mentally incapable of ever knowing between right and wrong) then they will not be held accountable for any sin, even the original sin. This means that the 4 month old that you speak of would go directly to heaven.

Answer 10

Most of our misunderstanding of God comes from our own ignorance. It doesn't make God any less than what He is. The scripture states that God IS love. And quite frankly, He is not an idiot with idiotic ideals. He, unlike us, is perfect. In fact, those of us who think we are smarter than God, or who deny His existence because we are such geniuses are refered to by Him as "wise in our own conceit".
Having stated that, you have to know Him and His character to gain wisdom. Reading His word is one way to accomplish this. But to put it simply, the Bible states that the age of 12 is the age of accountability.
One other thing, which you might not like, is that in the New Testament Paul was questioning God about some issue that was disturbing to him. God's answer was basically, "I am the potter and you are the clay; Don't question me."
It sounds harsh, but at times He just wants us to have blind faith. It's not a walk for everyone. For "many are called, but few are chosen".