Christians: Are babies condemned to eternal damnation?

Question

If you have to accept Jesus Christ as your personal saviour to be saved and to enter the kingdom of God - does that mean children who died or is not old enough to know condemned to spend eternity in hell?

Answer 1

No I personally don't believe that - but I guess the fundies would have some sort of pat and ready answer (translation: "excuse") for this one as always.

Answer 2

No, as it says in the scriptures you must become as a little child to enter into the kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:4 & Luke 18:17). Children are innocent and are welcomed into the presence of their Heavenly Father.

Answer 3

The Bible seems to teach that God allows for the fact that people are too young to be held responsible for truth that was not yet made known to them.

Deuteronomy 1:34 "And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore, 35 'Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!' 37 Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, 'You also shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

2 Samuel 12:19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" They said, "He is dead." 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 22 He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

Answer 4

Every baby that ever died or was aborted is with God. Babies do not know right from wrong and cannot be held accountable. Heaven is full of babies.

Answer 5

The wages of sin is death, not life in torment

(Romans 6:23) For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.

The dead rest unconscience in hell., hades, sheol. Awaiting a resurrection.

(Psalm 89:48) What able-bodied man is there alive who will not see death? Can he provide escape for his soul from the hand of She´ol? Se´lah.

(John 5:28-29) Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

(John 11:24-25) Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life;

(Revelation 20:13-14) And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Ha´des gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. 14 And death and Ha´des were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire.
No one is condemned to eternal damation.
The bible no where says that.

Answer 6

knowing the love and grace of God, God applying Christ’s death to those who cannot believe would seem consistent with his character. i believe that God applies Christ's payment for sin to young children and those who are mentally handicapped, since they were not mentally capable of understanding their sinful state and their need for the savior. God is loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious. whatever he does, it is always right and good.

Answer 7

No way! They are innocent beings. They haven't even had a chance to sin. Besides, they cannot comprehend the difference between right and wrong.

Answer 8

No, he will not punish them if they are not old enough to be held accountable for their action. If a child dies young, he or she will be saved.

Answer 9

God doesn't run the place like a wal mart employee

Answer 10

Which is why the Lutheran church and the Catholic church both do infant baptism. So that they may be saved by grace and the faith of their parents. As the children grow, they grow in their beliefs and their faith by what their parents have taught them.
And trust me, children as young as 1 know when they are doing wrong!