First I would like to address some comments on original sin:
405 Although it is proper to each individual,295 original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam’s descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence". Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ’s grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle.
406 The Church’s teaching on the transmission of original sin was articulated more precisely in the fifth century, especially under the impulse of St. Augustine’s reflections against Pelagianism, and in the sixteenth century, in opposition to the Protestant Reformation. Pelagius held that man could, by the natural power of free will and without the necessary help of God’s grace, lead a morally good life; he thus reduced the influence of Adam’s fault to bad example. The first Protestant reformers, on the contrary, taught that original sin has radically perverted man and destroyed his freedom; they identified the sin inherited by each man with the tendency to evil (concupiscentia), which would be insurmountable. The Church pronounced on the meaning of the data of Revelation on original sin especially at the second Council of Orange (529)296 and at the Council of Trent (1546).297
A hard battle. . .
407 The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man’s situation and activity in the world. By our first parents’ sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails “captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil”.298 Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action299 and morals.
SO, while a baby has Original sin it does not have Personal SIn because it hasn’t had the chance to commit it. It is not now, or has ever been Church teaching that unbaptized babies go to hell. They are left to the Mercy of God which is all encompassing.
So, here is a scenario: Dad, Mom and baby are driving home from church. Mom went to confession before mass and kept her mind pure during mass. Dad didn’t go to confession for whatever reason, baby is a baby and doesn’t even know what confession is. There is a horrible crash.
In all honesty I don’t know who goes where except the baby has no personal sin and probably returns to the Father and lives with Him in heaven. Mom and Dad? If Mom made a good confession dies in a state of grace it is conceivable that she goes straight to heaven. Dad may even be in a state of grace as do not and would not have the knowledge of His soul.
As to why a war is not worse than abortion:
- Abortion is a rebellion against God in the most grevious way. We are telling God that we not only wish to sin by sleeping around but that when we are blessed with a child we will kill it, read murder, for our own benefit. We give God the finger and resume our lives.
- Abortion is the opposite of love. In love we sacrifice for those we love. In abortion we kill those we should love for our pleasure.
- Abortion takes an innocent, helpless, human life and destroys it. A life that cannot defend itself, cannot speak for itself, cannot represent itself and it is swept away like trash.
In a war civilians can leave, we call them refugees. thousands do. They flee the area and hide. If they choose to stay and are killed, they should have known the danger.
All of the soldiers in the Iraqi have volunteered to fight. We don’t have a draft and neither do they. Everyone there should understand the consequences of their decision which the possibility of their death or maiming.
Sadaam was a murderer who suppressed his people and if you read more than main media you will find that in most of Iraq, especially southern Iraq, the people are living relativly quiet peaceful lives.
The war is not illegal. The United States had the right to declare the war based on the intellignece it had, the congress voted on the war and accepted it and war was declared. It was not sime unilateral decisin by Pres Bush but a congressionally approved action. There is no illegality in the war and it is media spin for that sayd differently.