Death of child before baptism

[jbosket]

I have a friend who is a non-practicing cradle catholic who dislikes the Catholic church for her own reasons and I don’t know the correct things to say to try to help her understand that many of her beliefs are not justified or correct. The most recent one we discussed was the belief that the Catholic church says that a child (before the age of reason) will not be accepted into Heaven if he/she dies before being baptized. Any ideas how to respond in plain language?

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Well, you might start by getting a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and showing her that the teaching of the Church with regard to the death of an unbaptized baby is simply that we do not know, but we do know that God wants all to be saved and we trust in the mercy of God. What happens to a baby who dies before baptism simply isn’t revealed.

Deacon Ed

 

[philosoph0123]

Also, many of the theologians who believed that an unbaptized child was condemned to Hell also believed that their ‘Hell’ was not a place of punishment or pain, but that it was simply a place where they were deprived of intellectual union with God; they could have purely ‘natural’ happiness for all eternity. See Aquinas, De Malo, Question V, article 3…so even if such children are not in Heaven, they are not condemned to punishment.

 

[turboEDvo]

I suppose that one thing that gets me about the whole Heaven/Hell argument is that there seems to be a need to understand. Many of the positions I have heard require intellect. Now, unless that baby is given some intellect upon dying, then they won’t understand an intellectual connection with God. Anyone have any ideas on this?

Also, I read that a baby would go to Heaven as they cannot make conscious decisions and could not commit sins. And even if there was a way for them to sin, they couldn’t sin mortally (completed with full knowledge and consent), and therefore couldn’t totally sever the bond between them and God. How about them apples?

Eamon

 

[space_ghost]

turboEDvo:

I suppose that one thing that gets me about the whole Heaven/Hell argument is that there seems to be a need to understand. Many of the positions I have heard require intellect. Now, unless that baby is given some intellect upon dying, then they won’t understand an intellectual connection with God. Anyone have any ideas on this?

Also, I read that a baby would go to Heaven as they cannot make conscious decisions and could not commit sins. And even if there was a way for them to sin, they couldn’t sin mortally (completed with full knowledge and consent), and therefore couldn’t totally sever the bond between them and God. How about them apples?

Eamon

the problem lies in the scriptural and traditional teaching that sin won’t enter heaven… that includes “original sin”…
that being said, interpretations have run amuck… the church clearly states that it does not know, that no official pronouncement exist as to what exactly happens to the child…

but, we speculate, given the love Jesus Christ has for children, and their innocence that what ultimately happens will be just…

remember, we don’t think as God thinks… we just have to have faith in a just and loving God…

not a problem:thumbsup: