Do children go to Hell?

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followingtheway

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If so what is the age that people start going to Hell?
 
Define children. Under a certain age?

We do not know, specifically. The Church has never defined things by age as it pertains to salvation.

First of all we know baptism is necessary for salvation, but the unbaptized-- particularly children-- might be saved extra-sacramentally. The Church says we can have hope.

As for baptized children, below the age of reason we have every indication that children cannot commit mortal sins. After the age of reason, it becomes possible to commit mortal sins, although I would think that is pretty rare before adolescence. It is a progressive thing as the individual grows and matures, understands cause and effect, forms their conscience, and has access to increased information and knowledge.

Once we are beyond the age of reason and able to commit serious sins, certainly it is possible to go to Hell.
 
Well here is the question I have always asked. What about miscarriages and abortions? If we accept that these souls all go to heaven, then by logic when we get there, IF we make it, then there are going to be TONS more souls that have never been born then have and made it. The average woman has at least 2 miscarriages in her life that she never even knows about. Most of the time they seem like just a heavy period. I am not even sure of how many abortions are done every year world wide, but you can see my question.

I am not saying that this is not the case, but it is odd to think about. For example if all these souls get into heaven why would the Devil WANT abortions? The more souls that are born, the more he gets a chance to trick into being damned.

I hope my thoughts on this are off someplace, because it just makes no sense otherwise. If anybody could help me with this, please do so.
 
The question is NOT a bad question.

I think, only God knows. But, a genereal assumption could be no, they don’t. But, it’s all according to what you mean by child. Children over the age of reason which is usually 7 or 8, can commit mortal sin. And, generally, that would put them in danger of going to hell if they don’t go to confession. Usually a child doesn’t commit mortal sin until they are 12 or 13, but who knows.
 
I don’t know but I guess it would depend on the age… if they’re past the age when they can commit willful sins, then repentance is necessary.
 
Speedypizza said:
Well here is the question I have always asked. What about miscarriages and abortions? If we accept that these souls all go to heaven, then by logic when we get there, IF we make it, then there are going to be TONS more souls that have never been born then have and made it. The average woman has at least 2 miscarriages in her life that she never even knows about. Most of the time they seem like just a heavy period. I am not even sure of how many abortions are done every year world wide, but you can see my question.

I am not saying that this is not the case, but it is odd to think about. For example if all these souls get into heaven why would the Devil WANT abortions? The more souls that are born, the more he gets a chance to trick into being damned.

I hope my thoughts on this are off someplace, because it just makes no sense otherwise. If anybody could help me with this, please do so.
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Every soul lost hurts God.

Now, in America, you have about 1.2 million abortions every year. I’d wager, dollar to doughnuts there are more people who’s souls are in danger than the souls getting to heaven because they were aborted.

For every aborted child, there is a mother, a father, possibly four grandparents, friends, other family members, work mates - all of whom, or some of whom will be pressuring the woman to abort - a mortal sin/serious sin right there, then there’s the abortionist, the nurses, the receptionist, the escorts, the councillers, and so on and so fourth. Far more people than just one little child in the womb. So, while one little baby goes to heaven because they were aborted, that could be at least 20 people who might be going somewhere a little toastier.

As for children in Hell, depends on the child, depends on their level of understanding. I met a 12 year old who was pregnant and was hell bent on getting an abortion - without mum and dad even knowning. She never called it a foetus/clump of cells, but a baby, and she knew she was killing it, and she still didn’t care, she didn’t want it “wrecking everything”, so right there she had full knowledge and full consent, and of course, abortion grave matter. Only God knows the whole story and state of her mind at that time.

Just like adults, those with special needs, God knows everythign about everyone who goes before Him for judgement. We can only guess the location of some people, and w’e’re not really supposed to.
 
No, I don’t think children go to Hell IMHO.

If a child is unbaptized, I think the parents are held accountable.

Children don’t understand what sin is. Also, much of what a child believes is molded from the parents, so again, I think the parents are held accountable.
 
joclucsylv said:
No, I don’t think children go to Hell IMHO.

If a child is unbaptized, I think the parents are held accountable.

Children don’t understand what sin is. Also, much of what a child believes is molded from the parents, so again, I think the parents are held accountable.
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While it is a sin for a parent not to baptize a child and not to teach the Faith to a child, people go to hell because they rejected God themselves - not because their parent or child rejected God.

The Church tells us the age when a child is capable of Mortal Sin - it is set at around 7 years of age.
 
There is no way that there are 7 year olds in hell. A child might technically be able to break a commandment (not honoring their parents, for example) but they cannot understand consequences or matters of life and death. NO way.

And perhaps babies don’t have souls until they are born.
 
Castello said:
While it is a sin for a parent not to baptize a child and not to teach the Faith to a child, people go to hell because they rejected God themselves - not because their parent or child rejected God.

The Church tells us the age when a child is capable of Mortal Sin - it is set at around 7 years of age.
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We are all held accountable for one another and most certainly in a parent/child relationship. I am 39 years old and if my dad doesn’t see me at mass he adresses it and tells me that not going to mass is a sin. When I kid with him and tell him that I am 39 and there is no need for him to keep an eye on me, he tells me he is still accountalbe for my soul. He is still steering me straight when I stray.

A child does not understand what mortal sin is. They have to have full knowledge of what a mortal sin is. My 7 year old would never ever understand that.

Most certainly a 7 year old who has been sexually molested, verbally abused, and not raised with God has no idea of what right and wrong are. God would have mercy on that poor child.
 
LaSainte said:
There is no way that there are 7 year olds in hell. A child might technically be able to break a commandment (not honoring their parents, for example) but they cannot understand consequences or matters of life and death. NO way.
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We do not know this with certainty, although it seems likely.
LaSainte said:
perhaps babies don’t have souls until they are born.
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This contradicts Church teaching.
 
1ke said:
We do not know this with certainty, although it seems likely.

This contradicts Church teaching.
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Well, the teaching is more of a “tie goes to the fetus” scenario. It is not an authoritative teaching. We are free to disagree.
 
LaSainte said:
There is no way that there are 7 year olds in hell. A child might technically be able to break a commandment (not honoring their parents, for example) but they cannot understand consequences or matters of life and death. NO way.

And perhaps babies don’t have souls until they are born.
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The latter seems like a non-starter by the tenets of Catholicism, as well as those of serious Protestant churches.

And as for the former … I don’t know you and don’t like to recklessly make guesses about other folks, but your first paragraph doesn’t read like a person who remembers being seven years old, or who knew other seven-year-olds. At that age, monstrosity is closer to the rule than the exception. If the less vicious sins of an adult can damn him, then logically Hell should yawn all the wider for what children are capable of.

In the end, though, we know as much about children’s ultimate fates as about adults’–i.e., so perishingly little that one should err on the side of charity and hope, without wholly ignoring direr possibilities.
 
followingtheway said:
Limbo is not an accepted doctrine. Purgatory is the doctrine that people who die in venial (small) sin or the punishment due to sin but die in God’s friendship go to it. Limbo however is unofficial doctrine that says that unbaptized babies go there, that is rejected by the Church.
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The theory of Limbo is still an accepted possibility by the Church.

As with all humanity, I believe some children go to hell and some don’t. God judges them individually, not en masse.
 
Le_Cracquere said:
The latter seems like a non-starter by the tenets of Catholicism, as well as those of serious Protestant churches.

And as for the former … I don’t know you and don’t like to recklessly make guesses about other folks, but your first paragraph doesn’t read like a person who remembers being seven years old, or who knew other seven-year-olds. At that age, monstrosity is closer to the rule than the exception. If the less vicious sins of an adult can damn him, then logically Hell should yawn all the wider for what children are capable of.

In the end, though, we know as much about children’s ultimate fates as about adults’–i.e., so perishingly little that one should err on the side of charity and hope, without wholly ignoring direr possibilities.
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When I was 7 I believed that an obese man in a red suit flew around the world in a sleigh drawn by a reindeer with a lightbulb for a nose handing out presents to every child in the world in a single night.

I believed that if I placed a lost tooth under my pillow, a woman would come into my house and trade it for money (and the idea of a flying woman collecting human teeth wasn’t horrifying to me at all).

I believed that a talking rabbit who walked upright came to my house once a year and hid a bunch of eggs around the house for no apparent reason, and I didn’t question this at all.

Do you think that an intellect that can accept such nonsense without question is truly capable of deciding where they will spend eternity? Do you think such a person is capable of choosing Satan over God?
 
LaSainte said:
Well, the teaching is more of a “tie goes to the fetus” scenario. It is not an authoritative teaching. We are free to disagree.
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You are free to disagree with anything. But that doesn’t change the eternal truth that a soul is created at conception. This is authoritative teaching. If the truth was as you say, then why would the Church be so adamantly against abortion? And why, in the new liturgical translation, would the words of the Nicene Creed be changed from “He was born of the Virgin Mary” to " He was incarnated of the Virgin Mary" -Hint, because he became incarnate prior to birth.
 
LaSainte said:
When I was 7 I believed that an obese man in a red suit flew around the world in a sleigh drawn by a reindeer with a lightbulb for a nose handing out presents to every child in the world in a single night.

I believed that if I placed a lost tooth under my pillow, a woman would come into my house and trade it for money (and the idea of a flying woman collecting human teeth wasn’t horrifying to me at all).

I believed that a talking rabbit who walked upright came to my house once a year and hid a bunch of eggs around the house for no apparent reason, and I didn’t question this at all.

Do you think that an intellect that can accept such nonsense without question is truly capable of deciding where they will spend eternity? Do you think such a person is capable of choosing Satan over God?
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The Church clearly believes that it is possible for Children to be condemned, otherwise it would not teach us to baptize infants and it would not require confession prior to first communion in the second grade. That said, it also teaches the baptism of desire, whereby God will perfectly judge whether a person who has not had the opportunity to be baptized would have DESIRED baptism given the chance. It is logical to conclude that this would apply to children who died before baptism, even those in the womb.
 
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