I was taught that until i child knows the difference between right or wrong (say age 7-10), the child is saved by grace and has no sin, therefore going to heaven
I would love to hear the difference. I was raised Catholic til I was 13, then moved to a non-denominational church, then I dated a Mormon girl for a while (which I think would have the strangest answer to this question). I generally have a belief in God, but have a heard time accepting any one religion's doctrine.
This is a slide type presentation. You have to click thru it, and I think it does an adequate job... http://www.slideshare.net/fbchenderson/salvation-1-do-babies-go-to-heaven-when-they-die
Blazer Prophet: These slides say "God specifically exempted from judgment those who 'have no knowledge of good or evil.' These people would inherit the promised land and would not be judged." It goes on to say, "knowing neither good nor evil they are incapable of committing sins, and die secure in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." There is also a quote from John Newton, "I hope you are both well reconciled to the death of your child. I cannot be sorry for the death of infants. How many storms do they escape!" Like I said before I was raised Catholic til I was 13. I used to have night terrors (occasionally still have them, about twice a year) of the end of the world. The things around me would burn to the ground, the rapture would come, and I would be left behind. I have dreams of the moon crashing into the earth and or everything being sucked into a black hole. I wake up in fear, and it just makes me so angry. Sometimes I wish I died as an infant, that way if Heaven does exist I would be sure to get in.
Which one of the many versions? And who's personally biased interpretation of which version? There is no afterlife, and there is no superbeing keeping score. Live your life by the incredibly simple and sensible Golden Rule, and you will experience heaven on earth right now! If a 2 year old dies in a car accident, he's done.
Very interesting dreams. Personally, I place no stock in dreams, per se, but perhaps it was God drawing you near to Him. And in that drawing near you will find comfort.
ok...what about someone who grows up in a jungle somewhere and never hears about jesus? do they go to heaven?
Yup. Kind of like if you tell your kid you will burn down the house and leave him in the street, it'll make him cry, and he'll probably come running for comfort.
everybody is qualified to answer. if there is a heaven i say yes he gets in. i dont think jesus is holding the velvet rope.
This is a bigger question than a couple of sentences on a message board. There are a lot of differences between the Christian denominations, generally coming down to a conflict over Reformed vs. Arminian theology. Most Christians accept that the Bible teaches that all humans have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but some don't take it the to extent that Psalm 51:5 does that even from the womb humans are estranged from God (Original Sin). There isn't an explicit biblical mandate (that I know of) that talks about an "age of awareness", or anything. Personally, I'm generally comforted by the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God, and of Predestination/Calling/Santification/Glorification from Romans 8:28-32. There's no way to know as humans what God's knowledge of the child is (whether they were saved or not). I'll try to tackle it tonight.
Romans 1:19-20 talks about this issue. The apostle Paul writes to the Roman churches that: Commentary I've heard about this (Note: NOT Biblical truth, but an opinion about it) is that even cavedwellers or jungle tribesmen who've never heard about Jesus recognize that there's something that's created the sun/stars/trees/etc. because God has made it known to them.
So imagine you know some atheists who have a child. The child has cancer. He is only 3, but will be dead by 8. You have no access to the child to try to teach him Christianity. Is it morally justifiable for you to try to kill the child before it's old enough to know right and wrong? After all, the kid will die anyway. The difference is that if he dies at the age of 8 and knows right and wrong, he'll live in eternal damnation for being an atheist. If he dies at 3, he'll live forever in heaven.
