Let's say a baby is born. Let's say his parents are Baptists. Let's say the baby dies on the way home from the hospital in a car wreck. Does this baby go to hell because he isn't baptized? Let's say another baby is born. Let's say she's your sweet baby. Let's say you're drunk like most catholics and kill everyone in a car wreck one day including said baby. Does your baby go to hell because you have yet to baptize it? Is Baptism necessary for all for eternal salvation?
I don't think the Church ever says definitively who does or does not go to hell. My understanding is that they just say the Church is the surest way to salvation because you have access to the sacraments. Those people who don't have the sacraments may have more limited access to graces but no one is barred from going to Heaven. Besides, Baptism is a new testament thing....all the figures in the old testament are perfectly capable of being in Heaven and they was no such thing as Baptism, Confession, etc. I should also reiterate, I am not an expert. This is my understanding and could be way off the mark for official Church teaching but I don't think so....
The Catholic faith, unfortunately, does not claim to have any answers about the salvation, redemption, and final destination of anyone. They practice unbiblical baby baptism because of that, and they have the institution of "Godparents" because of that. The best you can have in the Catholic faith is "the hope of salvation". At best you have to go through Purgatory (also unbiblical). It is clear in the Bible (they argue the Church gave us the Bible, and while that is true, why does it contradict most of canon law?) that simply "the grounds for condemnation is unbelief". Even before Christ, men such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Job were called "righteous" and that is because they had faith in God and trusted God in their lives. Babies are not capable of unbelief. Even in Jewish tradition, men were not liable for their sins until the age of 20. My answer is that the innocent babies go straight into the arms of Jesus.
the thread is titled 'for catholics'. not scorned anti-catholics. which leaves you out of this discussion.
i agree. if only i had been aborted i would have made it to the sweet arms of jeebus instead of going to burn with satan like i am trying to do now. seriously though, asking religious people about their stupid dogma is like asking some idiot kids playing dungeons and dragons what the rules are in their paticular version of the game. it is all made up, and different religions have their particular dumb little rules which they know are the right ones, and they all pray and sing like a bunch of stupid monkeys who believe faith heals. religion = fine for cavemen, but an embarassment to modern humanity.
This question is one that has been given to Catholics for years by Protestants. The answer you get is by grace they are in Heaven. The answer you never get is when does that grace end. 1 Week/ 30 days or what.
For years, the Church taught that children who died before receiving the Sacrament of Baptism went to "Limbo"...a state that was neither Heaven nor Hell. Now, I believe the teaching has been modified so that the answer is that they're taken into Heaven.
