Jehovah Condemns Babies to Hell
Ian McClarity errancy@infidels.org
Mon, 31 May 1999 03:41:02 -0500 (00928158062, 02e601beab41$51598dc0$922469d1@flanders)
>CREA
> The RCC position on the fate of unbaptized infants is that they have
>absolutely no idea, but they HOPE that they can be saved and entrusts that
>potential salvation to "the mercy of God" (__Catechism of the Catholic
>Church__, section 1261).
>
>IAN
>If my memory serves me, the "Baltimore Catechism" and a book entitled, "The
>Question Box," both used on Catechists before Vatican II, did address the
>responsibility of the parents and congregation in making sure that infants
>were to be baptized--as an impending eternal torment would be the probable
>fate. I'll see if I can find either copy of these books and quote page and
>paragraph. My wife was born and raised RC and she too is absolutely
>positive that non-sprinkled infants are parked in hell. The Catechism you
>quote, would that be the new one released in this decade? Many dogmas were
>softened--much like VCII
CREA
Yep, it's the new one. Figured that it was only fair to critique them
(when necessary) by their current set of standards when discussing current
affairs.
IAN
I hunted around for my copies of the "Baltimore Catechism" and the "Question
Box," and I fear that they may have been lost on our family's last move. I
did however, find a copy on the WEB, and I found the instructional catechism
that taught my wife in CCD as a child. The URL is:
http://www.cin.org/users/james/ebooks/master/baltimore/bindex.htm
The question number is 154, which states:
154. Q. Is Baptism necessary to salvation?
A. Baptism is necessary to salvation, because without it we cannot enter
into the kingdom of Heaven.
Those who through no fault of theirs die without Baptism, though they have
never committed sin, cannot enter Heaven neither will they go to Hell. After
the Last Judgment there will be no Purgatory. Where, then, will they go? God
in His goodness will provide a place of rest for them, where they will not
suffer and will be in a state of natural peace; but they will never see God
or Heaven. God might have created us for a purely natural and material end,
so that we would live forever upon the earth and be naturally happy with the
good things God would give us. But then we would never have known of Heaven
or God as we do now. Such happiness on earth would be nothing compared to
the delights of Heaven and the presence of God; so that, now, since God has
given us, through His holy revelations, a knowledge of Himself and Heaven,
we would be miserable if left always upon the earth. Those, then, who die
without Baptism do not know what they have lost, and are naturally happy;
but we who know all they have lost for want of Baptism know how very
unfortunate they are.
Think, then, what a terrible crime it is to willfully allow anyone to die
without Baptism, or to deprive a little child of life before it can be
baptized! Suppose all the members of a family but one little infant have
been baptized; when the Day of Judgment comes, while all the other members
of a family-father, mother, and children-may go into Heaven, that little one
will have to remain out; that little brother or sister will be separated
from its family forever, and never, never see God or Heaven. How heartless
and cruel, then, must a person be who would deprive that little infant of
happiness for all eternity-just that its mother or someone else might have a
little less trouble or suffering here upon earth.
______________
Sick and twisted, but this was the material taught to Catholic children as
they attended parochial schools and CCD. Limbo, is not specifically
mentioned, but my wife adds that her Priest specifically stated "...that a
separation from Christ, is hell." I hope this clears up why so many former
Catholics on this list were under the impression that infants go to hell
without the benefit of baptism. From the context of my former ex-Christian
career, the above condition of infants is the separation from anything good,
which allows the torment and mental anguish of those parents who failed to
baptize their infants, to hold the knowledge that their babies will NEVER
see God, or Heaven, or know the peace of God, or the beauty of Heaven. All
of this is a myth to us skeptics, but the ignorant are held spell bound by
this brain numbing doctrine. One can only hope that the RCC will share
their progressive revelation as provided by their new Catechism.
I'm sorry that this post was so far off topic. I promise that It will not
let it happen again. It's time for some badly needed sleep.
With kindest regards,
Ian McClarity