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How does religion explain infant deaths?

We read about the deaths of babies and children as a result of wars, diseases, or simply human cruelty. What did they do to recieve such a tragic fate? Is there an explanation for this in any religion?
@Renkon The Bible tells us two important truths about evil, that we need to remember. First, evil doesn’t come from God; He didn’t create it, and He doesn’t cause it. Evil comes instead from the Evil One — Satan — who is absolutely opposed to God and His goodness. It also comes from within our hearts, as we turn away from God and live only for ourselves and sometimes selfish needs. Jesus said, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” (Mark 7:21-22).

Second, the Bible assures us that God has already done something about evil. He sent His only Son into the world to defeat it — and He did. When Jesus died on the cross and then rose again from the dead, He confronted the powers of death and evil and Hell — and He defeated them. Some day the final battle will be fought, and He will come again to destroy all evil.

I'm thankful we can put our hope in Jesus, for He alone is the answer to victory over evil and its consequences, and one day His victory shall be complete.

Considering all the evil in the world, does God really care about us? Always and forever. Not only does He care, but He cares enough to have sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us. Because of God's great love and sacrifice, we now have a way to be reconciled with Him through Christ. There will come a day when God "will wipe every tear from" our eyes and, "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things" will pass away (Revelation 21:4). He truly is our only hope and this world. I am so grateful for him and to him.
pdockal · 56-60, M
@LadyGrace

Didn't your GOD create everything ??????
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Purgatory is really an unfounded belief of the Catholic church. The Bible does not talk about purgatory in this day and age. There is scripture that confirms that before Christ died on the cross, the souls that died before that, went to a holding place called Paradise. That's where Jesus went after he died, to minister to the souls in Paradise, which at that time was in one of the compartments in hell, but not the bad part of hell. There is scripture to back it up. But after that, that compartment is no longer used. It is empty, as now, people who died after Christ died on the cross and have accepted him as Savior, their soul immediately goes to heaven, but their body stays in the grave until Resurrection Day. Catholics also believe that we can pray one into heaven and there's not one thing in the Bible that confirms that. In fact, the Bible says just the opposite. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Once we die, there's no changing our destination. The Bible makes that clear and that's why a decision is needed to be made while we are still alive because there's no second chances after we die. The Bible says we either go to Hell or Heaven. There's no such thing as reincarnation.
Dumbman · 36-40
@LadyGrace Please take care and get well soon.
@Dumbman Thank you so much and what a great question you asked.
@Dumbman Hi! I decided to make my answer into a post. Here it is and thanks for the question.

https://similarworlds.com/beliefs/5078024-Does-the-Bible-say-anything-about-reincarnation-Do-we-get
Remember one thing. God is fair. Sin is not. It brings consequences every time and that's why we need God. He's not willing that any should be separated from him forever but if we do nothing about our sins and don't repent, then that automatically Keeps Us separated from God and Heaven because there is no sin in heaven. There cannot be or else it could never be called heaven. God definitely does not hate us. He proved that on the cross. What he hates is what sin does to us. That's why he came to conquer it on the cross, that whosoever believes in him and has their sins forgiven by him, shall be saved. Without Jesus and what he did for us on the cross in paying for our sin debt, we never could have had heaven.
Morvoren · F
Catholics believe unbaptised babies go to hell. No creator would be so petty or cruel surely.
Slicker24 · 26-30
Egg01 · 56-60, F
@Morvoren You’re asking the wrong person here, I’m an atheist. I will ask my Catholic friend though. But I was told a few years back that the Catholic Church revised the limbo thing…
@KatyO83 The then-Pope got rid of Limbo some years ago.

Not being Roman Catholic, or any other claimant to the "true" Catholicism, I took it as a non-event.

The One Who Is is definitely NOT like the petulant child, the Zeus-like disgrace to the notion of a loving God who opens the book of Job with boasting to the Evil One.

Whatever any received or postulated theology says about this, one need only look at the clearest written account of Who God Is--the four Gospels by those actually with him for ≈3 yrs--in order to see the actual "Good News": God is about relationship, not judgment.

Therefore, on't worry about such babies. They are loved.
An answer to another of your questions, infants who die or children, go straight to heaven.
Renkon · 41-45, M
@LadyGrace Someone mentioned original sin here. So an infant isn't affected by original sin? When does original sin come into play in a person's life?
@Renkon
Someone mentioned original sin here. So an infant isn't affected by original sin? When does original sin come into play in a person's life?

There are many facets to the answer here. We want to be careful not to blame God. After all, the Bible says that God is perfect and without sin at all. He cannot sin. He is incapable of sinning or he could not call himself God, so it would be unfair to blame God for what man did.

When God put the first two people in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, there was no sin. God had warned Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of knowledge or they would die. For in that day, their eyes would be open to know the difference between Good and Evil and be like God, and if they would then eat from the Tree of Life, they would have forever been locked in their sins forever. God warned them but they didn't listen. Satan came along and told them oh you won't die if you eat from that tree, and he lied to them and they believed him and so they ate from the Tree of knowledge and then they realized they had sinned against God. It was only then that their eyes was open to know the difference between Good and Evil. Had they listened to God, they would have never sinned. But remember that God didn't make us to be robots. It shows you what human beings do, given the choice, and they sinned. That was their choice, not God's. He warned them not to eat from the Tree of knowledge, but they did so along with choices comes responsibility and consequences. When they sinned against their Creator, they were responsible for answering to him for their sins. Sin automatically bring separation and death, spiritually, from God and that's what God did not want. They could not enter Heaven with sin on their heels so they were cast out of the garden of Eden, never to return again lest they would eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in their sins. By sinning, they took themselves out of fellowship with a Holy God and so they had to repent. However, sin now, was a part of their nature. It was in their blood, and so their offspring inherited the same. Given the choice, we have proven that we will sin against God, as well. We see it everywhere in this world. We have to pay for our sins, not for Adam and Eve's. We too make sinful choices at times. God made this world perfect for us. It was not He that ruined it. He did not create nor make Adam and Eve choose wrongly. God still loved Adam and Eve with all his heart and soul, however God Is So holy he had to turn his face away from them. Now mankind had to find a way back to God, to re-establish a relationship and fellowship with Him again, so that his sins could be forgiven. Having sin themselves, they could not forgive their own sins. It takes a pure and holy sacrifice to do that and that's where Jesus came in and volunteered to pay for our sins on the cross. Because without a blood sacrifice, sins cannot be forgiven in the spiritual world....

Hebrews 9:22 in the Bible states, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins". In the Old Covenant, sacrificial blood was necessary to sanctify almost everything, including the forgiveness of sins. However, the author of Hebrews is reminding his audience that Christ's death is necessary, and that his blood is more purifying than the blood of animals. The blood of animals worked up until Jesus died on the cross as the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. But animals blood is not pure like Jesus's. Jesus didn't have to come and save us from Eternal separation because of our sins. He could have just left us in this state but he loved us too much and therefore died to pay for our sins so that we could have a way to go to heaven. Otherwise we would have all went to hell. Jesus was the only one worthy enough to die for our sins because he was perfect and he was pure and holy. So anyone who comes to Jesus and asks him to forgive them of their sins, he promises to forgive us and bring us back into fellowship and good standing with our father in Heaven and that's exactly what he does, if we will allow him to.
I hope you'll read the following. It really tells us what all God really did for us and I don't think many people understand the lengths he went through, in order to save our souls. He didn't have to but that's just how much he loves us. Beyond all understanding. I truly hope you will read it and you will have a much better understanding of God, who he is, and why he came.

https://similarworlds.com/christianity/bible/4500025-Have-you-heard-this-account-of-who-Jesus-really-was-and-is
God is not mad at us. Not even a little bit. He came not to condemn the world, but to save it, as it mentions in John 3:16 and 17. He would love to have us all in heaven with him. In order to do that, we must recognize that we do have sin in our lives, and need Jesus to save us from the consequences and condemnation that sin brought on us . But through Jesus, we can have eternal life in heaven with him. Forever. It just makes sense that we cannot drag our sins into a holy heaven but when we recognize this, the minute we ask for forgiveness, God forgives us and gives us a brand new life in him and eternal life in heaven. This makes us fit for heaven.
SDavis · 56-60, F
Speaking from Christianity's point of view and maybe not all Christians.
Bible indicates sin is a reason for sickness and physical death and does not discriminate with age. Had the children live the children would have sinned.

Man rejects, or refuses to realize, or don't understand that God doesn't care about these flesh bodies..... Ignore that these flesh bodies are temporary they will die..... Reject that God cares about the spirit within these flesh bodies, when the body dies the body erodes back into the Earth and the spirit goes back to God _ Ecclesiastics 12:7........ All will face judgment and if you are a baby or child there is no sin to face from life upon this earth and will not face the type of judgment that all others face......

Jesus even gives references to children Matthew 18:2-4 __ 1st Peter 2: 2-3.

The Bible also lets us know children generally grow up to do what they see their parents doing and if their parents do unrighteous works, the percentage is high that their children will too, with a few exceptions.

The Bible lets us know that we are all inherently rebellious. Even toddlers have to be told over and over not to do this, that, or the other and in many cases measures taken to teach the child to listen and obey and this is continual throughout puberty, teenage years, to adulthood.

Jude 1:14 tells us that the Lord is going to return with thousands of thousands of thousands of his saints, which is unnumbered amount. Innocent children would be in that number..... The Bible also mentions some that are with Jesus night and day - who were blameless and taken from the Earth - innocent children would be in that number (having a difficult time finding it but it's there).

Man also rejects and refuse to understand is that we don't think like God - God doesn't think like us. When in fact any child that he takes or any child that is born with certain disabilities may actually blessed because they will not sin and will not face judgment. That is hard for man to understand except and most likely will reject it 95% of the time. But if a person was truthful whether they believed or disbelieved agree or disagree according to what's written in Scripture it is a blessing.

Scripture tells us the more we know the more we're held accountable for.
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@Renkon
There was a massive flash flood not far from here. Several people died. It was late at night, and many were buried alive while sleeping. This included both children and infants. This has gotten me thinking.

As long as there is sin in the world we will find things like this happening. It was not like this in the very beginning. Man had not made the choice to sin. Later, he did and sin always brings consequences with it. That just tells us all the more why we need Jesus. We are not accountable for the sins of our forefathers or Adam and Eve. We are accountable for our own sins. It matters what choices we make.
[@Katy083]
Baptism removes original sin. Without that happening you can't go to heaven.

Nothing in scripture says that baptism removes sins. Baptism can never bring Salvation. John 3:16 does not say that whosoever is baptized shall be saved. That would be considered a "work" and the Bible is adamant about the fact that we can never work our way to heaven.
They did nothing but that is the world full of sin that we live in and the consequences, thereof. That is not God's fault. God does not force people to kill each other. It is the result of sin.
Renkon · 41-45, M
@LadyGrace There are people who commit sins in our world. But why should a child, who is incapable of thinking for herself or himself, bear the burden of the repercussions of another person's sins? Isn't this unjust?
@Renkon
There are people who commit sins in our world. But why should a child, who is incapable of thinking for herself or himself, bear the burden of the repercussions of another person's sins? Isn't this unjust?

Dear heart, I will try to answer all your questions. The problem is we live in a world that is full of sin and we each do have a choice of whether to sin or not. We do know right from wrong. Little children are not held accountable for their sins. That would be unfair. Yet we are born with a sinful nature and that is because we all chose to sin. That's just our nature. All children who die, go to heaven because they are not yet at the point in their life where they have reached the age of accountability. That is, understanding that their choices can bring consequences. People would have sinned, whether Adam and Eve sinned or not. We're not answering for their sins. We are each accountable for our own sins and we can see from the world we live in, that we do sin. Sin is a terrible thing and God even hates that, but in one way, it is a good thing because we do have free will and without that we wouldn't know the difference between right and wrong. We would be robots and that's not what God wanted. However we must be mature enough to understand that with responsibility, comes accountability. So we are each held responsible for the choices we make. That sounds fair. God does not hate us. He hates sin because it separates us from him until we repent and ask for forgiveness.
ABCDEF7 · M
The Karma philosophy has answers to it. The Karma philosophy is based on reincarnation. So it was not their whole life. It was just a small part of their long spiritual journey over many lives. And some past events/actions effected their short or painful life in that particular birth.
SDavis · 56-60, F
Ecclesiastics 12:7 tells us when we die our bodies go back to the dust of the earth and our spirits goes back to God who gave it. A child a baby, an infant, an embryo, a fetus, a toddler, has not committed a sin in this world and I feel safe to say are blameless before God from the sins of this world. I believe that they will not face the wrath of his judgment, but indeed their spirits are with him awaiting for the judgment of the inhabiters of the Earth.

And they may be of the saints and angels that will be returning with Christ. We look at the bodie,s God looks at the Spirit within the body.

The Bible tells us that humans will be held accountable for what they know and the more a human knows of God the more a human will be held accountable for when facing God's judgment.
https://www.openbible.info/topics/being_held_accountable_for_what_we_know
SDavis · 56-60, F
@Ynotisay
How true there is no tangible proof - but neither is there any tangible proof that what I say is in fact. That's why science don't tackle trying to prove or disprove the existence of God and what is written in the Bible. Science don't understand much of things here on this Earth or in the universe.
I'll leave you with this
[media=https://youtu.be/du2hoERx6hs?feature=shared]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/are-5-memorable-moments-congress-ufo-hearing-rcna96476

[media=https://www.youtube.com/live/OwSkXDmV6Io?feature=shared]

[media=https://youtu.be/rO_M0hLlJ-Q?feature=shared]
Ynotisay · M
@SDavis Just so you know I have no interest in watching what you shared. Nothing personal.

Religion, ALL of the many, many religions, are fables. It serves a purpose for certain types of people, and societies, but to say that the fables are fact? True? Based in any form of reality in lieu of the imaginations of the writers?

Faith. Belief. That's what they're ALL predicated on. I mean, religious people are TOLD that, right?

So why the need to try and prove something that, by its definition, isn't provable? I mean, I KNOW why. I just have no room for it in my world.

I'm done now, ok? Thanks. Have a good one.
SDavis · 56-60, F
@Ynotisay Naturally but somebody will - you too have a good one 🤓
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Renkon · 41-45, M
@jshm2I agree with you. It is a sad society in which kids must face such awful fates.
SW-User
I'm no expert, but it should be common knowledge that the world is not the way it should be, and that a religion may look toward a future when everything will be alright.
Renkon · 41-45, M
@SW-User Hmm.... may be that's true🤔
SW-User
@Renkon I see it as of now as a paradox within many other paradoxes, how can the human populace get along with each other, to have that as a part of how we believe, which has been so foreign to most of beliefs throughout history. However, as i think of what my belief might be, the world is within that framework at odds with the one who created it, and so eventually there'll be a righting of all the wrongs. In the meantime, for ecumenical efforts, and a striving for clarity and compassion regardless of our beliefs or unbeliefs seems like it wouldn't be a waste of time.
Renkon · 41-45, M
@SW-User I agree with you there. Perhaps we can get back to basics, with compassion, tolerance, fraternity, and acceptance as the core of our society. That way, we may create a environment for healthy discussions and dialogueson differentideas.
hunkalove · 61-69, M
Religion is about money and power. Not people.
Renkon · 41-45, M
@hunkalove That's the image the religions 'practisioners' are projecting.
Adstar · 56-60, M
We live in an imperfect world in imperfect bodies that die.. Some die after 100 days, some die after 100 years.. The length of life is not guaranteed.. The only guarantee if that our current faulty bodies will die.. Everyone is going to die..
Renkon · 41-45, M
@Adstar That's the logical answer. True.
Adstar · 56-60, M
@Renkon Yep and as a Christian i believe when we die we shall enter into a perfect eternal life that is far far better then the current one and therefore i do not see death as a ""tradgic fate"" I see it as the end of an imperfect life and the start of a perfect life.. The death of these bodies is a Blessing to one who believes Jesus and trusts in the Atonement He secured by His death on the cross..
4meAndyou · F
In Christianity, God does not promise us immortality within our human bodies. Instead, (especially with innocent and flawless babies and little children), we are promised immortality of the soul.

When we left the garden of Eden, we became subject to ALL the ills of this world. All of us.

God didn't promise to protect ANY of us from physical death or suffering. Instead, He promises to stand at our side, and provide us with comfort for the sadness and tears, to lend us His strength to deal with the pain and suffering, and His own Light...to show us the way.

All we have to do is recognize God, and accept Him, and accept His help. And He DOES help. I can testify to that.
Ynotisay · M
The one thing about every religion, that makes it all extraordinarily insidious, is that there's ALWAYS an out.
Dead babies? God's Will.
And it's not "our" place to ask why.
God has a plan, right?
Egg01 · 56-60, F
For me, there’s a lot that religion doesn’t explain. I’m not having a go here, just being honest.
Renkon · 41-45, M
@Egg01 Fair enough.
sree251 · 41-45, M
Is your own life not a tragic fate? Is there an explanation why you exist in a world of wars, diseases, and human cruelty? Your body is going to die one way or another, and it is not going to be painless.
sree251 · 41-45, M
@Renkon If that is your belief, then that is your religion: life is both joy and and sorrow. Some babies have tragic fates while some do not.
Renkon · 41-45, M
@sree251 You mentioned 'tragic fate'. That is where my skepticism comes in. Who or what determines the 'fate' of an individual child? Some grow up and have a good life. Some simply encounter a tragic 'fate' and die young.

Where does the 'fate' come from? What do religions say about this? This is the question I was asking.
sree251 · 41-45, M
@Renkon
You mentioned 'tragic fate'. That is where my skepticism comes in. Who or what determines the 'fate' of an individual child? Some grow up and have a good life. Some simply encounter a tragic 'fate' and die young.

"Tragic fate" is your phrase in your original post. I am using your phrase. I don't believe that life is created by a supernatural power that determines the destiny of individuals.

Where does the 'fate' come from? What do religions say about this? This is the question I was asking.

Why do you accept the beliefs of religion and then question those beliefs? Are you questioning those beliefs as a non-believer (atheist)?
pdockal · 56-60, M
Yes .... evil people who don't believe in GOD
Egg01 · 56-60, F
@pdockal oh dear I think I’ve triggered you 😬
pdockal · 56-60, M
@Egg01

Don't think it's not working
Good luck
Egg01 · 56-60, F
@pdockal I’ve reported you
Fa8393 · 41-45, M
Why do people ask these questions , its like they want GOD to come down and fix everything for us . That way we don't have to learn from right and wrong , saddness and happiness. To take away our agency from us , force all of us to go back to heaven .
Renkon · 41-45, M
@Fa8393 I understand the broad nature of your arguments. But what about infants, who are incapable of differentiating between right and wrong? And if they die young, they won't have time to learn. So the question.
pdockal · 56-60, M
Yes it's tragic
Yes it's horrible
Yes there is an explanation
Renkon · 41-45, M
@pdockal Can you say what the explanation is?
pdockal · 56-60, M
@Renkon

You have to have faith
Without that you'll never understand
Everybody has free will
Evil exists which influences free will
We are here for multiple purposes
Most who die innocent are in heaven and their place here was complete
Sometimes our purpose has nothing to do with us
Fa8393 · 41-45, M
Show us in the bible about doctrine of saving babies?
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