Mormon Church

The topic of limbo has been controversial within the Catholic Church’s history. It refers to those who died without baptism, but without having committed serious sins. Because Catholic tradition does not allow any ability to receive baptism once death has occurred, it is believed that infants who die without baptism may not see God face to face. Instead, they live an eternity of happiness, but without the greatest gift God offers man. They do not consider this punishment, since the child will be happy. They teach that this is necessitated because of the doctrine of original sin, originating from the Fall of Adam.

Mormon beliefs differ strongly in this area. Mormons teach that people are accountable only for their own sins, and not for the choices made by Adam or anyone else. Mormons teach God is just, and a just God does not hold people responsible for situations beyond their control.

The fall does have an effect on us. Because of it, we’re all subject to death, both spiritual and physical. Spiritual death is the separation of us from God. Unlike Adam and Eve in the Garden, we do not have direct access to God’s personal presence. Justice requires us to pay a price for the Fall, but justice also requires us to have a way to escape its eternal consequences. For this reason, God sent us a Savior, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for our sins. Grace, which occurred through the atonement, allows us to be resurrected and to live forever, regardless of our choices on earth. To access the full blessings of the atonement, we must repent of our sins and work to live the teachings of Christ.

Mormon beliefs do not require infants to suffer any penalty for dying before they can choose baptism. They are completely covered by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

An ancient Book of Mormon prophet, Moroni, spoke out very strongly and passionately about this subject:

And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children. Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach-repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism! Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell.” (Moroni 8:9-15)

The Bible teaches that baptism is performed for the remission of sin. However, sin requires the sinner to be accountable, meaning he is old enough, and mentally capable of, understanding that he has done something wrong.  An infant cannot sin because he’s incapable of understanding right from wrong. Since he can’t sin, he has no need of baptism and is covered by the Savior’s atonement.

Mormon beliefs state that children are not accountable until the age of eight, and even then, are accountable only for what they know. A parent who knowingly requires a child to do something contrary to God’s teachings will pay the price, not the child if he had no control over the decision or lacked the knowledge to make the right choice.

Mormons do not baptize children until they are eight years old. Since they can’t sin, infant baptism is unnecessary. They have no sins of which to be cleansed. In addition, Mormons follow the example of Jesus Christ, who was baptized by immersion. This means they are taken completely under the water for a moment and then brought back out, in a symbolic remembrance of the death and resurrection of the Savior. Clearly, an infant cannot be immersed. Because baptism is also a time when the person being baptized makes covenants with God, he must be old enough to voluntarily make such covenants and to understand what he covenanted, since he will be held accountable for them.

If a child dies before his eighth birthday, he is admitted to God’s presence, and in time, will grow to adulthood, when he can receive all the ordinances and privileges of every other child of God.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is merciful and just. Only by withholding the need for baptism until one can understand the purpose of it, and by cancelling any penalties for what a person cannot control, can God’s mercy and justice be carried out.

Tags: Baptism, infant baptism, Jesus Christ, limbo

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 12th, 2009 at 8:54 am and is filed under Array. You can follow any responses to this entry through the /feed feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.