Can children go to Hell?

Once again, i am looking for that ATS insight. The question: Can children go to hell for the decisions they make? I've been really stuck on this for the last week and had this thought several times throughout my life. Personally, i believe hell to be a state of mind and not really the conventional definition of the word. Allow me to share a few situations to better understand what i am asking.

ex. 1) A child 4 to 6 has a younger sibling that just wont stop crying. The parents are busy attending other household chores and tempararly ignore the crying of the baby. The 4/6 yr old (intent on figuring a way to hush the little one) curiously puts his hands over the face of the baby and he suffocates it. The child walks away without understanding what he just did. Who is at fault? baby?child?parents? I think i have my answer, but am more curious of you think.

ex. 2) A preteen 11 to 14ish is watching a violent movie and wants to try and execute the moves he saw, on a kid in school he doesn't like very much. So as he went to school the next day he pulls off a decent pile driver and the other kids neck is inadvertantly snapped. The child realizes he was wrong, and the concept of death is very new to him and he says " I didnt mean to kill him, the guy in the movie didnt die!?!?" who is at fault?

ex. 3) A young adult 16 to 19yrs conforms to a group of bullies and constantly tease a smaller/younger classmate. No one else would dare stand up for the boy because he was actually a little weird. They would say the meanest things to this kid with the intent of making him cry in front of the other children. Then 1 day, the bullies approach the child and start their usual routine, only this time the child pulls out a gun. In fear, the bullies withdraw and to their suprize the child kills himself.

Who is responsible? the bullies? The child for giving in? the person he got the gun from? Just curious.

(continued)let's fast-forward into their 30's. Everyone in their "bully group" have realized the reality and impact of what happened, and become the most positive, loving, spiritual people you could ever meet, but nobody (that knows them now) would ever guess they were capable of such darkness in their past. They live with this guilt yet strive to be better people. How do you think they will they be judged?

I am very intrested on your thoughts of these scenarios. I would just like an open mind and ask you to reframe from derailing the thread with the "Hell isnt real" posts please.

A lot of my focus has been on "ex. 3" -to see the mistakes of a child through the eyes of an adult.

*Disclaimer*I must say these stories are fictional scenarios and certain names and events have been altered to protect the identity of the OPer.

With that said, you may now begin the replies.

[edit on 13-2-2010 by H4W4II4N_PUNCH]

I'd say no. There is no way any god would allow a child to go to hell. The hell some of them go thru here on earth is more than bad enough. I don't personally believe in Hell anymore and the more I read and research the less I believe in it. That's always been one of the biggest questions of mine as well but I feel confident that they won't and don't go to hell.

Originally posted by amazing
I'd say no. There is no way any god would allow a child to go to hell. The hell some of them go thru here on earth is more than bad enough. I don't personally believe in Hell anymore and the more I read and research the less I believe in it. That's always been one of the biggest questions of mine as well but I feel confident that they won't and don't go to hell.

Good answer, thank you for your reply, but lets step it up a bit. What about being judged for the crimes you commited as a child. Do you think that would overlap when you mature and actually understand that what you did was wrong?

[edit on 13-2-2010 by H4W4II4N_PUNCH]

I believe hell is indeed a state of mind and a process of cleansing. If you are old enough to feel regret or remorse, then I believe they can go through their own little hell before their spirit is cleansed.

Besides the fear children would have at their moment of death, I believe they would embrace the Source much quicker than old people like us. Therefore, their stay in a hellish state of reconcile would be short lived if at all.

if you mean " a box in the ground" when you talk about hell... then yes...

sorry to say, it dont exsist, and even if it did we would never know!

i liked the questions though... moral dilemas are always a good one...

the question should be "is the child bad if it does.....?"

No, I doubt it. If there is a hell anyway..

If children are sent to hell for all eternity for 8 years on this Earth, and that was God's plan, or "inaction", then I wouldn't worship that God even if "he" were the only God ever to exist. I don't fall to the feet of child torturers and rapists and worship them here on the physical realm. So I'm sure as hell not going to fall to the feet of an omnipotent psychopath who has more in common with Ted Bundy or Kim Jong Il than he does with a "benevolent being".

Originally posted by H4W4II4N_PUNCH
Can children go to hell for the decisions they make?

Can they go to Neverland? First star to the left, right? I jest.

But highlight a point also. Who is to say that Hell even exists?

I think that you should ask more questions before assuming "Hell" exists and then trying to figure out if children go there.

I personally do not believe in Hell, just like I don't believe in a God who would create a world to send himself to die for it only to appease his bloodlust by killing himself. I give the creator much more credit than than that and do not base my beliefs off of primitive thinking inspired by early man's lack of understanding.

Assumeing there is a hell then only God knows who goes there and who does not. Since I believe in a loving God who knows you inside out, I don't believe he would send a child to hell or for that matter anyone who is truly sorry for evil things they had done.

I am not a traditional Christian though. My beliefs I formed on my own throughout my life and I am not member of any organized church or religions.

Did some of you guys actually read the entire thread. I did ask questions within the thread that have not been answered. I mean this politely. I simply would like to know who is at fault in these scenarios, and if we are still responsable for the mistakes we made as children that we realize now as adults were wrong and would not do it again. -To see the mistakes of a child through the eyes of an adult.

When does the child become an adult?

At a certain age.

At a certain level of responsibility.

As judged by anothers opinion.

Are we not all children till the day we die, just playing at being "grown ups" anyway?

I don't believe hell is a destination but simply a state of mind or occasion and a child (everyone) is a bit bad and a bit good and nobody is completely one or the other, however hard they may try to convince you, I or themselves.

Yin Yang.

Cheers.

[edit on 13/2/2010 by nerbot]

Originally posted by nerbot
When does the child become an adult?

At a certain age.

At a certain level of responsibility.

As judged by anothers opinion.

Are we not all children till the day we die, just playing at being "grown ups" anyway?

I don't believe hell is a destination but simply a state of mind or occasion.

Cheers.

Nice reply, i very much agree with your perspectives. Id like to say, i dont mean to offend anyone with this thread, im just simply trying to broaden my own view of this topic.

thank you for your reply

Originally posted by H4W4II4N_PUNCH
I simply would like to know who is at fault in these scenarios, and if we are still responsable for the mistakes we made as children that we realize now as adults were wrong and would not do it again. -To see the mistakes of a child through the eyes of an adult.

Who to say that anyone is at fault? Who is to say anyone is judging you other than yourself?

To say that you have done wrong is to say that there is a definitive right. What do you base that belief off of? Someone else's ideology or your own?

I personally think that we either move closer or farther away from the light(the Creator) based on our own choices. I believe that we are destined to repreat until we learn, be that through one trip on earth or many. I use reason, logic and common sense, all of which are endowed to me by the Creator. The idea of being judged by anyone other that me does not do justice to the "GOD" in which I believe created me.

[edit on 13-2-2010 by kleverone]

Originally posted by kleverone
I personally think that we either move closer or farther away from the light(the Creator) based on our own choices. I believe that we are destined to repreat until we learn, be that through one trip on earth or many. I use reason, logic and common sense, all of which are endowed to me by the Creator. The idea of being judged by anyone other that me does not do justice to the "GOD" in which I believe created me.

Know that i mean this as respectfully as i can. I step out of my own box to see what is in other peoples boxes.

May i ask you... to "learn" what? I very much like and agree with your philosophy but using that same logic maybe your vision of hell is to repeat this life cycle to eventually reach the source. And the act of learning involves making mistakes, trail and error, Wrong or Right. You may just in fact be judging yourself. Know that there are many definitions of God and you must view things dynamicly or you'll be stuck in your little box. Use your imagination once in a while. You say you use logic and common sense then show me... You cant because what is logical and common is a matter of perception, which i am simply trying to expand.

Sorry, I can't really answer your questions as I too see people as children for their whole lives and I don't know who is responsible in each of your scenarios, but I would think all share some partial responsibility. But I thought you might find this little Elisha episode from the bible interesting:

2Kings 2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2Kings 2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

I read the entire post.

I will say that I do not believe in a biblical hell. I believe that the life we live now is either our heaven or hell. What "we" did in a previous life is what we reap or pay for now.

For instance, a person living and making poor decisions is going to have to re-live those scenarios (well, something similar) in their next life. Once the correct decision is made, all is good in the universe, lesson learned and you move on.

Not sure if that makes sense or if I've messed it up by making to simple.

We are in Hell right now

Originally posted by H4W4II4N_PUNCH

Originally posted by kleverone
I personally think that we either move closer or farther away from the light(the Creator) based on our own choices. I believe that we are destined to repreat until we learn, be that through one trip on earth or many. I use reason, logic and common sense, all of which are endowed to me by the Creator. The idea of being judged by anyone other that me does not do justice to the "GOD" in which I believe created me.

Know that i mean this as respectfully as i can. I step out of my own box to see what is in other peoples boxes.

May i ask you... to "learn" what? I very much like and agree with your philosophy but using that same logic maybe your vision of hell is to repeat this life cycle to eventually reach the source. And the act of learning involves making mistakes, trail and error, Wrong or Right. You may just in fact be judging yourself. Know that there are many definitions of God and you must view things dynamicly or you'll be stuck in your little box. Use your imagination once in a while. You say you use logic and common sense then show me... You cant because what is logical and common is a matter of perception, which i am simply trying to expand.

^^^ Yes, this is very close to what I was trying to say. We have to "learn". For me that's finding the right answer, making the right decisions and doing the right thing. Maybe I was a horrible mother in my last life and this time I am the child with the horrible mother. On a higher level I can see and feel the life my child would have lived and as I grow up this time, I am sure to not repeat it. Each return to earth is level higher to eternal peace.

and now for the correct answer....no "I feel" nonsense but the pure unadulterated facts

Hell is a christian creation (borrowed from earlier religions, but lets stick with the new hotness that is christianity) so, lets see what christianity says about it then verses our hopes and wishes.

All children...let me repeat...*all children* are born sinful. They are born with the original sin/fall of grace staining them. God does NOT allow sin into the kingdom of heaven, hense the requirement of baptism and rebirth in the eyes of the lord.

A child not baptised will in fact, according to a very freaking clear understanding of the bible, go straight into the burning hellfire pit the christians seem to cherish. If you dont like it, I suggest you take it up with God/Jesus or invent a time machine and slap those fools in the head that wrote it in a pretty black and white way.

There is no "well, if your under 18, God will maybe look past" nonsense...the child, be it 8 years old or 8 hours old will burn eternally away from the love of God.


There is hope though...such silly superstitious tripe is nonsense..thats all, enjoy the veal

reply to post by H4W4II4N_PUNCH


1- No one. Sometimes bad s+++ just happens.

2- The preteen. He went into the situation with bad intent. At that age he should've known that nothing good could come from what he wanted to do.

3- The Bullies. They are well old enough to know the outcome of what they were doing to that kid. With all the media and internet attention paid to scenarios like this, how could they NOT know?


To answer your main question though--- No. Assuming that by children you mean little people who still gurgle on themselves and their diapers.

Really though, that is way too broad of a question to get any real, substansive answers to.

What is hell?

Who is god?

What are children?



Peace

Originally posted by SaturnFX
All children...let me repeat...*all children* are born sinful. They are born with the original sin/fall of grace staining them. God does NOT allow sin into the kingdom of heaven, hense the requirement of baptism and rebirth in the eyes of the lord.

...If you dont like it, I suggest you take it up with God/Jesus or invent a time machine and slap those fools in the head that wrote it in a pretty black and white way

LMAO Thanx for your reply, I was unaware untill you brought that up. I am now aware of the christian aspect, but... I would like you to explain a little more of what you think?

[edit on 13-2-2010 by H4W4II4N_PUNCH]