Evandr2
Member
The following is an excerpt from my book, Faith and Evidence, which is a free download at my site. It deals with a subject that can really irk me when I hear someone spreading such pain and suffering to those having little religious understanding.
quote:
I once heard a story that so distressed me that I yearned to have been there to bring comfort to the mourning parties involved and, when the time were appropriate, challenge the bitter words of a certain misguided man with the bedside manner of a rock.
It seems that a very young couple had recently lost their infant child; the circumstances of the loss were untold to me. It did come to my attention that while this young couple was at the funeral of their precious child, their spiritual leader came to them and inquired of the childs baptism. Much to the couples distress, they admitted that they had procrastinated and subsequently failed to have the child baptized. Having made such a confession to this trusted friend, they inquired as to the ramifications of their failure to do so, whereupon they were informed, much to their horror, that this small child, this innocent son or daughter of God whom the Lord had blessed them with for so short a time, had been consigned to eternity in Hell.
I honestly do not know whom my heart aches for the most, the parents of this child and the belief that their precious little one has been condemned to outer darkness, or this individual who considers himself a spiritual leader. Some day this individual will come to realize the error of his teachings, either in this life or the next. The remorse from the realization of the damage that has been done and of the needless pain and suffering that he promoted will rack his soul forever, save he repents of his ways and seeks forgiveness of the Lord and those to whom he has so completely misinformed.
I know of little else that a man can preach that can place him further into the gall of bitterness then the idea that our Heavenly Father would be so cruel and uncaring as to declare that a child must be baptized before he or she can be saved by the atoning power of Jesus Christ.
The practice of conceiving, loving, nurturing and then sacrificing small children, for any reason or philosophy, is one that is thought of with outright horror and associated with pagan civilizations and demonic societies. How is it then that any person who claims to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ can believe that our Heavenly Father would (or could) establish such guidelines and penalties for little children and then participate in the execution of the same?
Would our Heavenly Father, who has infinite wisdom, power and capacity to love, take one so innocent as a little child, deny them any ability to think and/or act for themselves, place them upon the earth totally bare of any means to direct their own destiny, subject them to worldly turmoil and the power of Satan to influence their surroundings and then condemn them to Hell if they do not find themselves baptized if and when they leave this mortal existence as a child? This would be an act so totally contrary to everything about our kind and loving Heavenly Father that I can barely think upon it without wondering how any one could believe such a thing, let alone teach it, without withering away in a cold and lonely state of disgrace. To believe such a horrid doctrine is to deny that God has any capacity for love and justice at all!
end quote:
Vandr
quote:
I once heard a story that so distressed me that I yearned to have been there to bring comfort to the mourning parties involved and, when the time were appropriate, challenge the bitter words of a certain misguided man with the bedside manner of a rock.
It seems that a very young couple had recently lost their infant child; the circumstances of the loss were untold to me. It did come to my attention that while this young couple was at the funeral of their precious child, their spiritual leader came to them and inquired of the childs baptism. Much to the couples distress, they admitted that they had procrastinated and subsequently failed to have the child baptized. Having made such a confession to this trusted friend, they inquired as to the ramifications of their failure to do so, whereupon they were informed, much to their horror, that this small child, this innocent son or daughter of God whom the Lord had blessed them with for so short a time, had been consigned to eternity in Hell.
I honestly do not know whom my heart aches for the most, the parents of this child and the belief that their precious little one has been condemned to outer darkness, or this individual who considers himself a spiritual leader. Some day this individual will come to realize the error of his teachings, either in this life or the next. The remorse from the realization of the damage that has been done and of the needless pain and suffering that he promoted will rack his soul forever, save he repents of his ways and seeks forgiveness of the Lord and those to whom he has so completely misinformed.
I know of little else that a man can preach that can place him further into the gall of bitterness then the idea that our Heavenly Father would be so cruel and uncaring as to declare that a child must be baptized before he or she can be saved by the atoning power of Jesus Christ.
The practice of conceiving, loving, nurturing and then sacrificing small children, for any reason or philosophy, is one that is thought of with outright horror and associated with pagan civilizations and demonic societies. How is it then that any person who claims to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ can believe that our Heavenly Father would (or could) establish such guidelines and penalties for little children and then participate in the execution of the same?
Would our Heavenly Father, who has infinite wisdom, power and capacity to love, take one so innocent as a little child, deny them any ability to think and/or act for themselves, place them upon the earth totally bare of any means to direct their own destiny, subject them to worldly turmoil and the power of Satan to influence their surroundings and then condemn them to Hell if they do not find themselves baptized if and when they leave this mortal existence as a child? This would be an act so totally contrary to everything about our kind and loving Heavenly Father that I can barely think upon it without wondering how any one could believe such a thing, let alone teach it, without withering away in a cold and lonely state of disgrace. To believe such a horrid doctrine is to deny that God has any capacity for love and justice at all!
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Vandr