http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070420/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_limbo

I have MANY problems with this.

That it took them this long to even reconsider church teachings on this is but one more reason that I don't carry water for the pope.

Herb

Awwwwwwww. Cute li'l dead babies, goin' to heaven.

Why are you disturbed by this? It's just the Catholic Church doing what they always do: changing beliefs and claiming that THIS TIME, they got it right. Nothing new here... (yawn).

I didn't click on the link, but does it involve fire and/or a stake? I'm afraid to check.

Herb- I'm curious. You have said many times, many ways, "I don't carry water for the Pope."

I'm actually curious about this. Do you mean you are a Catholic, but don't agree with the Pope? Or you were a Catholic, but left because of the Pope? Or you never were Catholic, which if that is the case your statement is pretty empty, so i doubt that's it. Can you clarify?

thanks! (btw i'm not now nor have I ever been Catholic so i have no position on this).

"Herb-I'm curious."

I'm not going to go into specifics, but let's just say that while I happen to share some substantive views with the pontiff, I've made comments distancing certain views from that of the papacy, since many in this ham-fisted environment tend to brand all Christians as like-minded. They don't like it when it's done to them, but man can they trowel it out.

Herb

"many in this ham-fisted environment tend to brand all Christians as like-minded"

On that point I will agree with you. I have tried to offset that as well here.

And whether you are or are not Catholic is actually no one's business anyway. I was just wondering, trying to understand your "carry water" statements. Thanks for the info.

This raises the question, what do various different Christians believe happens to children who haven't been saved? What is the age threshold at which a person is no longer considered a child?

Alfredo- I can't speak on how Catholics might answer that question but I come from a Presbyterian background and we baptize babies to be raised up in a Christian home and church so that at some point in their lives they too will acknowledge Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Not every denomination agrees with this because of the child’s age not being able to understand what is going on with the baptism. But in that tradition it's including all of us believers to have input in that child’s life so that they will make a statement of belief somewhere down the road.

Not sure that answered your question.

I should have been a little bit more specific: I was thinking about children who have not been baptized because the parents do not belong to a Christian church. I believe that baptizing babies and young children is also commonplace in the Catholic church. I remember when my brother was baptized at the age of two.

"I was thinking about children who have not been baptized because the parents do not belong to a Christian church."

Well that is a good question.

I'm wondering about that too. Surely a kid, who was not raised aware of Christ, would not go to hell right?

What about the tribes anthropologists study? For the most part, they do what they do and it's not evil, just different. They have people in them that die of old age, without hearing a thing related to the contempoary gospal. IMHO, Alfredos question could be extended to those who simply just didn't bump into a believer. Does that really matter that much?

I was baptized at 3 something. I remember it. I don't know that my brother was.

why don't we all stop worrying about where babies "go" when they die, and focus more on making the world, which we ALL agree exists, a better place?

We can do both.

Where babies go when they die?

The sick thought I had, having cleaned up the diapers babies go in here on earth, is that fortunately they stop going when they die.