Burning Building Scenario

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='jckinsman' post='1282031' date='May 27 2007, 04:32 AM']This is nuts! If a child,who is not baptized,born in the jungle,parents never knew God. The stain of mans original sin still IS THERE is it not? Okay, Do you really think that a baby born without baptism is going to fry in purgatory for years,or might it be Less then a worldly second! Is this tiny soul going to even know what happened? Our God is bigger then our small minds. Nothing unclean will enter heaven! Period! Just because something happened to this soul that barely lived, does not make him any more innocent of man's original sin! JC[/quote]


I'm not talking about any of that. I am speaking of Children born into Catholic families, who's Parents fully desire their children to be baptized. But the child dies before baptism. We know from Church teaching two things on this matter, that one, in infant baptism the desire Parents count, the Parents reason and desire "stand in" for the child, it matters, and it is most important. The other thing is that if one desires to be baptized but dies before hand that person has "baptism of desire."

The Church teaches that the baptism of a infant, and the baptism of an Adult convert are the same, both true and holy, but in one the indivdial uses his/her own reason and desire to be baptized the other his/her parents. There is no difference is both types of baptisms are completed, why is it different if both the adult convert, and child die? The reason and desire of the parent become less important, less reasonable, less desirable?

If the parents reason and desire do not count if the child dies, this would seem to make their reason and desire less worthy than that of a Adult convert. And if that is the case does that not chase a shadow on the reason and desire of the parents in normal infant baptism? If not why not.

A parent or mother can not have an act of perfect love of God, or of contrition, along with the desire, at least implicit, of Baptism, and this can not be called Baptism of Desire of their child?

While attempts have been made the question has not been answered. Why does the desire of the parents count when the baptism of a child is completed fully, but that same desire does not count if the child dies (seconds even) before the baptism has begun.

Moved this debate [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=68645&st=0#entry1282496"]here[/url].

Edited May 28, 2007 by KnightofChrist