fullsack

I have been thinking: if someone truly believes in the traditonal Christian view then I think having children presents a problem.

OK. If one believes in hell as being a lake of molten lava that thw wicked must spend and eternity in and then I would suggect that not being born is better than being confronted. with that possibility. As we know, many children rebel and do not continue in their childhood beliefs. If they go astray then many Christians would see them as apostates and condemned to hell.

Lets say that there was a slight chance of the children not fully copnverting to Christianity and then being condemned, then I would ask why risk this horrible happening by having children????? It would be better not to be born than to face the horrid possibility. Would it not be selfish to have children if there was even a 10% window of a chnace that they did not convert and remain converted?

No parent can guarantee their childs decision. Is it not selfish to bring them into the world.
Scriptures states that their is a way which seems right to a man but the path thereof is death. Most in the world would not conform to the Christian set of beliefs and are condemned, based on traditional Christian thinking.

It would be interesting to see some statistics on how many pastor kids continue in the faith. I am sure that statistic would demonstrate that a percentage much higher than 10% of these children go astray.

So how can having children be justified of you are bringing them into the world where their remains a possibility of their rejection of the Christian faith?? They would go to this horrid place for eternity(according to your beliefs)????

Godless Wonder

Doesn't the Christian God command (via the Bible) that such a risk be taken? "Be fruitful and multiply" (Always makes me think of the Far Side cartoon with the biologist peering into the microscope, observing microscopic bacteria . . ." They're multiplying!!! wait, now they're dividing!!!"_

Plus, every parent (especially delusional ones) know that their child will be a perfect angel.

Buddhists are the ones I wonder about. The whole purpose of Buddhism is to break the cycle of reincarnation. If that's the case, why have children?

Peter Kirby

As far as I understand the Buddhism of southeast Asia and Sri Lanka (Theravada Buddhism), it is essentially a two track religion. The monks are truly dedicated to 'breaking the cycle of reincarnation'. The laity hope to produce enough merit to be able to do so in a future life. (Please excuse the sidetrack.)

best,
Peter Kirby

Toto

Very interesting question, but I think it will do better in GRD.

Marduk

I’ve always wondered this myself, taken to its logical conclusion one could justify the murder of their own children (as some have recently) “send them back to God� before they lose their innocent/saved status.

Javaman

This is akin to the argument for abortion. If a Christian holds the view that aborted foetuses (foeti?) go to heavan (and most that I know do), should they not favor abortion as it increases the heavanly odds to %100?

Evil Sentient Duck

This means that they:
1. Don't really believe in hell.
2. Are selfish.
3. Are afraid of damning themselves by having an abortion.
4. Salvation of others isn't that important. :Cheeky:

In any case they still procreate... Sex isn't all that bad to most Christians. This is quite unlike the great apostle Paul's attitude.

In fairness though, love of life and of children seems to trump the logical furthest extents of dogma.

Marduk

“In any case they still procreate... Sex isn't all that bad to most Christians. This is quite unlike the great apostle Paul's attitude�

In fairness to Paul and the Early Christians, they abstained from sex because they thought the end of the world was eminent, no one back then expected Christianity to last 2000 years. As time went by they had to modify the dogma to include every day life. I think the whole hell paranoia is very middle ages, not a first or second century problem.

Spherical Time

How would not having children break the cycle of reincarnation? This is equivalent of asking why Buddhists aren't out to kill all living things, everywhere.

Not having children wouldn't solve the problem, the only way to solve the problem is enlightenment.

jonesg

How can the unbaptised go to heaven.?