wedrifid comments on Scientific Self-Help: The State of Our Knowledge - Less Wrong

138 Post author: lukeprog 20 January 2011 08:44PM

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Comment author: wedrifid 25 January 2011 05:47:51AM 3 points [-]

Am I supposed to be able to see it from just this? Assuming it's not the kind of thing that would hurt LW posters can you explain?

  • Pascal's Wager -> Accept popular religion (Disclaimer: I did label these people naive and with an inability to take reasoning all the way to a sane conclusion. Nevertheless, it works on some intelligent people better than on some unintelligent people.)
  • There exist popular religious doctrines that God will send young children to heaven regardless because they are too young to have been able to do the conversion thing. I think the "Age Of Accountability" concept may be related.
  • If a child is not likely to convert to the 'True' religion in adulthood then they are (believed to be) likely to go to Hell instead of Heaven if they grow up.
  • Such a child would go to Heaven if murdered while young but Hell if they grow up.
  • Such a child would be better off in they are murdered.
  • Therefore...
Comment author: wedrifid 25 January 2011 05:53:33AM 0 points [-]

A quick google on "do young children go to hell?" led me to this, excerpt:

Therefore, we have been given a specific example in the Old Testament of an infant who died and would live forever in heaven. And Jesus Christ Himself, in the New Testament, stated that little children retain the qualities that make a person eligible to inherit the kingdom of God. We see, then, that infants and small children that die are in a safe state, and will live eternally in heaven.

With such clear statements from the Bible about the eternal destiny of dead infants and small children, why have religious people mistakenly taught that babies go to hell when they die?

(The scripture quotes in question were totally reaching by the way. But that's the whole point of theology.)