Heart of the Matter: Where Do Babies Go When They Die?

Show 40s
Taped July 11th 2021
Aired July 19th 2021

Our topic is a little sensitive tonight because in the first place, the passing of a baby, infant, child, adolescent, teen and even an adult is brutal in the life of a family. This I personally know. What makes the tragedy even more painful is the responses religious men and women have created in answering the question: Where do babies, infants, children, adolescents, and adults go when they die? Tonight I just want to talk about babies – newborns, infants, and young children.

Now, I am not going to address this based on emotions and opinions. I am going to address it relative to doctrines maintained by various denominational drivers – in particular, Calvinism or Reformed Theology, Arminianism, Mormonism, Roman Catholicism and Fulfillment theological views.

Calvinism or Reformed Theology

First, let’s look at Reformed theology otherwise known as Calvinism. Remember, Calvinism teaches that human beings are depraved and fallen from the womb. This state is so entrenched that no man can choose God, God must choose or elect them to receive the Holy Spirit and if that does not happen that human is going to hell forever. With this in mind, the age of a deceased human is almost irrelevant to a Calvinist – no matter what the age, if God does not reach in and elect them that person is going to hell forever. Therefore, the way a Reformed Believer answers the question, “Where do babies go who die,” is, “If the baby or newborn baby is not elected by God it goes straight to hell.”

Although the quote, "There are babies a span long in hell," has not been directly tied to Calvin himself there is enough circumstantial evidence that Calvin probably said it or at least believed it. This evidence is supported by the doctrine itself, critics of Calvin citing him as supporting the notion, and other Calvinists actually endorsing the idea. So, the best answer a true Calvinist can give a mother who has lost a newborn, or a baby or a toddler, or a child, or even a teen is: “If your child was elected by God he or she is with him in heaven.” If the mother is thinking and asks, “well what if my infant wasn’t elected? The Calvinist must honestly say, “he or she is in a literal burning hell suffering forever.”

Arminianism

Arminianism comes to an even more difficult issue because to an Arminian the human being is born sinful and separated from God but God has given the person the freewill to choose him. But how can a baby or infant choose God freely? If we are going to be theologically consistent, it can’t – and therefore the best answer a freewill Arminianist can give a mother whose infant has died that asks: “Where is my dead baby now?” would be, “If your baby freely chose God he or she is in heaven with him.” If the mother is thinking and asks, “How could my newborn choose God?” And the Arminianist can only reply: “With God all things are possible.”

Catholicism and Limbo

The Catholics – well, they are an interesting group if. It used to be, from the days of Augustine, that all unbaptized babies who die go to hell. Therefore people were frantically trying to get their babies baptized ASAP before death could ensue. So the teaching of limbo entered the picture to soften the blow on parents – and it was comically described as, “they're in the nicest part of hell.” And people did not find that entirely satisfactory. So gradually Limbo was considered a place of not supernatural bliss but of natural happiness, away from the presence of God. Says one scholar (Bauerschmidt) this concept is immortalized in Dante's Inferno, which describes hell “as ringing with the cries of the tormented,” but "in limbo you just hear sighs."

Today, however, most modern Catholic theologians take a different approach and don't interpret Scripture with such literalism. I think it was in 2007 when the Pope in office said something to the effect that Catholics now “believe it's possible for good people and especially innocent people to go to heaven directly." Alright then – Catholics can say that because Catholics believe in what is called, Magesterium which are the teachings of the church through the authority of people like the Cardinals and Popes.

With Mormonism, the idea of sinful babies was erased by the notion of everyone coming from a pre-mortal existence and entering the world free of sin. This conveniently allowed the Mormons.

Perspectives on the Afterlife in Different Faith Traditions

Unlike the Catholics or the Protestants before them, to reassure parents of dead babies that they went back to God and that they would be with them again in the resurrection to be raised. That’s one of the great attractions of Mormonism – if someone doesn’t really care about biblical supports and is willing to exchange them for man-made answers through the myth of continued revelations, Mormonism will soothe your soul. It’s got a pretty seamless gig in terms of answers – although they do not accord with sound biblical exegesis at all.

So, the reality with Mormonism is what they offer the mother of a dead baby is truly no different than anyone’s subjective opinion that says, Oh, the baby is in heaven for sure. It’s expressed but not supported by scripture in the least when push comes to shove.

A Biblically Supported View Called Fulfillment

And this brings us to the biblically supported view I call Fulfillment. Instead of standing on biblical passages that dealt with a former age long passed and the opinions of people who have systematized them errantly, and instead of clinging to the changing views of Roman Catholicism or the myth-making of Mormonism, I suggest that we do, in fact, read and hear what the Bible has to say about the condition of the human race and see if that condition has changed at all as a result of the life, death, resurrection, and return of God’s only begotten Son.

So when a Mother of a dead infant comes to me, or a dead toddler, or a dead adolescent or a dead adult child, and asks: “Where is my dead offspring?” I would say, “do you want the long answer or the short?” And she might say, “Short.” And I would say, “In heaven.” And if she says, “Why?” I’d say, “that’s the long answer.”

And if she said, “let’s hear it,” I would say the following. When Adam and Eve brought sin into the world everyone who died went to a place separated from God. The Jews called it sheol. Everyone went there – Abraham – everyone. There was a good part of sheol called paradise and there was a bad part of sheol called prison. If your child died in that day they, due to God’s mercy and justice, would have gone to the paradise part of sheol to wait to the gulf between it and God to be bridged.

The Role of Jesus' Victory

When Jesus came and did what He did for the world – not just believers but the world – He had the victory over sheol, over sin, over death and the grave. And as a result, all souls now go to a heavenly realm at death. Where in that realm your child resides is unknown to me but I would say this: God is just – and that is why He sent us His Son – which He did. And I would add, “but God is more than merciful, and loving and kind and good, and as a result, you will see your departed child again, in realms of light, awaiting your arrival with open arms.

So in the meanwhile, trust in that God who took great care of your child – and all the others who have passed from this life prematurely. All things work together for good to those who love Him. Isn’t that the Good News all people should hear? I think so.