Age and or Reason of Accountability

[AmericanMusic]

As you know that babies are not held for accountabilty with God and he would bring all babies to heaven with him because they can't make any decision on their won. The Bible says that heaven is made up of these.

As you know there are children that are very good and there are children that are really bad. There are some kids that learn from their parents and some parents aren't paying attention whatsoever.

First off what age do you believe is the onset of accountability with God? Do you believe that age of accountability should be the same no matter the religion, culture or the way the parents are bringing them up? Do you believe there is any circumstance that should be under consideration that the accountabilty should show leniency? Do you think that learning about God or not has any merit to whether a child goes to heaven or not?

So mostly what do you think in your opinion that at what age will God judge a person? What reason do you have for this?

 

[Shooting_Palanx]

Interesting topic, I've read some texts, books and heard pastors thoughts on similar subjects. First off, that's alot of questions to unpack so here's my take on it. I think it's important to make sure kids try and understand the basics of god through scripture and understanding and also have them formulate their own thoughts and understanding. I think age and upbringing should go hand in hand. I would say when the child fully comes to an understanding of what gods plans are, the difference between heaven and hell, and what the sins of the earth through the stories in the bible to help their understanding. So for me it comes to understanding rather than actual age, so some kids can learn alot about religion and understand from ages such as 10 - 16 or even younger.

The interesting thing about the last part of your question, is that from reading the bible both old and new testament, we were judged by our sins where god decided whether someone went to heaven or hell in the old testament, basically those that follow the 10 commandments that moses brought down from mount sinai. However everything changed once Jesus Christ hit the scene, where everything that was practiced in the old testament was to be forgotten, it was said in the classic John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." We are saved by Jesus Christ through his grace, and the only way into heaven is to repent all sins and accept Jesus into your life. That is what Christians should believe in and focus on, we don't get in by our works, but by our faith and belief.

God only judges you by your faith, it's an interesting question because the age thing could vary and it all comes down to your faith, I'd like to think that if you're a child and you didn't know god, but had an untimely death I'd like to think that you go to Heaven very much the same as a baby would.

 

[AmericanMusic]

Maria- I believe that when a child starts going to school is the accountability age. Because when a child goes to school and the teacher teaches a child to take direction..for example a teacher asks a child to pick up a blue crayon..if the child picks up the blue crayon of course the child understands what it being taught. Now with the accountability a child should understand right from wrong and if taught about God let the childs decisions be accountable.

As for question 2 yes it should matter because if the childs religion doesn't believe in God and the parents didn't raise the child into a religion what can you base accountability on? As for question 3 the only leniency that i can think of is if the bad child has something medically wrong. Of course learning about God one would hope that a child would make good decisions and pray that if they make a bad one it's not so bad that it can't be forgiven.

So my answer is at the age of starting school.

 

[Shooting_Palanx]

Maria- I believe that when a child starts going to school is the accountability age. Because when a child goes to school and the teacher teaches a child to take direction..for example a teacher asks a child to pick up a blue crayon..if the child picks up the blue crayon of course the child understands what it being taught. Now with the accountability a child should understand right from wrong and if taught about God let the childs decisions be accountable.

As for question 2 yes it should matter because if the childs religion doesn't believe in God and the parents didn't raise the child into a religion what can you base accountability on? As for question 3 the only leniency that i can think of is if the bad child has something medically wrong. Of course learning about God one would hope that a child would make good decisions and pray that if they make a bad one it's not so bad that it can't be forgiven.

So my answer is at the age of starting school.

The thing is all sins are forgiven by christ according to the new testament, no matter how bad if you repent your sins and truly accept jesus into your life. Anyone can be saved, even if the child was a murderer, that is the belief in the new testament. Whether the kid makes good decisions or not, is truly up to the child. We are given a mind to think, and free will sadly enough we'd like to think kids will do the right thing through the teachings of god but it isn't always the case. However it is definitely a very good way to start.

 

[Impaired]

As an agnostic, I don't pretend to know the mind of God, so I cannot answer half the question.

As a parent, I started holding children accountable before they could talk. Some behavior, like trying to lick electric sockets or eat poisonous things has to be nipped in the bud. Most humans, from my experience, don't truly understand consequences until their mid-twenties. It is still important to hold them accountable. For manners, for helping out around the house (chores are important - one, most of them will have to do these chores on their own in an apartment or something. It is good that they know how to clean house and do laundry. How to behave in polite company, what is expected of them.

Some people never learn to reason. I have a schizophrenic sister who is unable to see consequences. She takes off her coat because it is hot at noon and at sundown, her coat is "stolen" because she doesn't know where she left it. She is unable to see that A led to B. She is sure C is to blame. For a brief time, I thought my oldest daughter was schizophrenic, but finally I realized it was my sister acting like a 5 year old, not the 5 year old being schizophrenic.

My belief is that if being a good person is not enough to get into heaven, I have no desire to be there. I understand that this dooms me in the eyes of Christianity. I find things like AA horrific - you have no power and you have to admit you have no power and only by accepting a higher power can you be free. Accept responsibility for yourself and your actions.

Only you can change you. You can change you, but it might take a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

Thoughts and prayers seem a feeble substitute for hard work and determination.

 

[Shooting_Palanx]

As an agnostic, I don't pretend to know the mind of God, so I cannot answer half the question.

As a parent, I started holding children accountable before they could talk. Some behavior, like trying to lick electric sockets or eat poisonous things has to be nipped in the bud. Most humans, from my experience, don't truly understand consequences until their mid-twenties. It is still important to hold them accountable. For manners, for helping out around the house (chores are important - one, most of them will have to do these chores on their own in an apartment or something. It is good that they know how to clean house and do laundry. How to behave in polite company, what is expected of them.

Some people never learn to reason. I have a schizophrenic sister who is unable to see consequences. She takes off her coat because it is hot at noon and at sundown, her coat is "stolen" because she doesn't know where she left it. She is unable to see that A led to B. She is sure C is to blame. For a brief time, I thought my oldest daughter was schizophrenic, but finally I realized it was my sister acting like a 5 year old, not the 5 year old being schizophrenic.

My belief is that if being a good person is not enough to get into heaven, I have no desire to be there. I understand that this dooms me in the eyes of Christianity. I find things like AA horrific - you have no power and you have to admit you have no power and only by accepting a higher power can you be free. Accept responsibility for yourself and your actions.

Only you can change you. You can change you, but it might take a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

Thoughts and prayers seem a feeble substitute for hard work and determination.

For the most part, that is what is often misconstrued that the idea is that most people believe you pray and that'll be it. But you have to do the work also alongside the prayer. It is mentioned in the bible that you get in not by your works, but by your faith. When jesus christ died on the cross, he was next to two men who were committed for murder or something, he asked them if they were willing to surrender their souls for the love of jesus christ (sorry im paraphrasing) and you will get into heaven, and they did according to the new testament. Its still confusing for me in all honesty and I as you believe that one must accept responsibility for themselves and their actions. I guess it's on a whole new level of understanding compared to the world we live in.