Spiritual unawareness

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What happens to those who are spiritually unaware - the mentally handicapped, infants that die at birth, etc.? Do the mentally-handicapped, or innocent children who die, go to Hell?

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Christian views

This is one of the central questions that Christian theologians have been discussing for hundreds of years. Most modern Christian churches descend from the early church of Paul (see the book of "Acts" in the New Testament for the origin of the church), which based salvation on faith, as opposed to good works or enlightenment. Paul argues that since all of mankind is descended from Adam and Eve then every human being on Earth bears the stain of original sin. Since everyone inherits the sins of Adam, we are all sinners regardless of what actions we choose to take or the good we choose to accomplish (Romans 5:12-19; see also Psalm 51:5). The only way to achieve salvation, and ascend to Heaven is to have faith in Jesus Christ, and accept him as our personal savior (Romans 10:9, John 14:6, Acts 4:12). Doesn’t it follow that those who are unable to accept Christ (that is, those who unable to be spiritually aware) are unable to find salvation and are doomed to an eternity in Hell?

The most common response to this question is an appeal to God’s infinite justice, mercy, and love. The Christian will point out that no just God would send children or the mentally infirm to Hell, that instead He will exercise His mercy and pass them up directly to Heaven. (Genesis 18:25, Deuteronomy 32:4, Jeremiah 31:3, etc.)

The second response to this question is that in the Old Testament and in Jewish culture, there was an age of accountability. You can see this still in effect today in the Jewish tradition of Bar Mitzvah. But even back thousands of years ago, there was an age of accountability. One organization--GotQuestions.org--says the following:

"Thirteen is the most common number given for the age of accountability based on the Jewish custom that a child becomes an adult at the age of 13. However, the Bible gives no direct support to the age of 13 always being the age of accountability. It likely varies from child to child. A child has passed the age of accountability once he or she is capable of making a faith decision for or against Christ."

Like any so-called truth, one must measure it up to the Word of God. And not just one random phrase from the Bible, but in light of the context of the whole thing.

Here are some additional Scriptures on the subject:

  • Deuteronomy 1:39
  • 2Samuel 12:22-23
  • Nehemiah 8:2-3
  • Isaiah 7:15-16
  • Luke 2:41-52
  • Matthew 18:2-6
  • Matthew 19:13-14
  • Mark 10:14
  • Romans 9:11

Finally, here are some interesting articles on the topic:

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Islamic views

"The question which arises here is, "How can all people be expected to believe in Allah given their varying- backgrounds, societies and cultures? For people to be responsible for worshipping Allah they all have to have access to knowledge of Allah. The final revelation teaches that all mankind have the recognition of Allah imprinted on their souls, a part of their very nature with which they are created.
In Soorah Al-A'raaf, Verses 172-173; Allah explained that when He created Adam, He caused all of Adam's descendants to come into existence and took a pledge from them saying, Am I not your Lord? To which they all replied, " Yes, we testify to It:'
Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He is their creator and only true God worthy of worship. He said, "That was In case you (mankind) should say on the day of Resurrection, "Verily we were unaware of all this." That is to say, we had no idea that You Allah, were our God. No one told us that we were only supposed to worship You alone. Allah went on to explain That it was also In case you should say, "Certainly It was our ancestors who made partners (With Allah) and we are only their descendants; will You then destroy us for what those liars did?" Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in Allah and an inborn inclination to worship Him alone called in Arabic the "Fitrah".
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Secular views

"And why should the human reproductive system be so shoddily designed? Fewer than one-third of conceptions culminate in live births. The rest end prematurely, either in early gestation or by miscarriage. Nature appears to be an avid abortionist, which ought to trouble Christians who believe in both original sin and the doctrine that a human being equipped with a soul comes into existence at conception. Souls bearing the stain of original sin, we are told, do not merit salvation. That is why, according to traditional theology, unbaptized babies have to languish in limbo for all eternity. Owing to faulty reproductive design, it would seem that the population of limbo must be at least twice that of heaven and hell combined."
"...Isaiah 7:16 shows that if a child dies before the 'age of accountability,' he or she goes to heaven. I have many questions about the Age of Accountability Doctrine. First of all, when exactly does one reach the age of accountability? ... Isn't maturation a gradual, lifelong process? Isn't this entire concept of people one day being too immature and the next day--shazam!--you are all grown up ready to decide your eternal fate anachronistic?
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