Children who die before baptism

[brothermason]

Hi all,

 

I was wondering about young children who die before baptism? Will they go to the celestial kingdom and attain their exaltation? I know that non-Mormons who never have a chance to receive baptism and other ordinances can accept them in the hereafter. Are children who die early given a similar chance?

 

Will they have the joy of eternal partners and increase, or do they not progress any further? Do they end up with their parents but don't inherit Godhood? 

 

Is there any Church teaching on what happens to these infants?

Edited October 13, 2015 by brothermason

[james12]

Mormon in the Book of Mormon taught his people about baptism for little children: 

Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.

And after this manner did the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little children.

Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children.

And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.

But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism! (Mormon 8:8-12)

Joseph Smith also saw in a vision the following:

And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven. (D&C 137:10)

The Lord defined eight years old as the time when children should be baptized (see D&C 68:25-27). If a child dies before age eight no baptism is required for their salvation. If they die after they turn eight then baptisms for the dead may be performed in their behalf. Edited October 13, 2015 by james12

[brothermason]

Thanks! But do they attain their exaltation, marry, have a continuation of the seed and become Heavenly Parents over future generations like righteous married members who die in adulthood do?

[Vort]

The specific answer to your question is found in D&C 137, as quoted above by james12. We have not had any public revelations about the other stuff, beyond the fact that God is just and merciful, so we need not worry.

 

All questions have answers, and all or almost all can be answered in this lifetime. But God gives only the most important, central, and basic teachings openly. There is a reason for this; people who look "beyond the mark" can be led astray.

 

It is my opinion that many questions asked in the Church are better left undiscussed, not because the answers are not available, but because they are not publicly available -- and for good reason. I would consider including in this category pretty much all questions about our Mother in heaven, questions about the specific nature of the Holy Ghost, and speculations on What Happens in the Next Life Regarding ___________ [fill in the blank: children who die, the righteous but unmarried, men sealed to multiple women, women sealed to multiple men, our status as "Gods" in inheriting all that the Father hath, and many other such speculative questions].

 

I am not trying to slap wrists for questions asked. But I have seen a great many threads where everyone wants to share all their brilliant and insightful explanations and pet theories. At best, these are embarrassing; at worst, they get extremely weird, the Spirit flees, and people are left feeling vaguely disgusted and uneasy. And when these people are not LDS, they often decide that Mormons are simply weird.

 

Which is true, of course. We are often sorta weird, usually in a good (but weird) way. I embrace that. But we should be considered weird for our true weirdness, and not because of some people's bizarre or far-fetched speculations about ghosts or Joseph Smith or guardian angels or other doctrines that should be held sacred.

[brothermason]

The specific answer to your question is found in D&C 137, as quoted above by james12. We have not had any public revelations about the other stuff, beyond the fact that God is just and merciful, so we need not worry.

 

All questions have answers, and all or almost all can be answered in this lifetime. But God gives only the most important, central, and basic teachings openly. There is a reason for this; people who look "beyond the mark" can be led astray.

 

It is my opinion that many questions asked in the Church are better left undiscussed, not because the answers are not available, but because they are not publicly available -- and for good reason. I would consider including in this category pretty much all questions about our Mother in heaven, questions about the specific nature of the Holy Ghost, and speculations on What Happens in the Next Life Regarding ___________ [fill in the blank: children who die, the righteous but unmarried, men sealed to multiple women, women sealed to multiple men, our status as "Gods" in inheriting all that the Father hath, and many other such speculative questions].

 

I am not trying to slap wrists for questions asked. But I have seen a great many threads where everyone wants to share all their brilliant and insightful explanations and pet theories. At best, these are embarrassing; at worst, they get extremely weird, the Spirit flees, and people are left feeling vaguely disgusted and uneasy. And when these people are not LDS, they often decide that Mormons are simply weird.

 

Which is true, of course. We are often sorta weird, usually in a good (but weird) way. I embrace that. But we should be considered weird for our true weirdness, and not because of some people's bizarre or far-fetched speculations about ghosts or Joseph Smith or guardian angels or other doctrines that should be held sacred.

 

I admit I'm a little confused. Are you saying that parents whose children have died before baptism shouldn't discuss this issue or ask about the fate of their children?

 

I don't really see what I've said that is speculative. It's standard LDS doctrine that those who attain exaltation enjoy eternal increase of their posterity and inherit thrones and kingdoms. Surely it's okay for members to ask if their deceased children will also share in these blessings.

[james12]

Thanks! But do they attain their exaltation, marry, have a continuation of the seed and become Heavenly Parents over future generations like righteous married members who die in adulthood do?

There has not been much revealed regarding the exaltation of children. Currently we do not perform the higher ordinances such as sealings for children who die before the age of eight, however, that does not mean they will not be exalted. Of children who die before the age of accountability President Joseph Fielding Smith said: 

The Lord will grant unto these children the privilege of all the sealing blessings which pertain to exaltation.

“We were all mature spirits before we were born, and the bodies of little children will grow after the resurrection to the full stature of the spirit, and all the blessings will be theirs through their obedience the same as if they had lived to maturity and received them on the earth …

“The Lord is just and will not deprive any person of a blessing, simply because he dies before that blessing can be received. It would be manifestly unfair to deprive a little child of the privilege of receiving all the blessings of exaltation in the world to come simply because it died in infancy.” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 2:54.)

I would note his terminology well, "all the blessings will be theirs through their obedience". It appears to me from what I have read that all children will enter into the celestial kingdom if they pass away before they are accountable, but must be joined in eternal marriage and be worthy of such additional blessings in order to attain exaltation. If this is the case, then they must work out their exaltation after death but before the resurrection. No doubt more will be revealed on this matter at some future date.

[Vort]

 

I admit I'm a little confused. Are you saying that parents whose children have died before baptism shouldn't discuss this issue or ask about the fate of their children?

 

No. I was speaking generally, not specifically. If you have lost a child, you have nothing but my sincere sympathies.

 

I don't really see what I've said that is speculative. It's standard LDS doctrine that those who attain exaltation enjoy eternal increase of their posterity and inherit thrones and kingdoms. Surely it's okay for members to ask if their deceased children will also share in these blessings.

 

We are not privy to the specifics, but to me it seems a very safe bet that a just and merciful Father will not condemn children for having the temerity to die young. We can safely assume that, in that regard, all is well; our children will not be denied their exaltation. It is the all-but-inevitable speculation on how this is to be accomplished that I'm wary of.