Mark 10:14 When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, "Let the little children come to me. Don't keep them away. God's kingdom belongs to people like them.
Limbo (from the latin limbus meaning edge or boundary) refers to a state after death in Roman Catholic theology, and may refer to two concepts. The Limbo of the Fathers refers to a temporary state of the souls of ancient righteous people before Jesus Christ made it possible for them to enter Heaven.
The Limbo of Children refers to a permanent status of the unbaptized who die in infancy, without having committed any personal sins, but without having been freed from original sin. The Limbo of Children is a theological speculation that never been defined as official Church dogma.
The concept of the limbo of the fathers (limbus patrum), also called "Abraham's bosom", refers to people who had lived good lives, but died before Jesus' Resurrection and did not go to heaven, but rather had to wait for Christ to open heaven's gates. This concept of limbo affirms that one can get into heaven only through Jesus Christ but does not portray Moses, etc., as being punished eternally in hell.
The term Limbo does not appear in the Bible, nor is the concept spelled out. Roman Catholics take the term "bosom of Abraham", which appears in Luke's story of Lazarus and Dives, to refer to limbo. The bosom of Abraham represents the blissful state where the righteous dead await Judgment Day. As such, this concept corresponds closely to the concept of limbo of the fathers in that it is neither Heaven nor Hell and the people there are waiting to enter paradise. from Wikipedia
The Catholic Church has decided to abandon the theology of Limbo. Originally, Limbo was used to describe the intermediate state between death and heaven: it also served to make sense of what happened to the saints who died before the appearance of Jesus. Dante mused that virtuous pagans and great classical philosophers, including Plato and Socrates, were in Limbo.
It developed into a doctrine explaining what happened to infants who died before they were baptized. Infant baptism is practiced among Catholics and some Protestants. In fact, I was baptized as an infant in the Lutheran Church. So important is the sacrament that many worried about relatives and infants who died unbaptized.
I don't see where infant baptism hurts anything. Neither do I see where it was commanded by scripture. In fact, I don't see where it is necessary to be baptized to be saved. Baptism, in my understanding, is simply an outward performance and testimony of an inward change. It signifies death and rebirth.
I do recommend baptism for numerous reasons, among them the fact that it is an act of obedience. But I think it is better done when we are older and capable of understanding its meaning. Part of that meaning is that we understand what happens to us when we place our faith in Christ: we become new creatures.
The transition after death still remains a mystery. We can make guesses, but that is about all. Did Jesus say to the thief on the cross:
"Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise" or
"Truly I say to you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43, NASB)?
There was no comma in the original manuscripts, and it makes all the difference in what Jesus meant. After all, at that point, Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father. His next stop was the grave.
So how does God judge infants who die, or fetuses, or even those outside the faith that live good lives? I take great comfort in the realization that God is just. We needn't worry about whether He will get it right.
As for Limbo, it may still be a useful concept when used in regard to the mysteries of after-death transition. We know something happens, but we don't know what or how.
At the very least, the Limbo is an interesting dance that was imported to the US from the Carribean in the late 50's. Performed to Jamaican music, the participant passes under a horizontal stick that is lowered slightly before each pass. This is still done in skating rinks, for instance. I remember my skinny older brother who could maneuver himself under a stick at 18 inches.
3 comments:
You remind me a bit of William Burroughs; but he could have learned from you. You obviously have some background in Christianity, I presume from your Baptist parents. Can I compliment you on a highly hyperactive imagination?
Are you saying you are a full preterist with regard to eschatology? Actually, I would guess you are a partial preterist.
You are an interesting chap. I'm not out to criticize anybody, so I won't go to attacking your stuff. That's usually a bottomless pit anyway.
I have to admit, after reading as much of your stuff as I had time, that you have evaded labels. There is an intense surrealism in your style that is refreshing as literature. You sound like you might be impervious to well-meaning folks seeking to "correct" you.
There is a certain depth of honesty in your approach. I think that is good of itself, even missing in many Christian circles.
But once it's all out there, then what? I guess I favor transparency with manners. Your roster of readers might end up to be those who favor pornography.
Another impression I have is that you are pulling everybody's leg for some reason. Kind of a Lenny Bruce approach to addressing hypocrisy. It doesn't mean you aren't "shining a light on their beds" as Dylan put it. But I reach the point of saying, "Okay. So what?" Truth be known, hypocrisy is not just a Christian disease, it is a disease of the human condition. Jesus was an exposer of all that as well, without resorting to crassness to convey the truth.
Your writing bewrays a possible genius lurking there. May you harness it for good. But what is your real mission, I might ask? If it is to offend or straighten out hapless evangelicals, what's the point? Easy to do.
I gotta go. Thanks for visiting and pointing us to your cyber-lare.
Alan,
You have been invaded by a space cadet. Too much LSD i suppose. I should talk?
It was apparently just an advertisement.
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