# The Atheist and the Pastor **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 18, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-and-the-pastor/829762 "2019-02-18T13:25:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2019, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-and-the-pastor/829762/81 "2019-02-24T23:49:15Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Sorry, I don’t see that anywhere in **rsat3acr** post. Who are you going to trust, some guy on the Internet or the Angel of the Abyss? 😃 > [@](#): > > Anyway, my understanding, feeble as it is, is that Dante is not “canon” as it were. Didn’t he make a bunch of stuff up? I mentioned Dante as he describes Limbo, and its existence as the destination of unbaptized babies dates to around his time. Later Catholic councils decreed that these infants actually go to hell, but without the same punishments… so _nice_ hell. :rolleyes: I was a bit out of date though, apparently since 2007 babies who die unbaptized go to heaven. No official word on the virtuous pagans though. This is all just based on what I’ve read of Catholic beliefs… as to what all those splitters believe… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-and-the-pastor/829762/82 "2019-02-24T23:59:19Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Who are you going to trust, some guy on the Internet or the Angel of the Abyss? :DI mentioned Dante as he describes Limbo, and its existence as the destination of unbaptized babies dates to around his time. Later Catholic councils decreed that these infants actually go to hell, but without the same punishments… so _nice_ hell. :rolleyes: > > I was a bit out of date though, apparently since 2007 babies who die unbaptized go to heaven. No official word on the virtuous pagans though. > > This is all just based on what I’ve read of Catholic beliefs… as to what all those splitters believe… 🙂 I tried to find something definitive on unbaptized babies and Catholics, but most of the sites I found seemed to say that the Church hopes that they go to heaven, but there’s no certainty. It does seem clear that baptized kids go there, so if Pete were Catholic, he would really be doing them a disservice by refusing to baptize them. Still not clear on what Lutherans think. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-and-the-pastor/829762/83 "2019-02-25T01:13:12Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I tried to find something definitive on unbaptized babies and Catholics, but most of the sites I found seemed to say that the Church hopes that they go to heaven, but there’s no certainty. That’s pretty much my reading of the current state too. As a non-believer it all seems like something of a retcon to me, but then like you I find much of religion enigmatic. > [@](#): > > Still not clear on what Lutherans think. All snark aside, I stand by my original comment: IMHO Pete was being a jerk and attempting to manipulate his sister. I suppose if I was to be terribly charitable I might consider that he was refusing out of a belief that what his sister needed was connection with a local church to create suitable religious support for her and her family… I would hope (given the situation as described in the OP) that if the sister pressed the matter and made it clear that either Pete did the baptism or it wasn’t happening at all then he would have relented. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-and-the-pastor/829762/84 "2019-02-25T18:52:09Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Regards, > Shodan Hi **Shodan**. The purpose of this reply is to notify you if you wish to answer what the OP is further inquiring about (posts #62, #76). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-atheist-and-the-pastor/829762.md?page=4)