Question: Does the Book of Mormon contradict the Bible regarding when are children capable of sin?

Criticism

• The Bible is claimed to contradict the Book of Mormon teaching that children cannot sin under eight years of age.
• The Bible is claimed to place sin at the point of conception.
• Walter Martin writes, "Anyone who thinks that children under age eight cannot sin has not visited the classrooms of today's schools."

Source(s) of the criticism

• Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (Revised) (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1997), 206. ( Index of claims )

Response

If the critics' position is accepted, then we must agree that:

• children sin from the moment they are born
• anyone who sins and does not accept Jesus in the manner which He prescribed must be damned
• those who are damned suffer in hell for all eternity

Thus, the critics' claim requires us to accept the morally repulsive idea that God condemns little babies or children to eternal torment for something that is no fault of their own (being born) simply because they have not yet done something which they cannot yet do (accept Jesus).

The critics' scriptures

The critics use the following scriptures as "evidence" that sin occurs at conception and that children under age eight are guilty of sin:

• Scripture #1: 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. (Romans 5꞉12-15)

• Scripture #2 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3꞉10-12

• Scripture #3: Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Psalm 51꞉5

Response to the critics' reading of scripture

Scripture #1: This scripture teaches only that Adam sinned and brought the fall upon all humanity. The LDS agree with this doctrine—but deny that this means that infants and children are damned. Without the atonement of Christ, all would be damned and lost forever as the Book of Mormon teaches:

8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. (2 Nephi 9꞉8-10)

But, thanks to the grace of Christ (as Paul emphasizes in Romans 5), no one is damned for Adam's sins.

Scripture #2:" This teaches that all are sinners, and none can merit God's presence. The Latter-day Saints agree—the Book of Mormon teaches this doctrine clearly:

11 And now remember, my son, if it were not for the plan of redemption, (laying it aside) as soon as they were dead their souls were miserable, being cut off from the presence of the Lord.

12 And now, there was no means to reclaim men from this fallen state, which man had brought upon himself because of his own disobedience....

14 And thus we see that all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence.

15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also. (Alma 42꞉11-12,14-15).

All 'are sinners, and all are damned without the atonement of Christ. But, thanks to the atonement of Christ, mercy is offered. And, the Latter-day Saints believe that this mercy includes mercy extended to little children and other innocents who cannot willfully sin. Without the atonement, even they would not be saved:

16 And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins (Mosiah 3꞉16).

So, the critics have provided an accurate state of affairs—IF there was no atonement of Christ.

Scripture #3: The critics wish to make this scripture into an affirmation that the act of conception places original sin upon a newborn child.

This understanding of original sin was not taught in the early Christian church; it is a later innovation.

The Psalm cited goes on to say that "thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalms 51꞉16-17).

So, God desires a repentant heart and spirit—yet, what if a baby or child cannot yet provide this? Are we to conclude that they are damned forever?

LDS Doctrine

Walter Martin claims that "Anyone who thinks that children under age eight cannot sin has not visited the classrooms of today's schools."^[1] This rather snide aside completely misses the whole thrust of LDS doctrine on this topic. The Latter-day Saints do not believe that those under eight cannot do wrong, or do not make wrong choices which violate the will of God. Clearly, many can and do.

LDS doctrine, however, holds simply that in an act of universal grace, Christ simply declares that no one who sins before age eight will be held accountable for their crimes. Thus, when LDS scripture says that little children "cannot sin," this means that the acts which they do are not considered as sin, and have no impact on their standing before God. Without Christ's atonement, they would assuredly be sins, but with His grace they are not.

Endnotes

1. [note]  Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (Revised) (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1997), 206. ( Index of claims )