The Pedophile Huntress

What does the bible say about this? Said another way we could ask, “Do I pay for the sins of my parents?”

Jeremiah, a prophet in the Old Testament, also had this question for God. He wrote, “You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them.” Jeremiah 31:18

Known as the Weeping Prophet, Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah in the Old Testament, right before Judah ultimately fell to Babylon and was led away into captivity. God sent Jeremiah to a crumbling nation to warn of their impending demise – a warning they didn’t heed.

Jeremiah had predicted and witnessed the devastation of his homeland. Moved deeply, he wrote the book of Lamentations, a poem to express his pain and suffering. Here’s a short piece from the Chapter 2, verses 11-12:

My eyes fail from weeping,

    I am in torment within;

my heart is poured out on the ground

    because my people are destroyed,

because children and infants faint

    in the streets of the city.

12 They say to their mothers,

    “Where is bread and wine?”

as they faint like the wounded

    in the streets of the city,

as their lives ebb away

    in their mothers’ arms.

Unfortunately, children often suffer for their parents’ actions — whether crack babies or from homes of incest or other abuse. In the same way, these children were suffering from the nation’s actions, even though they had nothing to do with the decision.

Some insist that no one but God can be ultimately responsible for such suffering, perhaps the feelings behind Jeremiah’s honest, but bitter complaints. Yet God never wanted anyone to suffer, particularly children. In Jeremiah’s time, Judah could only blame herself.

In an imperfect world, through no fault of their own, children suffer the consequences of others’ actions. BUT affliction in this life does not necessarily mean punishment for eternity. Children are NOT eternally damned simply because they were born to ungodly parents.

So, to answer the question — no, God does not allow or condone the suffering of children.

I would like to add that God also told Jeremiah through his declaration in Chapter 29, verse 11:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Ultimately, just as God was giving Judah choice, he also gives choice to us. As we grow and leave our parents, the choice now becomes ours.

You can watch my discussion on my YouTube channel, The Pedophile Huntress: