Illegitimates

[Caedmon]

But children of adulterers will not come to maturity, and the offspring of an unlawful union will perish. Even if they live long they will be held of no account, and finally their old age will be without honor. If they die young, they will have no hope and no consolation on the day of judgment. For the end of an unrighteous generation is grievous. - Wisdom of Solomon 3:16-19, NRSV

But the prolific brood of the ungodly will be of no use, and none of their illegitimate seedlingts will strike a deep root or take a firm hold. For even if they put forth boughs for a while, standing insecurely they will be shaken by the wind, and by the violence of the winds they will be uprooted. The branches will be broken off beofre they come to maturity, and their fruit will be useless, not ripe enough to eat, and good for nothing. For children of unlawful unions are witnesses of evil against their parents when God examines them. - Wisdom of Solomon 4:3-6, NRSV

Are these passages saying that illegitimate children can not achieve salvation? I have heard that at some point in the Church's history, this was taught.

 

[dignitized]

humble: Illegitimate children cannot inherit according to OT law and according to church and civil law until recent ages.

 

[Caedmon]

What about salvation? Has the Church ever taught that illegitimate children could not achieve salvation?

 

[ZooMom]

Originally posted by humblejoe
What about salvation? Has the Church ever taught that illegitimate children could not achieve salvation?

On what grounds could the Church possibly teach this? All sin (even if anyone believed illegitimacy to be the child's fault) is remitted in Baptism. As far as I know illegitimacy was only a barrier to inheritence, whether it be property or titles.

 

[Caedmon]

I seem to remember from my British Lit class that William Wordsworth wrote poetry about his illegitimate sister or cousin.(not sure which one)

Allegedly, the Church, or some group of clergy, claimed that she could never reach Heaven, but Wordsworth believed otherwise.

 

[ZiSunka]

I know that the church did not allow illegitimate babies to be bapitzed, until the 1940's. They were considered non=people by the church. My cousin had the unfortunate circumstance to give birth to a baby out of wedlock in the 1940's, and she was refused baptism on those grounds. She gave the baby up for adoption, and the adoptive parents asked for baptism at the very same church, and it was granted to them, because adoption somehow made the baby "redeemable."

More recently, however, in the 1980's, my then-husband fathered a child outside of our marriage and not only was that child baptized in the church, but my husband was honored as the baby's father and got to play the father's role during the ceremony. It was very upsetting to me, and I objected, but the priest informed me that my husband was the baby's father, no matter how it was conceived and it was right for the church to accept him and include him in all aspects of church life for the baby's sake. And really, from that day on, the church recognized the baby's mother as my husband's rightful partner, and excluded me from most aspects of church life so as not to alienate the mother.

So the church has turned 180 degrees on illegitimacy. Old Biblical truths, fromt he catholic's own Bible, have been turned away and PC has been embraced.

 

[seebs]

Oh, lambslove, that's horrible!

I can understand demanding that the father be "recognized" - he acquired certain responsibilities when he fathered a child. But... excluding you from things to avoid alienating the mother? That sounds pretty wrong to me.