What Is The Age Of Accountability?

[MrMoe]

I don't know if this question has been asked before cause I don't post here much.
At what age are we accountable for our sins?
I thinks it's Twenty, I think this mainly because of Numbers 1:1-46

It seems like the right age, not too young, not too old. It makes sense to me.

I've heard some say it's like thirty or fifty, which sounds crazy to me.

 

[Albion]

I don't know if this question has been asked before cause I don't post here much.
At what age are we accountable for our sins?
I thinks it's Twenty, I think this mainly because of Numbers 1:1-46

It seems like the right age, not too young, not too old. It makes sense to me.

I've heard some say it's like thirty or fifty, which sounds crazy to me.

Traditionally, it's 6 or 7. That's why churches that have a "first communion" for youngsters do it at about that age. It's considered the age at which children can tell the difference between right and wrong, as opposed to simply knowing that certain actions will be punished or disapproved of, etc.

 

[jlmagee]

I don't know if this question has been asked before cause I don't post here much.
At what age are we accountable for our sins?
I thinks it's Twenty, I think this mainly because of Numbers 1:1-46

It seems like the right age, not too young, not too old. It makes sense to me.

I've heard some say it's like thirty or fifty, which sounds crazy to me.

I am not sure their is a certain age. The Jewish Bar mitzvah(sp?) is given at 13. The rationale is that this is the age that the boy is able to comprehend the Torah. Catholic confirmation is similar, but I am thinking they want the child to be older. If I remember, there is a disclaimer that they still may not be accountible because some theology is still beyond their ability. In the churches that I attended, it was always defined as being able to respond to the Gospel. Twenty sounds more reasonable though.

 

[Albion]

The Jewish Bar mitzvah(sp?) is given at 13. The rationale is that this is the age that the boy is able to comprehend the Torah. Catholic confirmation is similar, but I am thinking they want the child to be older.

But Confirmation is not based upon having reached the age of accountability. Being admitted to Holy Communion is--and that is at about age 7.

Since Confirmation in the Catholic church was mentioned, that sacrament follows a period of instruction in the faith, but it's not connected to the age of accountability.

 

[jlmagee]

But Confirmation is not based upon having reached the age of accountability. Being admitted to Holy Communion is--and that is at about age 7.

Thank you for clarifying that for me.

 

[Rick Otto]

I don't know if this question has been asked before cause I don't post here much.
At what age are we accountable for our sins?
I thinks it's Twenty, I think this mainly because of Numbers 1:1-46

It seems like the right age, not too young, not too old. It makes sense to me.

I've heard some say it's like thirty or fifty, which sounds crazy to me.

I saw a lot of 30-50 mentions about temple service but nothin about accountability or 20.

I'm thinking legal accountability is a local decision, but spiritual accountability may be too hard to quantify with physical age much past a rough correlation, but even those factors can be influenced by local conditions. Kids can be so heavily indoctrinated that autonomous reactions rarely overcome indoctrination. I just watched a movie about some guys caught up in 4 generations of KuKluxKlan ctivity. A guy was photographed at a lynching when he was only ten & he said it was the third one he'd attended.
Anybody who has suffered that kind of indoctrination has arguably had their accountability severly impaired.

 

[New_Wineskin]

I don't know if this question has been asked before cause I don't post here much.
At what age are we accountable for our sins?
I thinks it's Twenty, I think this mainly because of Numbers 1:1-46

It seems like the right age, not too young, not too old. It makes sense to me.

I've heard some say it's like thirty or fifty, which sounds crazy to me.

If they are indeed sins , the person is accountable no matter what age .

 

[Albion]

If they are indeed sins , the person is accountable no matter what age .

Not necessarily. A lot of people would contend that the act is wrong in itself but the person can't be held accountable if he doesn't know what he's doing. That's the point with all of this.

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

At what age are we accountable for our sins?

No such thing exists in Apostolic Christianity.

Look at sin as disease, it can afflict at any time.

All children, even infants, are included in The Holy Eucharist, beginning the treatment before the disease sets in.

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Forgive me...

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Having a disease has nothing to do with accountability.

We either have it or we dont.

Forgive me...

 

[Kristos]

Life begins at conception...

 

[bbbbbbb]

Life begins at conception...

And? The implication is that when life begins one is accountable for sin?

 

[Kristos]

And? The implication is that when life begins one is accountable for sin?

Do you know an immortal fetus?

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

And? The implication is that when life begins one is accountable for sin?

Are babies who are born with defects (or disease) accountable for the defect?

It's there. Accountability has nothing to do with it. (Unless of course we want to blame the parents for not baptizing the child.)

Forgive me...

 

[ErminlindaRika]

That was the registration of Israel's troops. I think the age of accountability should be more like my age onwards. I think I'm accountable for my sins.

 

[Rev Randy]

Age of accountability? I think that began in Adam's age or time.

I have heard the term used but it kinda make a mockery of "Suffer the little children to come unto me."
Twenty? now that's a new wrinkle. Never even heard that before.
There is such in the Muslim religion and it's at the age of puberty.

Now nearly every Christian would agree that we MUST be born again. Just how has an infant been reborn?

 

[Albion]

That was the registration of Israel's troops. I think the age of accountability should be more like my age onwards. I think I'm accountable for my sins.

Age of accountability? I think that began in Adam's age or time.

Now nearly every Christian would agree that we MUST be born again. Just how has an infant been reborn?

Accountability = age at which we can willfully choose to sin. The traditional guess is about 7. However, if that doesn't seem right, surely you--Erminlinda--don't think that you are unable to choose to do wrong until you're 18, do you? And no, Rev. Randy, no one is suggesting that an infant can choose to defy God's laws.

So...common sense suggests that it's somewhere in between those two ages, wouldn't you say?

 

[Rev Randy]

Accountability = age at which we can willfully choose to sin. The traditional guess is about 7. However, if that doesn't seem right, surely you--Erminlinda--don't think that you are unable to choose to do wrong until you're 18, do you? And no, Rev. Randy, no one is suggesting that an infant can choose to defy God's laws.

So...common sense suggests that it's somewhere in between those two ages, wouldn't you say?

So if I sin by being deceived (unwillful) it doesn't count? But that's not the point. Every child I have met, when sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar is looking around as not to be seen. Isn't that deliberate and usually around 18 months of age. At what age does a child first lie? How about that first fit they throw? It's not about being accountable. It's about salvation. IQ and info has nothing to do with who needs salvation.
I would suppose one could make a case that a little one even while he/she knows what they are doing is wrong, they don't realize the full ramifications of it. But to that I'd say none of us realize the full ramifications of sin.

So some say a little child is not accountable. Then why do you say "NO' to that child? Apparently the child is accountable to you.

 

[Lion King]

Accountability = age at which we can willfully choose to sin. The traditional guess is about 7. However, if that doesn't seem right, surely you--Erminlinda--don't think that you are unable to choose to do wrong until you're 18, do you? And no, Rev. Randy, no one is suggesting that an infant can choose to defy God's laws.

So...common sense suggests that it's somewhere in between those two ages, wouldn't you say?

I would prefer Scripture over common sense any day.

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

I knew I was doing wrong when I took a cookie.

That's why I was sneakin.

Forgive me...