[Lukongsimi]

Since when did I say God would punish a child stealing a lollipop with the same kind of punishment meted out to a mass murderer? When taken out of context, my comment sounds cruel. You failed to take account of the age of accountability for children, meaning, at what age are children responsible for their own sins?

While the term age of accountability isn't found in the Bible, the principle is. As long as a child isn't able to distinguish between good and evil, he or she isn't responsible for the corruption inherited from Adam or the sins he or she personally commits.

God has a special love for children. Ps 139:13-16; Matt 18:2-4; Matt 10:14-16. Although the children were infected with sin because of Adam's orginal rebellion, God didn't condemn them because they had "no knowledge of good or evil."

“And Elisha went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭KJV