If you're a Christian, do you have trouble with the idea of eternal suffering in Hell?

Question

If you're a Christian, do you have trouble with the idea of eternal suffering in Hell? That is the one Biblical thing I really get hung up on. I can understand the necessity or justice of such punishment for folks like Hitler, but for others who just didn't accept Christ? I am not questioning God's judgment, but WOW. This one is a tough one for me. Are you a Christian who has the same difficulty? Or are you a Christian who has resolved this issue in your mind?

Answer 1

no if u r a real christian then u would know that being a christian means accepting christ as your lord and savior and trying your best to be christ like and you will be saved as long as u truly repent. If you are a christian, then you shall not go to hell. The Bible teaches us that only those who have not been saved and have not accepted christ as our lord and savior will be doomed to eternal damnation

Answer 2

I'm a Christian of the Catholic variety -- and the one Christian/Catholic doctrine that I wish were not true is the fact that Hell exists.

Hell is mentioned in the New Testament at least two dozen times. It is a real place where real people really go. Unfortunately.

So, the best way -- the only way -- to avoid going to Hell is to live our lives in such a way as to not go there.

This means placing our faith in Christ as our Savior, and living a life in which we continue in His grace until we die, as the Bible tells us.

There are many who do not accept Christ. For some, there may be some unseen mental or psychological barrier that prevents them from doing so. If so, I'm sure God takes that into account when judging the person.

For others, though, they know that Jesus is there, but they just flat out deliberately refuse to accept Him. If this happens and they end up in Hell, then it's by their choice and not God's.

Of course, nothing is impossible with God. In theory at least, He can save a person even if the person doesn't want to be saved. But whether He actually does this or not is another story. I say, why chance it?

Answer 3

I'm a Christian who believes there is no such thing as hell. God is described as having the qualities of justice, love, and care. One with such qualities is not bound to create such a place that would cause someone to suffer for so long. If He really wanted us to suffer so much, then he would just have diminished mankind, and not have been so patient with our sins and shortcomings.

Answer 4

Jesus never mentioned sending anyone to hell. The bible calls mankinds grave both Sheol and hades. He did however talk about Gehenna , a valley in Jerusalem, where trash and dead criminals unfit for burial were burned. god and his son will not tolerate wickedness forever. Destruction is a much different reality than an eternal torture which so many mythologies and religions teach. Have you ever been to a funeral where they said the deceased went to hell? I highly doubt it. Most people obviously don't fear it, even if they profess to believe it. It only alienates people from God.

Answer 5

I don't have a problem with the idea of eternal suffering in Hell- and I don't have a problem with me personally spending an eternity in Hell should that be the fate I choose for myself (for with free will we are the ones that choose our actions). What I DO have a problem with is one religion- any of them- saying without reservation to someone else "You're going to Hell" because they don't believe the same things. The fact is, religious texts are written and interpreted by fallible creatures- and my way of thinking is "who am I to interpret what GOD really means- and make exceptions to my liking?".... I'll find out soon enough my fate- which should be the only fate that drives us (our personal fates that is- please don't be driven by mine cause you might end up in Hell faster than you'd like)....

As a member of a family that has multiple religions associated to it- I do find it difficult to think that good people who lead good lives go to Hell. I've always had issues with that and had to find a way to "deal" so I came up with my own ideology on this subject. I like to think that there are so many religions because there are so many different people- not everyone can wear the same pair of shoes- just like not everyone will walk the same path in them to get Home. If God exists- and he/she is as omnipotent as we believe- I have to think that "it" realizes the "one size fits all" philosophy doesn't work.

At the end of the day I just pray to God and myself that I haven't totally screwed up, that I made choices that didn't negatively impact anyone else, and that I Actually Showed the compassion and understanding so often preached by my faith but rarely acted out.

Answer 6

I had trouble with this concept too. I have come to see that any place where we walk away from God leads to suffering. It is not that God has to send us anywhere, we choose to walk that way. God is not willing that any should perish, so I don't think God ever stops trying to reach us. But this world is fallen, so we can get deeper into the fallenness, and into life away from God, or we can choose to walk closer to God through Jesus, and slowly understand more and more what heaven must be like. I also know I don't know the hidden things of anyone's heart...so who knows what is going on in there. But most of all, I believe that God loves all the people I love more than I do, so if one walks to suffering and away from God, God must care about them even more than I do. I would recommend a book by the Linns that has Goats in the title, it was helpful to me.

Answer 7

Look God created you, me, and everyone else with choices, either be on his side or don't be on his side. It's that easy. if you are a christian then you're fine. The answers to see that God truly exists are very blatant but if you choose to ignore such signs that are presented everyday of you're life then God has a place for you.

Answer 8

I'm an atheist and look at the idea and laugh. Somebody who can only do justice lets murderers and rapists into his kingdom but sends others to Hell just because they don't believe in God. Some "justice" that is.

Answer 9

I struggled with this at one point and I also had a brother who did too. But what I realized is that we need to stop thinking about and just believe in what the Bible tells us is true, and get out into the world and tell people about it. that is why the need to witness is so urgent. People are on their way to hell, whether we like it or not. Therefore, we need to do all we can.

Answer 10

Well, nigh everybody has the experience of God at one point or another in their life. And, if they chose to not follow him knowing good and well what is going to happen it's honestly their fault. And it's horrible because you end up blaming yourself even though you know that you really can't do much about it.


Now, for people who don't ever make contact with any religions at all, I'm not so sure.

Answer 11

Yes, it bothers me but we don't really know what hell is except for it's terrible. Anyone can choose to believe all the way up to the moment of death.
Please remember all sins are in reality equal because they are deliberate disobedience. That's a hard concept for people to understand. But once you do it sure helps keep you from judging others.