How could a loving God send someone to hell?

Question

When I think about it, it is hard for me... to imagine someone burning in hell for eternity. It makes me sick to my stomach. I can't concieve how a *loving* God could send someone to hell. It seems like if he loved us all, we would all go to heaven...

By the way, all of the above pondering is based on Christian ideology.

When I think about it, it is hard for me... to imagine someone burning in hell for eternity. It makes me sick to my stomach. I can't concieve how a *loving* God could send someone to hell. It seems like if he loved us all, we would all go to heaven...

By the way, all of the above pondering is based on Christian ideology.

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And for those who said that God loved us enough to give us a chance to be saved...
People aren't perfect. People are so imperfect that they would make the "mistake" of not choosing Christianity. If God made us imperfect... how can he expect everyone to choose him?

Yeah... I made a mistake adding those details...Sorry! :D

Answer 1

I'm a Christian, first of all, and I believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell, but I completely agree with you. I can't possibly understand how someone could ever be evil enough to, when faced with the reality of God and His presence, turn it away! Even the worst of the worst -- all have mental problems, like Hitler or serial killers. It seems like everyone would make it to Heaven.

Answer 2

Hell is something that most "Christian" churches teach to scare people into joining. More people brings more money.

In true Christianity, hell is nothing more than the grave. For refrence, see these scriptures (preferably in a Bible with footnotes)
Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10
Jonah 2:2 (was hell located in the fish's belly or was that about to be Jonah's grave?)
Job 14:13
Psalm 16:10

Answer 3

Would god send Osama bin Laden to heaven? I sure hope not. God is a Just god, and we must pay for the sins that we have committed in this life. That is why Some will go to hell. However, if we let Christ, the Mediator, take upon himself our sins, we can become pure and worthy to enter into Gods Kingdom.

Answer 4

I had trouble with that to. I asked question about and a few Christians have told me that Hell means in the ground, u sees to exist. Like its separation from God u just die and don't exist something like that anyway. I don't believe in Hell. Such a place where people are sent there for not believing doesn't make sense to me.

Answer 5

God doesn't want any body to go to Hell... that is why he sent his son to die on the cross for our sins... and three days later, rise from the dead. All who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be permitted into heaven.

Why can't everybody just go to heaven? Well, if God let everybody into heaven, Heaven wouldn't be Heaven anymore. It would be no better then here on earth... there would be murders, robberies, rapes, etc. That is why God has made a condition to enter Heaven--and that condition is, you must have your sin dealt with.

We can deal with our sin in one of two ways--we can either pay for our sins ourselves in hell for an eternity, or we Can accept Jesus' free gift on the cross. He paid for our sins so that we wouldn't have to... What we must do is receive his payment and apply it to our account.

Answer 6

God dont Damn any one. It is mans free will choice as to how to spend eternity.

God dose not want any to reject what he is offering. But for those who do. Then they will be eternaly seperated from God. Which is the true death.

Those who come to God in The Way He proscribs will not die when the end of the mortal body comes.

Those who do not come to God in the way he proscribes Damn themselves.

you can check out my hard line stand on this at:

http://pages.zdnet.com/mikevanauken/mikesinternetoutreach/id21.html

Your impression of christian ideology is in error.

For those of the Christian Faith God is the Creator of all things. We, all mortals, belong to God. God can do with His creation whatever he sees fit. He did not intend for man to die and suffer the ravages of sin as has been the case. It is mans choise to reject God. The rejects get the Boot in the end.

Answer 7

The problem is that christian ideology has changed over the past 100 years. All this new age, feel good, crap has taken over. God isn't all loving. He is jealous and vindictive and he punishes people who disobey his commandments.. Read the scripture Job, if it hasn't been taken out of your bible for being too negative. It shows you what kind of sense of humour he has as well.

Answer 8

He doesn't, and hell isn't what most people define it to be. Remember Jesus himself, who was perfect, was in hell for 3 days and nights ( so hell simply means the grave...) Also just like a house can't burn forever what makes you think that your flesh will be able to. GOD holds you accountable for your actions but not to the point of being cruel. Just as a human parent wouldn't burn a child for being disobedient neither does GOD.

Answer 9

I agree, and there should be different levels, for different rewards for good behavior in life. And, the people who did not do any good in life were the workers (building mansions, distributing slurpies....) instead of in hell. Yeah, I like that idea. But, it would not work as a deterant for criminals, propagated by governments, if that was what they wrote way back then. Think about it....

Answer 10

A loving God gives everyone the opportunity to avoid hell. God also gives us free will. If one chooses to turn away from the message of salvation, it is not Gods fault; he gave them a chance.

Answer 11

God is both infinitely merciful and infinitely just. ponder that. i can't explain it. but we don't know if anyone is in hell. we don't know if anyone is in heaven other than the saints. point- i don't know exactly what follows this life. if you get ever get the chance to read the Chronicles of Narnia, the end of the seventh book provides some interesting insights to mull over.