If a commited Christian has atheist children, will they have to spend eternity knowing their kids are in hell?

Question

Heaven must be a pretty unpleasant place having to deal with that knowledge for eternity. Or would they adopt the attitude that their kids get what they deserve?

Please, don't be tempted to give the "proper xtians will ansure their kids are xtians too" line in order to dodge the question. That's just an evasion, a denial of reality, a denial of the free will that we all have.

Answer 1

Bloomin Eck indeed!! That's one of those questions that causes people to take their beliefs to the logical conclusion. When they do that, the results can be very uncomfortable.

Double predestination, anyone? That goes like this:
- "the elect" are saved because God effectively chooses, free will or no free will, he basically knows how the sh1t is hanging before you're even born. So he predestines you for heaven.
- so the "double" side of that is that he's also created billions of people who are and always were predestined to spend eternity in hell.
I heard this from someone who believes it. Evangelicals who don't believe it have their work cut out to explain why they don't.

It's a bit of a crappy arrangement in my book. Course, God doesn't read my book.

Answer 2

Heaven is a place of no tears, and I would be in tears if I thought my kids were being tormented. I can only conclude that we will have no knowledge of hell when we are in heaven.
My mother died before I became a Christian and I have no idea which way she went, she certainly wasn't a church goer or even close to christianity at the time of her death. I struggled for a long time with this question, but I can only bow to Gods superior knowledge and holiness and know that she has gone where she ultimately chose to go, by her acceptance or rejection of christ.
~And despite your cynicism, God promises to give his children all good things, so I do believe that the children of believers will be brought into a relationship with Jesus, even if it's on their own death-bed.

Answer 3

This is an excellent question.

Beneath it lies one reason for some of the discord on this site: If heaven (or some form of afterlife) means separation from those we love, then we have to convert them by any means possible because we don't want to lose them.

If you believe in God, or have thought about believing in God, is this the kind of God you would imagine...a harsh, unforgiving God?

Most likely not, if your understanding of God is one that involves love, mercy, compassion, and care for all humans and creatures.

So, something must be wrong with this picture of heaven/afterlife and who gets in.

We don't really know the answer to the question of what happens when people die. Those who have had near death experiences often relate that they felt they were entering into perfect love. (Others have had more traumatic experiences.) Bottom line is that no one has come back with a complete report on how it works.

I think, though, that having an understanding of God as a loving caring Mother/Father is helpful and to appreciate the fact that God works in various ways with different people and cultures -- and in this regard, Chrisitanity is only one of those ways. And who is to say whether or not God is working in the lives of these hypothetical atheist children?

In the afterlife, I hope that I am at one with all of those I love, my children who have different religious views, and even with the dear pets I have known, and with many other souls that I have not met, many who have had very different understandings of how God works in the world.

Answer 4

My bf is dealing with that issue. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and his parents were very rigidly active (which is the norm for that cult). His dad is still active, him mom is deceased. They raised 6 kids, 3 of whom are now out of the religion.

Their religion teaches that not only are these three kids and their children (their grandchildren) doomed, but they are not to socialize together. They may meet to talk business and that is it!

The three kids still "in" are hypocrites (as are many in fundy groups) who put forth the appearances of being "proper" witnesses, but who do forbidden things their folks don't know about.

They do this both to gain in the family inheritance (it has been said that those children out of the "truth" will be excluded in the will), and probably because the price of leaving this church is so high. If you leave all your friends and family still in must shun you. Since that organization discourages relationships with anyone out of the org, leaving comes with the staggering price of losing pretty much everyone you care about!

In any case, I remember when his mom died how hard it was to acknowledge that at least half her kids won't be in paradise with her (and if there is any truth to the heaven and salvation stories, then the other three won't be their because God sees their lies, right?).

His parents have almost no relationship with the grandkids that are "out," probably because it would break their heart to get to know these kids and know they are doomed.

So in many cases, the kids don't even have to be Athiest, they just have to be non-believers in most forms of Christianity.

I also remember my mother-in-law who sobbed hysterically when I married her son in a synagoge (I'm Jewish). Her Assembly of God church also believes that people not in are doomed. My kids have noticed as they've grown older and rejected going to church with Grandma, her relationship with them has suffered. My kids do not have the same close relationship with their grandmother that their cousins have.

You would think such a belief alone would cause a devout person to question the logic of their faith. Yet it doesn't.

That I don't get.

Answer 5

There is nothing saying that an athiest is definately going to hell although I know that some Christians ascribe to that theory. I am a Catholic Christian and my personal belief is that there is a God and I am not the one to tell Him who can and can't get into heaven. I pray that everyone can get in. (I'll have a better chance). If though someone you love here on earth is destined for hell, I doubt God would let you remember that love that you felt so as to not make you suffer with the knowledge that they are in hell.

Answer 6

there is no Hell or fiery place of torment. The be conscious Hell is a translation from the Hebrew be conscious Sheol which basically ability 'the elementary grave of mankind'. Even Jesus replaced into mentioned of going to Sheol at his dying. and not all and sundry is going to Heaven. A 'little flock', a hundred and forty four 000 human beings, would be 'bought from the earth' and join Gods Kingdom in heaven. something of truthful mankind will savour the possibility of eternal existence on earth, no longer unlike what Adam and Eve initially had. asserting this, Christians won't be able to shelter a 'spot' interior the hot heaven or earth in the event that they do no longer keep on attempting to loyally serve their God. additionally, all and sundry, whilst they attain a undeniable age are in charge for their very own salvation and are answerable to God. no rely if i could die for my toddlers, if I had any, I in all threat could. to keep them from soreness or suffering and enable them to stay longer to learn the reality approximately existence could be my honour.

Answer 7

Someone said that this is the best question ever. Actually this has too be the dumbest question ever.
Nobody is born an atheist, they decide in life whether they want to believe in God or not. Their parents can't decide for them. They can only pray for them. If they still refuse then their parents will be sad but they still can't do anything to make their children a Christian.
If you don't turn to Jesus you will never know what Heaven will be like sadly you will know what hell is like.

Answer 8

Good lord, you have so many answers to your question!! Well here is another one. "Committed" - is rather subjective and therefore open to a variety of interpretations. You could mean - a serious/devout christian or an overzealous nutty christian. What all Christians should remember is that God loved the world so much that he gave us his only son - to teach us that the most important things that we, as humans who go through life making mistakes and hurting each other, have to do is to love and forgive one another. Christ came here to us on earth - not to give medals to good folk who remembered the ten commandments - but to show how God does not forget or reject those who forget about Him. So a Christian who remembers all that our Lord taught us will not worry for his./her children if they don't pray or go to church. The best thing we Christians can do is to live our lives being the people God intended us to be and not try to imagine that we know how God intended other people to live theirs.

Answer 9

the family thing stays on earth ...
when one dies and one resurrects if one has beensaved and has followed all of God's commandment one will not be looking for earthly things. even children. its a different dimension, we are souls there not bodies. and procreation was so that souls can be on earth to develop a life, follow Christ's way and move on to everlasting life.
yes earth is the trial s and tribulations place for humans to go through before trying or getting to heven
yr question does not make sense to me, but i m trying to understand it

spend "eternity" eternity can be in hell or heaven so which are you talking about , will the children spend hell eternally? and you in another plateau/dimension. Well I have not come back from the dead to be able to really answer this, but a Christian should make sure her his children turn to God b efore they are condemned. Even if they are good. This does not suffice.
YOu have to recognize the creator that made you. Its that simple, and we do taht by obeying HIM. AS he is your father. You and your children are YOUR Father's children so we will all be at one level, if we all make it to heaven.

meaning that if you want to get to heaven,
you dont lie
you dont cheat and steal
you dont drink
you dont wish for yr neibhors wife/spouse
you dont lust
you dont take thy Lord's name in vane (that means you cannot swear any more saying God damn it nope that is bad and every time you say "OH God" thats calling the Lord in vane and its a nooooo.

YOu have to not kill, nor covet, its a lot more than just being good. And have you been serving the Lord by telling yr family HE IS REAL AND HE IS OUR FATHER AND CREATOR OF ALL? OR ARE YOU LETTING EVIL TEACH THEM ITS OK TO BE ATHEIST AFTER ALL ITS ONLY HELL FOR REWARD.

Have you been born again? do you know wwhy Jesus died on a cross? Why would the son of God Himself get killed right? find out why and you will be surprised

GOD HAS NO TIME FOR THOSE WHO DONT LOVE HIM AND THROW STONES AT HIM...FOR HE HAS TO BE RESPECTED IN ALL WAYS....BY ALL CULTURES...BY ALL CHILDREN and those who detour go...into the "wide is the path>.."

Answer 10

Um.....this depends if there is a hell as churchianity say.
In their Bible Manual, it is so clear hell is only for age lasting ...a time of refinement....and according to the Oahspe reserved mainly for the false gods that invented all the false warrior religions of all ages.
The heavens are graded though and it really does depend how we get out own spirits to relate to the service to other golden rule...main commandments how we progress i n the next worlds and lives

Answer 11

The answer is yes, and by the way if the atheists are right we wouldn't even contemplate this question because as a biproduct of a spiritless, godless universe, we would not have such never ending facination with the supernatural. Input=output. Heaven is not "bait" the bible actually spends little time talking about it. In fact, as evidence of its focus upon the practical needs of this life, the Bible spends most of its time, by topic, on the topic of finances.