How can Christians be so smug if they truly believe everyone but them is going to Hell? Jesus told his followers to love, first and foremost. Is that love, smugly condemning everyone but yourself to Hell?
2006-09-24 16:46:46 · 17 answers · asked by a_delphic_oracle 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Don't criticize people who aren't at your level of spirituality yet. They'll get there. Consider them your little brothers and sisters.
2006-09-24 16:50:46 · answer #1 · answered by ThatGuy 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The perplexitude is epidemic on this one. The blindness to the statement that they are going to heaven to live in eternal bliss while people they love will be in eternal torment doesn't seem to bother them at all.
I asked once about how the Christians here could deal with the fact that some of the people they loved would be tortured for eternity. Most of them said that God would wipe out their memories. Yet what are we without our memories. That doesn't sound like eternal life. That sounds like oblivion.
I'm certain that there are many Christians who believe that there is no eternal damnation. A Roman Catholic friend once told me that Catholics have to believe there is a hell, but they don't have to believe that there's anyone there. Because the sense of meaning and comfort comes from their faith, it is not reasonable to expect they will abandon it unless they can be assured that they will still find meaning and comfort. As for those of us standing outside that circle, we can just smile and talk about something we share in common.
2006-09-25 00:02:36 · answer #2 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I, a Christian, don't smugly condemn or even just plain condemn, anyone to Hell. Well except for the obvious ones. Hitler, yeah, he better be in hell and Stalin too.
The people who do this aren;t true Christians, these Holier than thou types. They just have very low self esteem and have found a people they can push down to go up.
2006-09-24 23:51:36 · answer #3 · answered by millancad 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, according to what the Bible really teaches Hell is not what many ppl think it is.
At Romans 6:23 it says the wages sin pays is death, it doesn't say the wages sin pays is everlasting torment in Hell. For a God of Love that would be cruel to punish someone forever.
The bible clearly talks about what happens when we die at Ecclesiastes 9: 5,10; Ezekiel 18:20 says The soul that is sinning—it itself will die. It doesn't say the soul that is sinning will burn in hell. If you do research on what the original word for hell in Hebrew and Greek mean, you'll understand more.
Also Ezekiel 18:23 says ‘Do I take any delight at all in the death of someone wicked,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘[and] not in that he should turn back from his ways and actually keep living?’
So we should feel the same way, even someone wicked we don't want them to die, as a result true Christians should not be only trying to save themselves, they should be trying to "save" other ppl as well by talking to others about the kingdom good news as Jesus commanded, which is indeed a huge part of love and a part of living in the "last days" that Jesus gave as a sign.
2006-09-25 00:14:40 · answer #4 · answered by AmJ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmmm. Interesting question. Christians really can't be smug about hell, because if they have no concern for their fellow humans, the likelihood of their truly being saved is very small.
I can't condemn anyone to hell, but it would certainly be smug if I sat back, secure in my own belief, and never warned anyone of the reality of it. If and when I do tell anyone, it's because I care about them and don't want them to go, not because I want to tick them off or scare them and then laugh about it.
2006-09-24 23:52:49 · answer #5 · answered by ©2007 answers by missy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do not smugly condemn anyone. I will not judge another man's heart - that is up to God. I believe in and have accepted Jesus the son of God - therefore I have been given eternal salvation. Your relationship with the Lord is completely up to you. I hope that one day you will find him - but that is not condemning you - that is caring for you.:)
2006-09-24 23:56:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Going to church doesn't make you a Chrisitan any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ unknown.
No, what you describe is not love. And I agree with you about the smug attitude that some Christians have. Thanksfully, not all of us feel that way.
2006-09-24 23:53:24 · answer #7 · answered by Church Music Girl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never condemned anyone to hell. There is no place in the NT were a disciple or Paul mentions hell when evangelizing.
2006-09-24 23:56:21 · answer #8 · answered by Aspurtaime Dog Sneeze 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mature Christians who understand salvation are never smug because the consequences are so detrimental, we wouldn't wish it on our worst enemy....but rather show love the best we could even through our imperfections.
2006-09-24 23:51:09 · answer #9 · answered by cheryl w 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hey, people should be able to walk their own path, and if Jesus gets them, it'll happen sometime in their life. There's no way to "rush" it on.
It's good to have some influences for a person along their path, but if it's going to happen, it will happen, influence or not, because it was meant happen.
2006-09-24 23:49:27 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's like when someone gets a job promotion, but that promotion is in title only and not any more money than before, then the person would have to brag about it in order to make it seem important.
2006-09-24 23:51:07 · answer #11 · answered by Julian 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋