Justice = Eternal Punishment?

Question

this is something i have been trying to work out about christian beliefs and I'm just not making any progress.

basically by at least SOME christian beliefs... no matter what you do, if you don't belive in Jesus you are doomed to be punished horribly in hell for eternity.
how is this justice?
I mean some basically say that we are BORN deserving this eternal punishment... but HOW? does that really make sense? we are born as God made us. it seems profoundly UN-just for God to make us in such a way that by default we "deserve" eternal punishment, I mean does that even make sense?

so my question is, (this part can apply to anyone I guess)
can you name a SINGLE crime that is capable of being perpetrated by a human being within a human life, that it would be JUSTICE to give them INFINITE punishment for?

and what is your reasoning for that, if you have an example of such a crime.

jldevin, but if we are terrible people from birth, its God's doing that we are so. thus its his doing and his fault. and its unfathomably evil to punish US for something HE did.

jc, that doesn't make sense. do you think God really couldn't see that they would do it? or intend for them to? still would be God punishing us for his wrong.

Impossible, that just doesn't make sense.

rawlings, no, not the first time thinking it, but never gotten a even remotely satisfactory answer.
I'm Jewish by religion, and spiritually have the whole "problem" resolved through my own understandings of things...

but I like understanding why others believe as they do, especially when its so contrary to my own beliefs and understandings.

death penalty is permenant... but its not infinite punishment. theres a huge difference.

its a pretty weak perfection if it would be so easily tainted.
in fact the idea of it being able to be tained proves its imperfection.

Answer 1

If this is your first time thinking this, then be prepared for the lengthiest, most controversial, and quite possibly even violent discussion you have ever had.

If you want to talk, share, and learn about the feelings you are having, I recommend checking out Cliff Walker's website. It's in my source.

Enjoy the journey you are on. I did, and have never looked back on religion and sleep better at night than any Christian. I guarantee it.

Answer 2

I've made this same argument many times. There is no crime, however heinous, that is deserving of eternal punishment. There are some terrible ones, but an eternity is a long time. And no truly just god would condemn a person to perpetual suffering--especially not for the alleged "crime" of being unable to believe unbelievable things.

As for the concept of predestination--that some people are elected before birth to be saved, while others are doomed to hell, no matter what they do in life--nothing could be more unjust.

It all strikes me as anti-intellectual, utterly irrational superstition.

Answer 3

For Eternal Punishment you have to believe that there is no such thing as Redemption or rehabilitation. The hardest part for me to understand is (please understand that I am not Christian) that the majority of Chistians believe in some sort of permenent punishment of Hell that is not only justified but is assigned by those other than the one commiting the crime. Isn't it the teachings, of what Chistians believe to be their Savior, to be forgivness? If I remember correctly when Jesus was being crusified he forgave and saved a thief and a murderer who was crusifed along side him. If this is the teachings of the man they consider Savior then the concept of eternal punsihment seems to be a contridiction. Actually the entire religion is rife with contridiction but that does not make the entire system wrong...but that is not the issue...sorry...I cannot find a single issue where any crime is punishable by enternal punishment. Punishment is designed to not only hold the "criminal" accountable for their actions but to offer the opportunity for realization of ones wrongness and to attone for such actions. Only when attonement and redemption is not embraced is the punishment eternal, but then that is by the indiviual's choice not anyother.

Answer 4

Not eternal punishment, but eternal separation from God. Yes we are born into sin and are in fact sinners. Why, How? Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Does this mean all of humanity? Yes! Even Christ! Was Christ a sinner? No!2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:22. So what does this verse in Romans mean? It means that we are all equally guilty of the sin of Adam and Eve. So, no matter what we do, out side of God, is meaningless! It is nothingness! All of the power we get, all of the money we amass, all of the fame we have, all of the things that we build, all of it is nothingness of nothingness's, with out God!

Answer 5

God is an all-loving, omnipotent, omnipresent Creator, but by definition he allows his creation to make their own choices.

These creature manifestations of God then experience the results of their choices, and when they finally learn that the path back to God is through loving each other they are welcomed back to the loving arms of God like a loving parent would welcome home his wandering children.

God is all-forgiving, so once again - by definition - there is no punishment, aside from remaining removed from God's presence.

All morality is a construct of the human mind, and what's considered moral or immoral varies according to time and place.

God has only one law - love they neighbor as thyself - and he waits with infinite patience, love and forgiveness for us to learn that lesson.

There is no such thing as sin, there is no such place as hell. There is only God awaiting our return.

Answer 6

The fact is we are born of Adam who is fallen therefore we are also fallen. Aside from that we sin enough ourselves to be in trouble with God. God is perfectly holy and sinners can not live in his presence. Hell was not made for man, but for satan and the demons but if we do not take God's provision through the death of Jesus we can not be with God. The only alternative is hell. Rather than question whether this makes sense you should focus on the fact that God loves so much that he did all he can to save us. He gave his very life. What more can he do?

Answer 7

that's an spectacular element. think of approximately this. we are created by using God's photograph, for that reason we mirror his characteristics in a small volume on condition that we are imperfect. we can tell something is in simple terms or unjust thank you to our Heavenly Father. Your suggestions tells you it is not honest to deliver a toddler to hell. and you're ideal. Plus, God concurs with you. you spot, an prolonged time in the past human beings invented the assumption of a fiery hell. The Greek philosophers and the classic pagan religions taught it. look what God feels approximately tormenting human beings in hell constantly: Jeremiah 7:31 - and that they have got geared up the severe places of Topheth, that's contained in the valley of the son of Hinnom, with a view to burn their sons and their daughters contained in the hearth, a element that I had no longer commanded and that had no longer arise into my coronary heart. The Bible states for sure that as quickly as we die we stop to exist: Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10 - For the residing are unsleeping that they are going to die; yet as for the ineffective, they're unsleeping of no longer something in any respect, neither do they anymore have wages, because of the fact the remembrance of them has been forgotten. additionally, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and that they have got not got any element anymore to time indefinite in something that must be achieved under the sunlight... All that your hand unearths to do, do with your very skill, for there is not any artwork nor devising nor know-how nor understanding in Sheol, the situation to which you're going. Genesis 3:19 - contained in the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you come to the floor, for out of it you have been taken. For airborne dirt and dust you're and to airborne dirt and dust you will return.

Answer 8

What is the opposite of eternal peace? Nothing other than eternal torment is the equal opposite. We might not think it's fair but either we spend eternity with God in peace, or eternity without God in torment. I dont know many Christians who LIKE the idea of hell but we certainly cant change it.

Answer 9

The wages of sin is death....not eternal torment.
That whole "burn in hell" thing was invented by people...God is way to big to need that kind of revenge.

Oh, btw, I am a Christian.

Answer 10

God loves everyone, and he knows how we will all turn out before we do. He saves everyone because when he knew we would all sin he still gave us his unconditonal love, so sleep tight , have pleasent dreams, and believe that everyone who learns their lesson and is truly sorry will go to Heaven. Nobody is perfect!