Should an 11 year old child be told to believe in hell?

Question

If you don't live your life the right way then you will spend eternity being tortured by demons. Is it wrong to tell a child that?

Answer 1

Why would you hide the truth from a child?

Although, I would be much more tactful than the example you gave

Answer 2

I don't think it is wrong to tell children the truth, but apparently, you think so. Oh, by the way, if that 11 year old child does go to hell, they won't be tortured by demons, they will be tortured right along with the demons. In hell you are in a fire that you cannot see, and you continually feel like you are falling. You are burned, and you hear screams and shouts of the others. Oh and, I was told about hell when I was five and I didn't have any nightmares, get over it. Someone at age 11 won't have nightmares about a place you are only telling them about. Besides, if they get saved, they won't have to worry about that anyway.

Answer 3

I can remember hearing about hell when I was younger than 11. I am not scared for life! Most kids these days at age 11 have seen many horror movies and you know I am speaking the truth! If they can see horror movies and see images much worse than anything hell is taught to be then please you tell me what is the difference? I found out that my son's were going to the neighbor's house and watching Nightmare on Elm street movies! I was upset at he other Mother an atheist by the way! I still let my kids play with her kids but they could not watch movies there anymore! I saw star wars and some of those aliens look close enough to demons that I ever thought they'd look like. How many kids love those Star war movies?

Answer 4

That way - yes. Because they are not going to understand what it is really about. That is nothing but a scare tatic.

Christians do not believe you go to heaven because of how you live your life. So that right there is wrong. Instead you are saved merely by God's grace. You are forgiven through love of God - and God will always be with you.

Although this is not a concept understood by many - for Christians people chose to go to hell. They chose this because they reject Jesus - what they believe to be God's gift to humans. The one chance of salvation. People have free will to accept this - they usually here in America have many chances. They have free will to chose what they wish. If they chose to be seperated by God, then God will honor that.

It is debatable if an 11 year old really understand this concept. Instead teach the love of God and the gift of salvation.

Of course your question is just a poorly veiled disguise to use your misunderstandings and ignorance to attack Christanity.

Answer 5

My 11 year old child believes in Heaven and Hell, God the father the son and the holy spirit, he has been taught this both at school, bible school and at home. He's made the decision and given the direction from the holy spirit who ministered it to his conscience. As has my 10 year old. He also knows that there is no Santa Clause, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy etc..
Nothing wrong with teaching your children the truth.

Answer 6

Don't believe in "hell as a place of torment", that is a lie perpetuated by man (mankind) to try to force you to serve God.
HE does NOT want anyone to be forced into believing in/serving HIM...that IS WRONG!!....
child or adult .
It is a parents responsibility to raise you up in knowing about our Heavenly Father & HIS Son. And @ ur age* you don't have the right to chose.
*- you still live under ur parents, since they want u to serve HIM
u don't have a choice, when u r an adult, they will have no right to tell u what u should or shouldn't believe in.
You do have the right to speak to ur parents & tell them how u feel. And anyhow, @ least you will be able to make ur own informed decisions. If you don't believe in the lies.

Answer 7

Yes it is wrong, but only because it is a lie. There is nothing any man or woman can do to ensure their entry into the Christian Heaven, as described in the Bible. The only option one has, according to the Modern Christian Faith, is to accept the forgiveness and be accountable to God, through the sacrifice of Jesus.

If someone wants to believe this, it is logical for them to explain what they believe happens when someone chooses not to believe. And for the record, Christians believe Hell is eternity without God, or access to Him. A child should be given that information, and then allowed to make the choice for themselves. No one can make that choice for them.

Answer 8

I think you should provide the child with the history and knowledge of Hell's purpose and led her/him come up with their own conclusion. Age 11 is old enough to understand, or begin to understand, the reasons for religion and faith. But don't be so blatant, saying if you do something wrong you go to hell. It's all in how you say things.

Answer 9

He has to know the right way and the wrong way. He has to know about heaven and hell. I think that you (if you are his parent) should be responsible for him as he is so young. When is is older than he has to make his choice but I doubt that he will turn from God especially if he has a good foundation. Just explain to him about John 3:16. Let him know that "whosoever" means you, him and I and everyone else.

Answer 10

Of course it's wrong to tell a child that. One should not scare a child or anyone into wanting to go to Heaven, versus hell. To a child, Heaven should be presented as the most wonderful place one could imagine, filled with indescribable joy and being with God. Hell should be presented as a horrible place, where one is separated from God forever and where there is misery and sadness. It's not necessary to tell a child that it is a scary place filled with demons who torture people.

What I tell my own 8 year old child is that a person goes to hell if they don't love God and they die before changing their mind about God. I tell her that hell is a bad place where there is much suffering and God is not there. I tell her that Heaven is the most wonderful place she could even think of and that God is there, as well as loved ones who have already died. When she has expressed fear of going to hell because she "does bad things", I tell her that it doesn't matter what she does because if she loves Jesus, then God will forgive her for all the bad things. I tell her not to be afraid because God loves her very much and doesn't want her to be afraid, but rather, He wants to love her and for her to love Him and get to know Him. I focus on who God is, rather than the perceptions of angry and vengeful God that many non-Christians portray Him to be.

My ex-husband told my daughter that I am evil and going to hell and his mother told my daughter that she needs to be good and not do evil things like I do so that she won't go to hell. I think it's horrible to tell a child such things. My feeling is, keep it simple when talking to a child. Don't portray hell as a place of nightmares when talking to anyone. You can't scare a person into Heaven. It has to be their choice. Merely telling someone that hell is a place where God is absent, should be enough to discourage anyone from wanting to go there, because every day we see another day and wake to the sun in the sky and air to breathe, it is a direct result of God's presence and influence. Imagine a place where God is totally absent. That should be enough. No need to scare the living daylights out of someone.

Answer 11

Yes, you should tell them, but tell him the WHOLE truth, about grace and forgiveness. People make mistakes, that's not why they go to hell, they go because they continue to make the wrong decisions on purpose without enough remorese to ask for forgiveness and change their ways. Don't let him think he can do anything without consiquence. An eleven year old is old enough to make many important desicions and should know the facts.