Yes there is a Limbo/No there isn't....Yes there is an Hell/No there isn't...What What What???????

Question

What the hell is going on here Vatican?....

John Paul said there is no hell....who are we to believe....will we go to hell if we believe John Paul or will we go to hell if we don't believe Benedict.....*worried and confused*

Answer 1

Pope is having identity crisis.

Answer 2

Concerning Limbo, the New Catholic Encyclopedia says: “Today the term is used by theologians to designate the state and place either of those souls who did not merit hell and its eternal punishments but could not enter heaven before the Redemption (the fathers’ Limbo) or of those souls who are eternally excluded from the beatific vision because of original sin alone (the children’s Limbo).”
It has been taught in the Catholic church as a doctrine by some. The official stance on the subject has been In "limbo" until just recently.

Just recently Pope Benedict refuted the concept of Limbo.

Answer 3

Blame the press for the confusion. They couldn't report their way out of a wet paper bag. The Church has never formerly taught that there is or is not a Limbo for unbaptized infants. No, the Pope did not abolish Limbo. All he did was approve a recent document that expresses the same sentiment as before -- 'we don't know what happens to babies who die without baptism, but we hope they go to Heaven.'

Yes, there is a Hell.

EDIT:
>>John Paul said there is no hell<<

I think I know what you are talking about. The press reported something to the effect of 'Pope says Hell Not Real' after he gave this speech:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_28071999_en.html

Answer 4

I can assure you that the late Pope never made such a statement, Hell is a unchangable doctrine of the Catholic church and cannot be dismissed by any Pope now or in the future.
Secondly the idea of Limbo was always just that and has never been a doctrine of the church at anytime,it is almost akin to an urban myth that was allowed to go on without being checked and now the Pope has finally done this.

Answer 5

limbo is in no way supported biblically much like the tradition of confession to a priest. both of these traditions and many more were created in the middle ages to give priests feelings of superiority. much like the know how to read the bible and you die and not be a priest rule from the middle ages. hell however is mentioned enough to know it is real jesus said so.

Answer 6

Don't worry about the Pope or Religion and just believe the Bible.
"What does the Bible say about Limbo?"
Answer: The root of the word “limbo” is the edge of a hem on a garment, so the word itself is telling us that limbo is someplace which borders very close to another. A very broad definition of limbo is a zone which exists between two definite places. The Bible does not give the name “limbo” to any specific place or realm, but various people have used the word “limbo” in various ways.



One Roman Catholic tradition names a limbo for children who die before their baptisms or die outside of the Roman Catholic religion. There is no Bible support for this view. It is merely a religious opinion which has been handed down by Catholic theologians. For a study on the destiny of children who die, please read our article on the age of accountability.



The closest Biblical account for a “limbo” concerns “Abraham’s bosom” and “Paradise” in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Although it is a parable, to teach a truth concerning prophecies declaring the kingdom of God, the places mentioned must exist or Jesus would not have used them. Parables are not based upon imaginary objects and locations, but things which are real. So, before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there were two places souls went to upon death. One place is at the side a Abraham (often described as Abraham’s bosom); this would be people who died in faith in God’s promise, just as Abraham did, and were declared righteous by faith just as he was (Genesis 15:4-6; Romans 4:13-24). Those who died in unbelief went to a place of torment. The Greek word used is Hades and probably is the best Greek word for the Jewish “Sheol,” literally the lowest pit. It is clearly a place of great torment.



When Jesus is on the cross, remember that He turned to the thief and told the man: “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). He must have been referring to that place where the soul of Abraham was, so it seems that paradise is another name for “Abraham’s bosom.” When Jesus went to paradise where the thief, Abraham, and others who believed God’s promises were, He set them free through preaching the gospel to them so their faith could become complete.



This ties into Paul’s explanation of a prophetic passage quoted and explained in Ephesians 4:7-10: “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He {God} says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.’ Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth [Paradise/Abraham’s bosom]? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.” So the “limbo” of Paradise is gone now, because its inhabitants, who were “captured” by Jesus, have entered into the presence of God, just as each Christian does upon their death (2 Corinthians 5:8).



This leaves us with Sheol as the only limbo remaining. But this is also a temporary limbo. These souls will appear at the second resurrection before the great white throne of Revelation 20:11-13. These people are not in the Book of Life because they do not have eternal life through faith in Christ and they are cast into their final destination in the “Lake of Fire / Gehenna.”



The idea of Limbo as a realm in between Heaven and Hell, sort of another Purgatory, is not Biblical. If there is any sort of a Limbo, it is the temporary holding place of the wicked (Hades / Sheol), which will eventually be emptied into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

Recommended Resource: What the Bible Says about Heaven & Eternity by Ice & Demy.

Answer 7

They are confused? I will believe in Limbo! Since it's tradition...

Answer 8

Well, there's one way to find out for SURE....but I for one would rather remain unclear about the details as long as possible.