Agree?
2007-05-26 21:33:24 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
This question is not worded like a question. You should ask, "Do you agree that...?" if you want to ask this correctly.
2007-05-26 21:36:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
God is God. I do not feel that it is right for anyone to judge or predict who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. I believe that the judgement is up to God in the end.
As for there being nothing unfair about non-Christians going to Hell, I think it is highly unfair. I don't think any one religion should say, "Hey you're different, burn in our concept of the worst place for all those who have done wrong, and you've done terrible things by just not believing in our religion." That someone would say that shows how backwards and ignorant they are.
At the same time, who's to say which sect of Christianity (or Catholicism) is the right one to believe that won't land you in the fire and brimstone... Think about it... If you're just going to say your religion, I think that's a little ego-centric... I believe that faith is personal and should never be forced upon anybody.
P.L.E. - K.C.
2007-05-27 04:45:29 · answer #2 · answered by TheADvoKate 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The whole idea is warped.
An omnipotent being creates eternal torture of unspeakable gruesomeness and horror and the ONLY way to avoid it is to jump up and down because he offed his son so that you can avoid it.
If a person made a 'rule' like that, we'd call him sadistic, medicate him heavily and institutionalize him for the rest of his life. 'God' does it and magically, it's just fine.
Warped. Sick. Disgusting. Unfair doesn't even begin to cover it.
2007-05-27 05:07:51 · answer #3 · answered by The angels have the phone box. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unrealistic would be a more accurate term since Jesus never said that saying a prayer to Him would save you. Who came up with that lie? The same people who came up with the bible being the entire and accurate word of god and the trinity fairy tales? Be smart, read The Apocryphon of John and reject the god of Moses. He is not the Father of Jesus.
2007-05-27 05:38:59 · answer #4 · answered by single eye 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gosh, seems like Hell is ONLY for Christians.
2007-05-27 04:37:29 · answer #5 · answered by Ard-Drui 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
actually, i do think it is unfair. there are many devout people in the world and the mere fact that they don't believe in Christ damns them. i try to take comfort in the scripture that states that in judgment, God will look into each individuals heart to deem them worthy...but you just can't get away from the fact that Christ is your only key to heaven.
2007-05-27 04:38:59 · answer #6 · answered by Jenet B 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As for the doctrine of hell consider the following:
1. Wouldn't everyone repent when faced with hell?
2. Would God let out people who repented?
3. Why was Hell created?
One argument against hell is this: No person in his right mind would choose eternal punishment in hell over heaven. Therefore everyone would repent when sent to hell. If God lets the repentant leave, hell will be empty (and therefore can be disregarded). If God doesn't let the repentant leave, God is unjust for continuing to punish them after they've repented.
The trouble with this line of reasoning is that repentance is not simply a matter of one saying, "Okay, I'll say whatever you want me to, just get me out of here!" Repentance involves acknowledging one's guilt, feeling remorse and the desire to change one's behavior, accepting Christ's sacrifice as substitutionary punishment for one's wrongs and agreeing to love and obey God (including Christ as God the Son). This includes by definition acceptance of eternal punishment in hell as just punishment for one's sins; while the skeptic may still object that continued punishment of the repentant is unjust, the repentant will respond that their continued punishment is deserved and could only end through God's mercy.
However, in reality people in hell won't repent, in particular not any skeptic who makes the above argument. If one thinks God is unjust for punishing people in hell, actually going there isn't going to make one suddenly decide that God is just and deserves one's love and worship after all. People are given their entire lives on Earth as an opportunity to repent and accept God; if they refuse each day of their lives to repent and believe they're justified in doing so, it's hardly conceivable that punishment in hell would change their minds. In other words, the gates of hell are actually locked from the inside.
Since hell is comprised of those who would never repent, the second question, “Would God let out people who repented?” is only a hypothetical one; it could be argued either way. In practice, someone who would repent in hell would be given the opportunity to repent on Earth and would presumably repent before they died, not after.
As for eternal punishment for finite life of sin, the answer is that our sin bears an eternal consequence because it is ultimately against an eternal God. When King David committed the sins of adultery and murder he stated, Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:4). David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, how could David claim to have only sinned against God? David understood that all sin is ultimately against God. God is an eternal and infinite Being. As a result, all sin is worthy of an eternal punishment.
An earthly example of this would be comparing attacking your neighbor and attacking the President of the United States. Yes, both are crimes, but attacking the President would result in far greater consequences. How much more does sin against a holy and infinite God warrant a terrible consequence?
In short, hell and heaven were created out of God's love for mankind as a consequence of free will. God could not have created a morally free creature who could not possess the potentiality to choose to sin. God, being perfectly righteous will righteously respect the choices a person makes and grant them the eternal life they sought through the exercise of their own free will. In short, we choose the behavior, and thus we have chosen the consequences.
2007-05-27 06:05:55 · answer #7 · answered by Ask Mr. Religion 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Earth to young bobby. Earth to young bobby. Oh, forget it, stay out there.
2007-05-27 09:41:02 · answer #8 · answered by Fred 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yawn.
2007-05-27 04:40:00 · answer #9 · answered by thethinker 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is nothing unfair to God. Sinners are sinners. Non believers of God are non believers of God. Godless are Godless, no matter who you are.
jtm
2007-05-27 04:38:29 · answer #10 · answered by Jesus M 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋