Christians, this is a serious question?

Question

Are there any of you that have children or loved ones who don't believe in God and/or have rejected your faith? Doesn't it break your heart to know that according to your beliefs, they are going to go to hell? Is there anything worse than believing that your own child is going to suffer in hell for eternity? How do you cope with that?

jorge: what if they don't, is what I'm asking

NickofTyme: that's a really heartless answer. You're pretty sick

Answer 1

Pray for them. Tell them. Don't force them.

Answer 2

I once read a zen story about a monk at a temple. A man leaves the temple and knocks over the statue of the god there. Someone sees this and asks the monk if his god is going to punish the wrong-doer. The monk responds that if anyone is punished by his god it will be him- as the wrong-doer doesn't believe in his god, therefore his god cannot do anything to him. There are so many religions that there is no way to tell what happens after death- that is why it is called a "faith". My belief is that whatever your faith is, it isn't wrong. I don't believe I will burn for eternity if I don't go to church every Sunday. There are plenty of Catholic priests going to Hell then for sodomy. So where is the line drawn?? I would not want to put my faith in a God willing to burn me for eternity if I didn't do everything he wanted anyways. To err is human to forgive- divine. Speaks for itself.

Answer 3

I'm a Catholic Christian and let me tell you no one can know if another person is going to hell. Even if a person does not follow the faith, we don't know why they do not.

At least in Catholic theology, there is a belief that a person can be saved if they were invincibly ignorant of the faith. The invincibly ignorant are people, such as in Saudi Arabia or China, who cannot be evangelized. If they live a life in which they obey the natural law written on the hearts of all people, and they co-operate with the grace that God has given them, they can achieve salvation. They are no different than people who came before Christ. Surely men such as Plato and Aristotle, whom western Christian theology owes a debt of gratitude are not burning in the fires of hell.

Even amongst people who are Christian and turn away, are they guaranteed damnation? How do we know that they truly believed? How do we not know that scandal drove them away? How do we not know that poor parenting drove them away? In cases such as this, parents need to talk to their children less about God and talk to God more about their children.

Answer 4

I'm going to give it to you from the child's perspective.
I'm 17 and my mother is a devout Catholic. All my life she's forced me into the church, but has never really spoke to me how I personally feel about God and religion. I have to admit that I have learned some good values and life lessons from church, but a couple months ago I went to confession and the priest told me that I'm going to hell. That was the last straw for me. I put up with sitting through hours and hours of chruch and sunday school and all that stuff, but I decided that it's just not for me anymore. I don't want to be judged like that.My mom still tries to get me to go with her to church but now I refuse. I'm my own person and I have my own thoughts and beliefs and while yes, my mother's beliefs have influenced me, that doesn't mean that I have to completely agree with her. I do still believe in God and Jesus but just not with my mom's choice of being a part of the Catholic church.

If you have a child who has rejected your faith, maybe you should ask if something happened that made them feel that way.
Or maybe you pushed it on them too hard. Let them be their own person.

Answer 5

My children did in fact turn away from the bible and became involved in a dangerous sect and even rejected me. But that was really good for me because when my beliefs began to change, I fought it because I loved Christianity and did not want to leave but was able to follow my true path because if my children had not left the truth according to the bible, I would have pretended my beliefs did not change thus living in a lie.

There is no doubt in my mind that my beliefs would have changed anyway and the events had nothing to do with that change, but I would have pretended to still be Christian for my children's sake and that would dishonor my personal truth and path.

I used to grieve for my children, my parents, my sister and other family members because they followed false teachings and according to the bible were bound for hell. Now I understand all of us will go to Deity in our own time and way. No one is bound for hell. I will one day be reunited with all family members eventually.
BB

Answer 6

Yes, I do... Yes it does.. That is why I understand you guys and am being so good at trying to win you all to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the Alpha and Omega...

How do I cope with the eternal separation... I don't think about it... I just keep plugging along trying to be a good Christian making my life line up with the word of God and saying smart things when I get an opening to talk about my Jesus... I think it is a waste of time telling people they are going to hell - its better that they meet my best friend...

Answer 7

I have family members and friends who I know are not living for God and, if they died today, would go to Hell. Yes, that does break my heart. I must pray and witness through living my life as a missionary to them. I do my part and trust God to work in their hearts. Some have come to God, and I trust God that those who have not will. That's all that I can do. I can't give up, or I'd be most miserable.

Answer 8

I know you're just trying to bait us. Good for you. Three things, though.

1. I am a Christian, and I don't believe that people are going to hell just because they don't believe what I believe. Although some do, that is a stereotype.

2. Even if I did, what your child believes when they are a child is irrelevant. Most Christians believe you can be saved up until the second you die. If you truly have faith in God, then there is nothing to worry about. He will reveal himself to the child when the time is right.

3. Most Christians believe that God is good. If God is good, then there is nothing to worry about anyway. Perhaps he'll forgive them. Perhaps he'll convert them. Perhaps he'll reincarnate them. Who knows? If God loves us, then he will take care of this problem. That is what faith is all about. So ultimately, there is nothing to cope with.

Answer 9

They don't know that their child is going to hell if they, the parent, believes in God. We can't know what is in a person's heart, and if a parent is a Christian then they know that God can deal with their child until the day that that child dies. You don't understand, we're not condemning people to hell, we're telling them that repentance and believing in God is the way to keep from going to hell. It's called sowing seed. Read the parable of the sower if you will.

edit:

In the King James bible.

Answer 10

Yes I do have family members who do not share my faith anymore and yes it does break my heart, but according to my faith they are not going to suffer in hell for eternity, so I don't need to cope with that.

Answer 11

Yes, my oldest son, while not an athesit, is "non religious" at this point in life. He made a profession of faith in Christ at 17, but at 25 he is not living anything even remotely close to a Christian life. I do worry about his eternal soul. There is no way to cope with that but to place my cares and concerns for him in the hands of God. I can't make my son be who or what I want him to be. I continue to pray for him, as does my wife.