If someone believes non-believers will go to hell...?

Question

do they neccessarily also believe that it is impossible to be an intellectually honest and emotionally fulfilled non-believer?

It seems that everytime one believes the former, they also believe the latter.

Answer 1

You can be as honest and fulfilled as you want. You're still going to hell.

Answer 2

Not necessarily (it is possible to believe that some intellectually honest and emotionally fulfilled people go to Hell).

However, it seems like most of the time if someone believes the former they also believe the latter.

Answer 3

Intellect can only carry you so far when it comes to matters which must be taken on faith.

Belief in God requires such a faith, this you already know.
But so does non-belief.

One might contend there is no physical evidence of God available from this Earth, but this is only to say there is no evidence in the domain where evidence is not available. If you were to say your leg grew three feet last night -- we could measure it empirically -- we could pull out a tape or a measuring stick; because your leg is available here for us to observe.

An afterlife is a different matter. We don't know what happens after we die. Nobody from our generation has ever come back and told us there is an afterlife. Nevertheless, an intellectually honest person can't say for sure they know there is no afterlife; because this would require observation into a domain which, were it to exist -- may not be available for us to observe while present on Earth.

It would be like assuming that there is no life 10 billion light years away in a distant galaxy since there is no evidence of it on Earth. Is this a fair assumption?

With respect to hell -- this I will leave you with. It is said that the gates of hell are locked from the inside.

Answer 4

I don't believe that non-believers will burn in a fiery hell, and the Bible doesn't teach that. Ecclesiastes 9:5,6 has this to say about the state of the dead:
5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.

Apart from that, God is a God of perfect justice, and it would hardly be justice to sentence someone who had ignored God for, say 80 years to suffer for eternity. It would be like being given a 30-year prison sentence for stealing an apple as a first offence.

As for being fulfilled emotionally, I know that I wouldn't be without my faith. I wouldn't say that no one could be though.

Answer 5

Well, my opinion, many people who claim to believe, do not, or at least they don't act like it, meaning they are hypocritical about their faith. So that says to me that those people are not intellectually honest, also, many people who believe that spirituality is more of a private matter and should be kept personal, are some of the most intelligent and good natured people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I will take a private person over a devout religious fanatic any day.

Answer 6

Let me put it to you this way, your proclamation of agnosticism is not putting you in good company. I will not go so far as to say you WILL go to hell but, I cannot in good concscience, tell you to expect good things in the afterlife if you do not change your heart. In your heart, you already know merely saying, "I accept Catholicism." is not good enough. The Bible warns, "There are many who will say, "Lord, Lord", that will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." These are the ones who proclaim falsly that Jesus is their Messiah. Many of these people will be surprised when God rejects them, for they have fooled themselves into thinking they worship Jesus, when they really don't. You cannot fall back on science as an excuse why you don't believe. The ability to have Faith is not a human acheivement. It does not come from within. Faith, the ability to have, comes from God. It is gifted by the Almighty to the people of Earth. Most people have the Gift of Faith from when they are very young. Others do not get it until they are much older. Or, it is quite possible they were offered this Gift as a youth, but either rejected this Gift or still have yet to accept it from God. Then again, why would you have faith when you do not believe in God to begin with? The trouble is, you believe only what you can see with your physical human eyes. Your physical eyes cannot see the unseeable. In the physical world, people see before they believe. You must open the eyes of your soul. Open your spiritual eyes and you will find faith. Find faith, and you will find God. Find God and you will believe. When it comes to God, you have to believe before you can see.

Answer 7

I don't think so, but then again I'm not the guy who believes the former anyways. Frankly, I think that if a god exists he would be pleased with the person who used his brain to conclude what is more reasonable (god's nonexistence) and acted well by his own good will with no fear of going to hell or any punishment for acting immorally. On the other hand, the very "humble" people who roam about saying they are saints, raping children, waging holy wars in his name and doing everything they "fear" will send them to hell are much more likely to end up in some sort of "hell" that this so so benevolent being has made for them.

I mean, isn't it obvious, first he made this universe, the atoms, stars, dinosaurs, he killed the dinosaurs FOR US (unbelieveable huh?) and he then made us, all our complex anatomy, started giving us all AIDS for our "sins" and expects us to have sex without enjoying it, and somehow procreate in this world that is so immoral. Then OFCOURSE, he went and made a Hell just for those people bad enough to deserve the honor.

wake up, please

21st century=freethinking

Answer 8

I agree with with you. Everyone who believes I am going to the fiery pits after death, since I am not a Christian, also believes I could not possibly be emotionally fulfilled without Christ. Additionally, according to them, it's a false intelligence because I am being deluded by false illusions by my current religion.

I've never seen one without the other. This is why I have little hope all religions ever getting along.

Answer 9

Anyone who says "you're going to hell" obviously has just as good a chance as you.....

Not all "non believers" are spitting on God and their fellow man...or on this section teasing believers,
some "non believers" believe in their hearts and souls they can make this a better place...

Some wear the Jersey and talk a good game, but the best players aren't always in uniform....

Answer 10

I know honest, giving, self-less non-believers. I don't necessarily believe that it has anything to do with whether or not they believe. God gives gifts to all. It's up to us to use them for God's will and purpose. If God gave someone the gift of counseling, and the gift was not used in a Godly manner, do you think that God would take it back? I don't think so.
No matter what the personality, obediant, giving, selfless, honest...the only ticket to heaven is accepting the one gift that so few do...Jesus free gift of salvation. God gave that gift to all, but not all accept it. God can give other gifts that we refuse as well. I have a gift from God, an ear to play the piano. But as a child I refused to continue learning for childish reasons. It is still a gift God gave me, I just chose not to accept it. As is salvation. Jesus just wants us to accept his free gift.

Answer 11

I am a non-believer, and I think I am a good person. I think that if God does exist, he would rather take the non-believer who lead a good and fulfilling life rather than a believer who didn't follow Gods laws and sinned without repentance.