Do people who haven't heard of Jesus still go to hell?

Question

There are only three outcomes:

1. They do go to hell, making God a vicious monster.
2. They go to heaven, disproving "None shall come to the Father but through me."
3. They're in some third postmortem that the Bible fails to mention utterly.

Which is it?

Thanks to AM Sweeney Todd for inspiring this question for me.

Answer 1

According to the Christians, the answer is 1 because those people never accepted Jesus as their personal savior.

Normal, rational people find this way of thinking to be twisted.

Answer 2

First heaven is living with God. After a person dies they go to a place best described as Paradise if they have live a good life, regardless if they have ever heard of Jesus or not, or they go to a place call Hell if they were very mean and vicious people who took pleasure in other pain and suffering.

Now in both places there will be those who will preach the Gospel of Christ, You will then have a chance to learn of his saving graces and ordnance's and partake of the same if you never had the chance while living.

It is only during the resurrection and judgment that the books of life will be opened and you will be judged out of them and assigned a kingdom to live in, which the highest kingdom is heaven and the lowest is to be cast into outer darkness with the devil and his followers.

Answer 3

If I'm limited to only three outcomes, I'd have to say number two. Much of the Bible's direct text can be disproven, anyway. It was a wonderful book, full of great stories, yes. But I don't believe it is "the word of God." I think Jesus was a really great guy, but he was just that- a guy. It wasn't until hundreds of years after his death that he was turned into a deity- for mostly political reasons.

At any rate, I believe that living a good, kind, and peaceful life is all it takes to enjoy the afterlife. This is a common theme throughout all the major religions- Christianity just specifies even further that you must believe in all these things. But personally, I feel like people who haven't heard of Jesus can still have a good afterlife- just like people who haven't heard of Buddha, Muhammed, etc.

I did not say any of this to offend anybody- it's just my own personal view. So please try to respect that, as I respect everyone else's as well. Thanks :)

Answer 4

Yes they do. But first hell is not the burning place of torture promoted by the church but rather it is more accurately know as Hades or Sheol. It is the common grave of mankind.
Churches have used hell as a place to strike fear into the parishioners to obeying the clergy. They are not so quick these days as they used to be for centuries to bring the roasting hot chill of God's burning anger at their once trembling flocks.
Hell is just where the dead exist until they hear the voice of Christ calling them out from their graves during the resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous after Armageddon.

Most of mankind will have a resurrection on earth as God created the earth for human habitation. God had angels before the earth was created. He had millions of them with him in heaven without a single human yet to exist.

If you mean purgatory then no there is no such place. That is another way of paying the clergy to kick the deceased in to heaven.

Answer 5

They do not go to hell, the number two statement, Jesus said that for all of those who heard him, and all of those who knew him. If someone who in this day it is hard, who has never heard of Jesus or God, does not believe in him, will still be saved, they never had the chance to hear so they can't be judged.Thats what I believe at least, and what I was taugt growing up. It is like a little child they don't have the capacity to believe in God as an infant yet if they die they still go to heaven.

Answer 6

4. They go to Hell. The Bible says the world won't end until the four corners of the earth have been reached w/ the gospel. As such, if someone hasn't heard and responded to God's Word, its on them, not God.

Answer 7

Psalm 19
* 1.
* The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

* 2.
* Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

* 3.
* There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

* 4.
* Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

* 5.
* which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

* 6.
* It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

Answer 8

Number 2.

There are only two options. Either:

1. You can only get to heaven by stepping through a physical hole in the middle of Jesus, or
2. This verse is saying that Jesus died for everybody (as taught in the rest of the New Testament).

Answer 9

well it depends if your a Christan or not,i don't believe god needs a son,let alone needs any help being god,but sending you to hell doesn't make god a vicious monster,it means you deserve to be there for the time being,but sense god is so merciful you won't be in hell for all,eternity,so maybe you will because you should always believe in Jesus no matter what.

Answer 10

What a great question. According to many mainstream Christian denominations they are doomed.

Reverend Carleton Pearson was excommunicated from his former megachurch in Tulsa, Oklahoma and later from the entire Evangelical Christian community for pursuing what he terms "The Doctrine of Inclusion" where he addresses this question head-on.

Answer 11

Well, the Bible did fail to account for the idea that the person not aware of Christ might actually be a follower of another religion, and be aware of his own God, and hence find his own path to salvation/ heaven!!