About an hour ago I asked the following question: how can an all loving God consign people to eternal torment? The most common answer I received is that while God is loving, He is also just.
To say that God is just is to say that He practices justice, which the Oxford American Dictionary defines as: the quality of being fair and reasonable.
My question is this: how is infinite punishment for finite sin "fair and reasonable." A just punishment should be equal to the wrong committed, should it not?
2007-12-09 15:23:29 · 20 answers · asked by Harbinger 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Here is the URL for the previous question:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071209191036AAH1ggx&pa=FYd1D2bwHTHwLb1kEew5QpiYuUfaULOViDHGqdaG7ev9wA--&paid=asked&msgr_status=
2007-12-09 15:24:04 · update #1
For the record, I'm a Christian.
2007-12-09 15:30:59 · update #2
You're right, it's not. I've asked similar questions here and been told it is akin to a parent smacking a child, or other such nonsense, "like we choose to go there." by not accepting Jesus as our saviour.
Jesus spoke a lot about love and one thing I do know is that no person with love and compassion in their heart would tolerate the notion of hell for a second. In fact it would take the most dedicated sadist for that.
I'm sure God, (if he exists) being so much better than us, will not brook it for a second. It was invented to control ignorant people, and sadly, even in these enlightened times, it's still doing just that.
2007-12-09 15:31:12 · answer #1 · answered by DavinaOpines 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There is no such place where demons torture people. The word hell that is in the bible means mans common grave. Death is every-ones punishment for sin. God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they disobeyed. We know that Adam and Eve did eat and disobeyed and their punishment for it was death as is ours. God never told Adam anything about going to heaven or hell.God's plan was for Adam and Eve to life for-ever right here on earth, but since they messed it up big time, he had to find another way so we could have eternal life. He did that with the sacrifice of his own son. God is very loving. He went way out of his plan to make sure that we still have a chance for a eternal life. God is very just. He gives us a choice to either live or be dead for-ever. Please study what the word hell means. I think if you did know the true meanings of the word hell, Sheol Gehenna, Hades, and Tartaroo, you just might have a different out look on how loving God is.
2007-12-09 15:47:36 · answer #2 · answered by GraycieLee 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
WHATEVER image the word "hell" brings to your mind, hell is generally thought of as a place of punishment for sin. Concerning sin and its effect, the Bible says: "Through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned." (Romans 5:12) The Scriptures also state: "The wages sin pays is death." (Romans 6:23) Since the punishment for sin is death, the fundamental question in determining the true nature of hell is: What happens to us when we die?
What happens to the spirit when a person dies? Psalm 146:4 says: "His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish." When a person dies, his impersonal spirit does not go on existing in another realm as a spirit creature. It "returns to the true God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7) This means that any hope of future life for that person now rests entirely with God.
What, then, is the condition of the dead? When pronouncing sentence upon Adam, Jehovah stated: "Dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19) Where was Adam before God formed him from the dust of the ground and gave him life? Why, he simply did not exist! When he died, Adam returned to that state of complete absence of life. The condition of the dead is made clear at Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, where we read: "The dead know nothing . . . In the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."
Since the dead have no conscious existence, hell cannot be a fiery place of torment where the wicked suffer after death.
The Bible hell (sheol) is the common grave of mankind where good people as well as bad ones go.
The fiery "hell" has been created by the many misinterpretations of the bible, creating fear, so as by fear, many church leaders can have you follow their false teachings.
2007-12-09 15:47:53 · answer #3 · answered by GGGG lou EEEE 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes God is A Just God.
But more important to us He is A Merciful God.
He doesn't send anybody to Hell.
We were created free moral agents.
And given a choice of Heaven or Hell.
He provided us a route to escape this eternal Damnation.
If we just simply place our faith and Trust in his son Jesus.
Jesus went to the Cross for all who will believe.
2007-12-09 15:39:54 · answer #4 · answered by straight foward 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hell is as just a punishment as Heaven a reward. Life is not fair; grace is proof of that. I think it's great that a person can renounce a lifetime of sin and go to Heaven because Jesus saw it in His mercy to save those of us who want to be saved. Do YOU think that Heaven is a just reward? Because your answer to that would also answer the question you are posing right now.
2007-12-09 15:30:06 · answer #5 · answered by -M- 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If God does exist, it isn't the Christian God.
No truely benevolent God would send anyone to hell.
Have you ever read the Bible and thought, "Wow...I am much more wise than this God"?
EDIT: Rev. Albert Einstein, You are insulting one of the world's greatest secular men.
Stephen K - Yes, they should get off the hook. One's soul (if they do indeed exist) should not be held responsible for the decisions ones mind makes.
Aumad a- My mom wouldn't cover me in gasoline and torch me no matter how bad I am. Or no matter how much she "loves me" (twisted).
2007-12-09 15:29:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
Non-Christians DON'T WANT to spend eternity with a sadistic, immoral, killer God and his nasty followers. We'd rather be in Hell. That's why sick fundie threats are so funny and futile.
Why are you asking people who consider drowning, plaguing, and slaughtering millions (more than Hitler), and conspiring to have one's own son beaten and executed, to be 'love' to define 'fair and reasonable'? Clearly, their priorities and morality are out of whack.
2007-12-09 15:29:12 · answer #7 · answered by gelfling 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Justice and karma..... the only hell that is produced by religion is the hell on earth the christian and catholic churches make on earth for the rest of us.... karma and justice... We better start noticing before it gets any worse... they are not innocent people they work to keep humanity ignorant and subject to the superstitions of religion.... it's time to take action and ban religions before we all lose.
2007-12-09 15:28:33 · answer #8 · answered by Gyspy 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Eternal punishment is always wrong in my opinion. And it's very ironic for a loving God to punish someone for eternity for simply not believing he exists.
2007-12-09 15:26:42 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
There are two forces in this world - one is good, the other is evil - both forces are working hard on claiming you - calling God unjust is a lie made up by Satan so you can hate God - but ultimately believing in that lie lets Satan win.
2007-12-09 15:33:51 · answer #10 · answered by Carol 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋