Posted on 12/06/2004 12:44:58 PM PST by Lindykim
"Is it morally and theologically acceptable to hope anyone goes to hell? ... One...need not be a conservative Christian to believe in some form of hell for the evil. All one need be is a rational believer in a just God. For if there is a just God, it is inconceivable that those who do evil and those who do good have identical fates. A just God must care about justice, and since there is little justice in this world, there has to be in the next. And belief in the next world is also not confined to Christianity. As the Encyclopedia Judaica ... (edited largely by non-religious Jews) notes in the first sentence under the heading 'Afterlife,' 'Judaism has always believed in an afterlife.' ... Much of humanity has been adversely affected by modern-day terror. The lives of millions -- virtually all Palestinians and Israelis, for example -- have been terribly affected by Arafat. And there are hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been destroyed or shattered by him. At the same time, other than a few sycophants enriched by some of the billions of dollars he embezzled from the Palestinians, no one has had a better life because Yasser Arafat lived. ... Yasser Arafat single-handedly made nihilistic acts of cruelty routine, even respectable. ... Thanks to him, the Palestinian name is identified among people of goodwill with barbarity just as the German name came to be associated with barbarity as a result of Hitler. ... Just as any decent human being would want good people to be rewarded in whatever existence there is after this life, they would want the cruelest of people to be punished. So, of course, I hope Yasser Arafat is in hell. ... If you think that is hard-hearted, consider the alternative, that one of the most corrupt and cruel human beings of the past half-century is resting in peace. Whoever isn't bothered by that is the one with the hard heart." --Dennis Prager
Yeah, not bad for an Episcopalian, huh?
(Actually, my church is in the process of splitting off and has already joined the AAC, but that is another thread.)
to the effect that I better not start hoping the common everyday little pests end up in hell too, because at that point I have crossed the line. I must not fail to pray for such. <<<
Considering we have all, most likely, BEEN the common, everday little pest, I agree!
Not me either.
Take two Hammersteins and call me in the morning...
Not clear what you are talking about. Judgement is not of this life but the next.
Another question is what happened to the millions who lived before the Gospels were preached. Did everybody go to Hell?
"Behold the Lamb of God who take away the sins of the world." Doesn't get much clearer than that, does it?
"Is it morally and theologically acceptable to hope anyone goes to hell?"
Yes.
Osama Bin Laddin et al come to mind immediately.
In the case of the newly converted Khmer, are their unredeemed victims condemned to Hell forever while they go to Heaven. Scripture says yes, correct?
Another question is what happened to the millions who lived before the Gospels were preached. Did everybody go to Hell?
"Behold the Lamb of God who take away the sins of the world." Doesn't get much clearer than that, does it?
Does that mean everyone who died before 33 AD is in Heaven, but after 33 AD, the majority of human beings were destined to Hell?
To repeat: "Behold the Lamb of God who take away the sins of the world."
Seems pretty clear, which part are you having trouble with?
Ok, here's my answer: I think it means that everyone before 33 AD avoided Hell but that after 33 AD you had to be a Christian to stay out of Hell. Am I correct?
And I thought that from 33 AD on, the gift had to be accepted by free will in order to avoid Hell.
In my opinion, though, there is no way Arafat made it to heaven. He didn't have the fundamental structure of belief to repent of his sins, ask forgiveness of God, in Jesus' name. Arafat would only be thinking of Allah (Satan).
Hitler might have made it to heaven in the last few seconds of his life. We don't know what was in his heart when he died. His chances are better due to the fundamental belief structure he grew up in.
Some that we might *think* went to Heaven, might have actually been cussing at God for taking them, their heart full of hatred that He would take them from this earth and they might have ended up in Hell instead.
Another point, I think it is very selfish for people to so guard their own souls that they would let others lose their souls due to how the former acts or treats the latter. So I agree with you on that, texan75010.
For me, I've already deeded my soul to God but that doesn't mean I won't try to save others' souls from evil, if I can, even if it means that I might lose part or all of my own soul.
Wise, I am not, trust me on that. A pompous ass from time to time, I am. I am often enraged, from just reading in the paper about those miscarriages of justice and pampering of criminals,that you see face to face every day at work, and probably every night mocking you in your sleep.
The lame excuses and promises those criminals make to beguile the judges, are the same ones that so easily begulled the adults during their formative years and led them to believe they are smarter than everyone else, and paved the way to the present situation, where they are convinced by lenient judges, that they really are wise and the law and the law abiding are fools.
Your response clearly reflects a lifetime of wisdom in the pursuit of justice. The anger you feel toward those who flaunt the law, is obviousely less anger toward them than a frustration, of not being allowed to free their victems and potential victems from any further threat from them.
I can only speak for myself, but my prayer will be that you become a Judge.
1 Tim. 4:10, "For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."
1 John 2:2, "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."
1 John 4:14, "And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world."
Are you correct?
No.
I second that.
1 John 2:2, "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."
1 John 4:14, "And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world."
Thanks for those verses. I find them more in keeping with how I think of a loving Father.
The idea of an eternal Hell for any human soul never seemed just or merciful.
Only if you believe in your heart & confess with your lips.
For the record, I am also sure that having known the babies in the womb, God surrounds himself with the aborted children and those who passed too young to know the truth. Those are my personal views and do not reflect the teachings of my church or even the Bible. But I can not envision God doing anything but gathering the children to his knee.
typo typo
I don't know how true this is or if it even represents the teaching of the Jewish faith... But here goes... when I was about 10 years old my best friends grandfather moved in with him family and one day my friend and I were talking about God (after playing a dungeon and dragons type game), his grandfather overheard us and came into the room. He asked me first if I beleived in God, I replyied yes Sir, the he asked me what church I go to ? I reply St. Thomas Roman Catholic church...Freinds grandfather "Fine church my , they do good works and serve everyone well " the he asks me if I believe in Heavean and Hell..I reply yes... He then asks me to explain hell. I reply "its a place where ones soul goes to suffer and to be tortured". He then tells me "young man you do not understand, god will never torture your soul or cause suffer to it, he loves you. Then he explained what hell was according to the Jewish faith from his words... God is everything you ever wanted or ever craved, a piece of candy, the new toy, fast car ect... God is everything you ever marveled at the sunrise or sunset the piece of candy, the new toy, your children. God is everything you wanted to know or see. God is in everything. To go to hell is not to suffer in a distant place devoid of god but to suffer from not being so close to him. Gods like a camp fire if your not close to it you'll never feel its warmth.
Sounds like the seed of liberal theology. Scripture tells us that those who go to hell (lake of fire), that the smoke of their torment will last forever. Liberals hate the concept of judgment.
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