From National Catholic Reporter "no Hell? That's An Unnerving Thought"

[StillLooking]

I hope this article provokes deep thoughts among the readers.

 

From the article:

 

" ... I'm honest enough to admit that there are people -- some long dead and others outliving far more decent human beings -- I don't want to share heaven with. Most Christians won't say this, but there are people whose souls we know must be empty at best, hell-bred perhaps at worst. ..."

 

 

http://ncronline.org/blogs/intersection/no-hell-thats-unnerving-thought

[Guest afireinside]

I'm hell bred- even got papers. God should have just wrapped the umbilical chord round my throat in the womb and saved this earth the oxygen

[Overcame Faith]

The question posed by the article's author after seeing a play called, "The Christians", had to do with whether hell served some sense of justice.

 

In my view, the hell of eternal torment as espoused by most Christians can never be just and neither can the Christian concept of heaven. That's right, they are both unjust.

 

Hell is unjust because there could never be anything that a person can do in one lifetime that would merit eternal pain and suffering. And, yes, though his crimes against humanity were staggeringly horrific, I include Hitler in this statement. But what is even worse is that hell is not given for bad acts, but for the silly "crime" of unbelief, or for not having been baptized, or, worst of all, simply because a person was not one of God's elect (obviously, I am making distinctions based on various denominational interpretations). But no matter the denominational slant, for the vast majority of Christians, hell is ultimately merited because each person was merely born as a human being who somehow inherited the sin of Adam (original sin). As I said, I see no justice in hell.

 

There is also no justice for the Christian notion of heaven. If one believes that heaven is gained by belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior, then the most vile criminal the world has ever known will gain entry into heaven so long as prior to his death he professes faith while some poor guy who otherwise lived a good life but was not convinced about Jesus writhes in eternal suffering in hell.

 

If one believes that baptism is required for entry into heaven, then the Christian who was taught that Baptism is not required for entry into heaven and was never baptized is out of luck and will also miss out on heaven while the person who was taught the "right thing" gains admittance. Talk about a technicality!

 

If one believes as the Calvinists do that only the elect go to heaven, then forget all notions of justice. Calvinists are reluctant to admit this, but their doctrine requires that babies who die go straight to hell if they are not one of the elect. Need I say more about why there is no justice in that? It is in sensing this very real injustice that many Calvinists make excuse after excuse why such unelected babies will go to heaven. But hell for the unelected babies is a logical consequence of their detestable doctrine.

[Guest afireinside]

I agree OF. How can any Christian proclaiming "love" sleep at night holding those beliefs, how can an innocent baby be born into damnation.

 

How do you have hope whilst believing that some of your self professing Christian loved ones may be forever tortured because they weren't drawn in some cosmic, eternal lottery.

 

How can they use the word love when that concept is worse than the worst hate imaginable?

 

People should be embarrassed by the holding of such psychopathic and twisted beliefs!

[Bhim]

I hope this article provokes deep thoughts among the readers.

 

From the article:

 

" ... I'm honest enough to admit that there are people -- some long dead and others outliving far more decent human beings -- I don't want to share heaven with. Most Christians won't say this, but there are people whose souls we know must be empty at best, hell-bred perhaps at worst. ..."

 

 

http://ncronline.org/blogs/intersection/no-hell-thats-unnerving-thought

 

Reminds me of one of my former evangelical friends who used to say that "some are fit only to burn."  He was referring to people who support abortion rights.  I wonder how such a seemingly arcane issue as abortion can inflame a person to wish eternal conscious torment on his fellow man.