Yet would it be accurate to say, for example, that Hitler was deceived?
I don't know. I take hope in the passages in Romans and John which speak of God's mercy to those who didn't know better. Because of those passages, I wonder if willfulness will factor in the judgment somehow.
Alamo-Girl, my suspicion is: Willfulness is decidedly the key factor to be adjudged.
Will in and of itself is a neutral "force": It can be put to any purpose.
At the same time, will is also power, humanly speaking. Which suggests the next critical problem: To what purpose is will being put?
God gave man free will; so free will cannot be bad as a matter of principle. The problem of human will derives from the purposes to which it is put.
As to the question of divine judgment, I cannot pretend to know the Mind of God on this question. Yet I do know, to paraphrase Francis Schaffer, that: "God speaks to me truly; but He does not speak to me exhaustively."
Well, for heaven's sake, I give thanks to the Lord for leaving the human species something further to do within His Creation. Otherwise, we'd just be so many robots, or slaves....
Talk about "existence participating in Being," of a divine-human collaborative effort!
For some strange reason well beyond my ken, I am certain that God loves us humans -- His "sons". As improbable as that might sound.
Perhaps a viable civilizational basis can be formed around this proposition. After the impending war is over, that is. If ever.
People who read the Holy Scriptures probably have a leg up on that question. As strangely as that idea might sound in the post-modern ear.
I'm not aware of this; would like to see those references. I am aware of Romans 2:15,16, which to me seems to imply that the conscience of some will demonstrate that they acted in humble faith, regarding what little knowledge of God they had (being submitted to it in their hearts).
Earlier still in Romans, without 'cheating' and looking now, I believe we have mention of creation itself telling us of God, which lo and behold, brings my face back to the subject of this thread!