"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
(Revelation 7:9-10)
The narrow way, and the countless multitudes.
This paradox is caught most succinctly, I think, in that gem of prayer taught by the Angel of Portugal tot he three little children at Fatima:
O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven ,especially those in most need of Thy Mercy."
To ge back to the topic at hand, I would say fear of hell is a very valuable thing for the already-devout--- it loomed big in the life of Franz Jaegerstatter, I remember--- but it has almost zero impact as an evangelization approach for unbelievers.
If you've heard of anyone, not already a believer, who was attracted to the Heart of Christ in this way, let me know.
AND... I also think it's foolishness that this became a police matter. It's not hate, it's not a crime; it's just a dubious entree to the Faith to light-minded secular Brits.
Save the hellfire sermons for the Bishops. Seriously, I mean it. They deserve it, and they might listen.
It’s not paradoxical, given that the reference frames are before and after the Second Coming.
It sure did work in the old days.
And the Fatima visionaries were given a vision of hell, were they not? This was not meant so much to scare them, but to be disseminated to unbelievers or those on the fence with their faith.
I don't have time right now to look up which approved apparitions included the sidetrip to the basement.