Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Is It Morally Acceptable To Hope Anyone Goes To Hell?
The Federalist Patiot ^ | Dec. 6, 2004 | Dennis Prager

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


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: billclinton; craighines; democratunderground; helenthomas; hellyeah; hillary; joewilson; margaretsanger; markmorford; prager; wayneslater; yes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 261-280281-300301-320 ... 421-432 next last
To: Ken H

Yes. I must assume that any who did not seek Him in time would not have.(Exactly what happened in those last moments is another question.)


281 posted on 12/06/2004 6:38:15 PM PST by derheimwill (Tagline, Schmagline)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 279 | View Replies]

To: derheimwill
I wonder if the parents of a child who died unsaved could be happy in Heaven. Any thoughts?

No, but a verse: "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Reveletion 7:17b

Could you clarify what you're saying? For example, were you saying "no" to my first or second sentence?

282 posted on 12/06/2004 6:46:58 PM PST by Ken H
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 280 | View Replies]

To: Ken H

No thoughts.


283 posted on 12/06/2004 6:57:15 PM PST by derheimwill (Tagline, Schmagline)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 282 | View Replies]

To: Ken H

We will be happy in Heaven. Period.


284 posted on 12/06/2004 6:58:21 PM PST by derheimwill (Tagline, Schmagline)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 282 | View Replies]

To: chs68

That is my situation and position as well. I cannot judge the status of another's soul, although I can - and should - judge the merit of their actions. I could never pray that another person be in hell, but I do hope that they're in another part of heaven far away from the part I'm in. Fair enough?


285 posted on 12/06/2004 6:59:37 PM PST by Emmett McCarthy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: Halgr
....the Lake of Fire is on the earth/i>

there's no basis for this statement. The Bible doesn't say where the Lake of Fire is. The Lake of Fire could be the sun.

286 posted on 12/06/2004 7:02:11 PM PST by aimhigh
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 275 | View Replies]

To: derheimwill; CondorFlight
You said that none of the 2 million Khmer victims would have become Christians had they not been murdered. Am I correct?

Yes. I must assume that any who did not seek Him in time would not have.

According to CondorFlight (see post #209 for link):

"The coup which overthrew Sihanouk was followed by Christian growth, so that by the time Cambodia fell to the Khmer Rouge, there were some 30 Protestant churches in Phnom Penn (a growth factor of 10, in a period of 5 years)."

I'm not a statistician, but I'd say the odds favored gaining more converts in future years, had the Khmer not shut down the churches and slaughtered 2 million. Do you disagree?

287 posted on 12/06/2004 7:05:21 PM PST by Ken H
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 281 | View Replies]

To: F.J. Mitchell
"All we have to remember is that God is just. I rest my case."


Your response clearly reflects a lifetime of wisdom. I have been regretting that post a bit since I wrote it. But it reflects my feelings nonetheless. Let me see if I can explain why. I am a prosecutor and deal with criminals all day from murderers to petty drug offenders. Every day I see people get in front of judges and say insincere things that always seem to lessen their punishments. Here is an extemporaneous top 10:

1. "I was running with the wrong crowd"

2. "I made poor decisions"

3. "You'll never see me in this court again"

4. "Please don't send me to prison and take me away from my family*" (*they never say their family consists of 5 children and 4 "baby-mommas")

5. "I am an drug addict, not a [murderer, rapist, armed robber, burglar, or all of the above]"

6. "I was abused as a child"

7. "I am a follower, not a leader"

8. "I only stole those [cars, motorcycles, four-wheelers, tools, quarters, sex toys] because I could not find a job"

9. "If I had only had family support I would not be a [drug dealer, burglar, rapist, serial indecent exposer]"

10. "I shot those two pimps in the back of the head in self defense"

Why judges buy this I will never understand. But they do.

Of course those that get to make excuses to the judge are but a small part of those who commit crimes. Many are not caught. We know who many are, but do not have enough admissible evidence to arrest and/or prosecute them. Many (more than the public wants to know) are acquitted by juries because the juries never get to hear the most damning evidence. Far fewer than half ever face our justice system, and far fewer still get the sentence my conception of justice demands. In short, the law is not justice, it is a process. That process rarely leads to real justice. We only nibble away at the edges.

Divine justice, in theory (as I have yet to see it in practice), is quite unlike our legal system in that it is perfect. No proof beyond a reasonable doubt is required. No hearsay is allowed. No jury, no closing arguments. The Lord looks into the soul of the accused and knows, with divine perfection, whether the person deserves Heaven or Hell. Such perfection can not be matched by any system designed by man.

It seems quite unjust that a person could kill and rape their way through life and, at the last minute, repent and go to heaven anyway. That the victim of the crime I referred to in my original post could ultimately find herself in heaven with those who killed her as she begged for mercy is unthinkable. I have also learned enough about human nature to know that the kind of people who kill and rape their way through life do not repent. Maybe one in a million truly repents of their sins before they die, be it in "Old Sparky", the lethal injection room, or at the hands of their fellow criminals.

I suspect that, for my own good, I need to learn to wish even the cruelest earthly criminal should repent and avoid Hell. I am glad to know you are nearing that point yourself. But right now, I do not see how one so cruel as the murdering rapist I originally referred to should ever deserve heaven. I can not yet bring myself to hope that, if I get to Heaven, I find Hitler, Idi Amin, Joseph Stalin, and Chairman Mao waiting for me with now-enlightened outlooks on life. They all caused so much pain, how could eternity in paradise ever be theirs? I know that no one with any true religious beliefs could do what they did, but, in theory, they could be there. Perhaps when I learn to love even them, I will have a shot at Heaven myself. I admit I am not there yet.

I am Catholic and have the concept of Purgatory to help me deal with this perceived injustice. Even that is not enough. Perhaps, if I am blessed with 72 years on earth, I will be able to deal with this as well. I can only hope.
288 posted on 12/06/2004 7:15:09 PM PST by Law is not justice but process
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 218 | View Replies]

To: Lindykim

placemarker


289 posted on 12/06/2004 7:26:46 PM PST by derheimwill (Love is a person, not an emotion.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tiamat
"I am not a Christian. ( So I guess that mrsnd I am hell-bound in your book! ) "

Just as you say no Christian you know hopes for the lost to see hell neither do they deny the fact that it is true. The message is one that is intended to warn rather than condemn. Wish I had the words to convince you and others of the hope of salvation and eternal life with our Creator God. Just as much as that I also would like you to know you have a father unlike any on earth who has loved you with an everlasting love and draws you with loving kindness and not a baseball bat. BTW I just ditched my PC for an iMac and so far so good.

290 posted on 12/06/2004 7:32:56 PM PST by strongbow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Lindykim

Hope someone goes to hell? NO! Not even Arafat. Help him get to where God can determine where he belongs? Sure! Or anyone else like him.


291 posted on 12/06/2004 7:35:01 PM PST by Old Student (WRM, MSgt, USAF (Ret.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JockoManning
"20"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him"

How can anyone who has been the recieved this kind of love from our God and Father read this verse without pause. I just read this verse again tonight and was struck by how many times it has reminded me of the totally alien nature of God's love for a lost sinner like me.

292 posted on 12/06/2004 7:38:09 PM PST by strongbow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 261 | View Replies]

To: Old Student
Is it morally and theologically acceptable to hope anyone goes to hell ..just seems like a silly thing to be arguing
293 posted on 12/06/2004 7:41:07 PM PST by hineybona
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 291 | View Replies]

To: hineybona

10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 64:10)


You probably don't belong to my church, so you might not recognize this as scripture, but I do. This is what I have to operate on. As far as arguing the point, no, I don't think it's silly. Not everyone has had to think of such things in their lives. I was glad to find that I was not required to hate people. That doesn't mean I might not help hurry them along to meet the Lord in person, if I think they are dangeous enough, but I don't have to judge them. I do need to be ready to meet the judge, myself, and perhaps soon. Never can tell.


294 posted on 12/06/2004 8:12:31 PM PST by Old Student (WRM, MSgt, USAF (Ret.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 293 | View Replies]

To: little jeremiah; DirtyHarryY2K; Siamese Princess; Grampa Dave; Luircin; gonow; John O; All

So far, there have been almost 3,000 hits on this thread and around 300 responses. These numbers further validate a trend back towards God and a willingness to speak openly of Him that I've been observing taking place not just on-line, but in the public arena. For all too many years, seculars have virtually controlled public discourse, and as a result, talk of God was pretty much verboten. Thankfully, their control and influence are under assault by courageous Christians who are bringing talk of God back into the public forum......right where He should be. Front and Center!!!


295 posted on 12/07/2004 3:12:53 AM PST by Lindykim (")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 245 | View Replies]

To: durasell

Good one. I've seen CATS.


296 posted on 12/07/2004 5:57:51 AM PST by Paved Paradise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 92 | View Replies]

To: JockoManning
You are of course, correct. Wish I had remembered that.
297 posted on 12/07/2004 6:08:08 AM PST by Little Ray (I'm a reactionary, hirsute, gun-owning, knuckle dragging, Christian Neanderthal and proud of it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 272 | View Replies]

To: Ken H
We believe in a just and merciful God. Overly-literal readings of the Scripture tend to reduce God to something less.

So when scripture says no one shall enter the Kingdom but through Jesus, that isn't true?

Of course it's true. I just don't believe that the matter hinges on who happens to say a "sinners prayer", but rather on whose hearts God draws to Him. If God chooses to call an ignorant bushman who's never heard of Jesus. why should I complain? It is still Jesus, still the Cross that makes it possible for any of us to be given the grace of salvation.

SD

298 posted on 12/07/2004 6:20:30 AM PST by SoothingDave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 247 | View Replies]

To: Lindykim

I noticed this too. Article is not on the religion forum, and it got way over 200 responses in less than two hours.

Actually, the topic of "what happens after death" and "where will I go" are more important than anything else in the world.

(Where can you see how many hits an article has gotten if it's on the sidebar?)


299 posted on 12/07/2004 6:39:52 AM PST by little jeremiah (What would happen if everyone decided their own "right and wrong"?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 295 | View Replies]

To: JockoManning

My favorite story in the Bible.


300 posted on 12/07/2004 6:48:11 AM PST by little jeremiah (What would happen if everyone decided their own "right and wrong"?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 261 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 261-280281-300301-320 ... 421-432 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson