The fires of Hell are real and eternal, Pope warns

The Times (UK) ^ | March 27, 2007 | Richard Owen

[USMMA_83]

Oh my god...I never, ever thought about it like that. What an interesting way to look at this whole subject. Super!

[catfish1957]

Not a theological expert by any means, but are the billion hindus and buddist hellbound by this account?

[null and void]

Only a child could believe in hell.

You've never been married have you?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

When it comes down to it you know absolutely nothing more or less than this poster or me about God. You have a belief. Belief doesn't equal truth. Sorry.

[Salvation]

Are you talking about something like this -- yesterday's Gospel?

Gospel
Jn 8:21-30

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going you cannot come.”
So the Jews said,
“He is not going to kill himself, is he,
because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
He said to them, “You belong to what is below,
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world,
but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
For if you do not believe that I AM,
you will die in your sins.”
So they said to him, “Who are you?”
Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.
I have much to say about you in condemnation.
But the one who sent me is true,
and what I heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
So Jesus said to them,
“When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM,
and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me.
The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him.”
Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

Or Thursday's Gospel?

Gospel
Jn 8:51-59

Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

[Salvation]

**Yeah, like all of the priests who raped little boys for decades while the church covered it up. I'm thinking there's a special place in hell for them.**

Yes some priests made mistakes and made selfish choice that were only self-fulfilling. But please don't bash the entire Catholic church because of them.

Here's a quote for you:
"The walls of hell are lined with the skulls of bishops."
Saint John of the Cross

[gracesdad]

"Hell is hotter than the Sun. It is a place of darkness and where the worm never dies. If using the physical limitation of the world, the fire is so hot that you cannot see the flame. There are some fire that does not have any visible flame such as fire with alcohol as a fuel. Regardless of the eternal address, you will have body either in Heaven or in Hell. The body in Hell will experience severe pain, something beyond what is known in the world. The pain will be in every cubic inch of your Hell body."

Hmmm, and you know all these details exactly how?

[Salvation]

The Early Church Fathers on Purgatory - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus

The Early Church Fathers on Hell - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus

[Tench_Coxe]

" "First, We postulate that if souls exist, then they must have some mass. If they do, then a mole of souls can also have a mass. So, at what rate are souls moving into hell and at what rate are souls leaving? I think we can safely assume that once a soul gets to hell, it will not leave.

Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for souls entering hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, then you will go to hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and souls go to hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in hell to increase exponentially.

Now, we look at the rate of change in volume in hell. Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in hell to stay the same, the ratio of the mass of souls and volume needs to stay constant. Two options exist:

1. If hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter hell, then the temperature and pressure in hell will increase until all hell breaks loose.
2. If hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until hell freezes over.

So which is it? If we accept the quote given to me by Theresa Manyan during Freshman year, "that it will be a cold night in hell before I sleep with you" and take into account the fact that I still have NOT succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then Option 2 cannot be true...Thus, hell is exothermic." "

From here: Hotter than hell

[Ciexyz]

This is a most cool Pope.

[mugs99]

Tell me what you think happened (according to Christian teaching) on the cross, and we can at least try to begin to address your question. Your answer sets the stage for whether or not the biblical answer to this makes any sense.

I have no idea what happened. I wasn't there.
Why does the stage need to be set?
.

[Campion]

Through the complete canon of scripture, God only speaks of heaven and hell.

Oh, really? Then why does St. Paul speak of those "saved as through fire" in 1 Corinthians 3 ??

The RCC uses purgatory to make people feel better about their sins.

Wrong.

I love what Spurgeon has to say

Yes, I'm sure you do, whilst simultaneously claiming you go by "the Bible alone". There is no "Book of Spurgeon" in my Bible, so why should I pay the slightest respect to the opinion of a mere man who hasn't the tiniest shred of God-given authority to teach me?

Either Christ's atonement is satisfactory and complete, or it isn't.

Either you are, at the moment of your death, utterly perfect, completely holy, and absolutely ready to enter the presence of a righteous God (who is, according to Scripture, a "consuming fire," and will not be deceived by any snow-covered dunghills merely covered by an imputed legal fiction, pace Martin Luther), or you'll need purgatory ... or you're going to hell.

Those are the only possible choices.

[mugs99]

I think the other Pope had it right

I think you're right.
.

[GraniteStateConservative]

My favorite part about the heaven myth is the references to Midas-like gold on everything and mansions and other trappings of extreme, gratuitous wealth-- which is generally counter to the poverty of Jesus and the Apostles.

It's like heaven/Christianity was set up deliberately as a way to lure the poor (who make up almost all of any society-- the rich being in the very top percentile). If you set up a religion, make sure it has mass appeal. Telling the poor that they will be filthy rich in the afterlife is a good start.

[upsdriver]

We are all condemned by our sins. There are no small sins. Jesus came and died on the cross in order for us to be forgiven of all our sins. The only way to Heaven is to repent and believe the Gospel!

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only son.

John 3:16-18 NIV

[mugs99]

God doesn't send anyone to hell. Men send themselves to Hell.

Sounds like the man who blames his wife for the beating he had to give her.
The Bible says (Isaiah and Lamentations) that God decides who is evil and who is good. If the Bible is right, God has already decided that a soul is evil and sentences that evil soul to eternal torture before that soul is even created.

From a Deist point of view, the Christian God looks like a psychopath.
.

[Bob J]

Good one.

[Riverman94610]

There are no small sins.Yes,I understand that is what The Bible says.
But lets use common sense.Chinese Communism was responsible for something like twenty million deaths from forced starvation.
I stole a quarter from my mom's purse when I was twelve.
There is a moral equivalency there?

[null and void]

*sigh* unfortunately.

[Bob J]

Following your comment to it's logical conclusion, does God then sentence bad men to marriage?