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To: NYer
"I couldn't reconcile a God whose mercy endures forever and this torture chamber that's customized for unbelievers," he said. "You can't be happy. And how can you really love a god who's torturing your grandmother?"

Personally, I don't really see how it's possible to reconcile the concept of an all-powerful, all-loving, life-creating God with the traditional concept of hell (=conscious eternal torment).

Or, to put it another way, I simply can't seem to work out any way that the traditional concept of hell makes a hell of a lot of sense.

13 posted on 07/10/2007 6:14:54 PM PDT by Luke Skyfreeper
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To: Luke Skyfreeper

It’s important to remember that God doesn’t send people to Hell. To go to hell, one has to want to go there — to say, like Lucifer, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven”.


17 posted on 07/10/2007 8:06:52 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: Luke Skyfreeper

Perhaps those who love God experience love, those who hate God experience it as torment.

God being the same, the experience determined by the individuals will and intent.


22 posted on 07/11/2007 12:58:49 AM PDT by D-fendr
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To: Luke Skyfreeper
Personally, I don't really see how it's possible to reconcile the concept of an all-powerful, all-loving, life-creating God with the traditional concept of hell (=conscious eternal torment).

The eternal nature of hell is stressed in the New Testament. For example, in Mark 9:47–48 Jesus warns us, "[I]t is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." And in Revelation 14:11, we read: "And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Hell is not just a theoretical possibility. Jesus warns us that real people go there. He says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:13–14).

23 posted on 07/11/2007 6:10:52 AM PDT by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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