The Lifted Veil

Unsealed ^ | 8-12-2019 | Gary

[JAKraig]

Many of your questions are answered in Catholicism...for example, people who have not known Christ but hear the Holy Spirit and lead good, moral lives do not go to hell. . . .

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Wipin and all Christians who hold traditional beliefs as Catholics do, I have a question. If the above is correct then what is the purpose in following Christ? If all we need do is be good people what is the advantage of Church?

Who without faith already can hear the Holy Ghost and follow Him?

I have pondered what Winpin said above for several days and I just can’t seem to get myself to believe it, or is it meant to say that while good people who were not Christian Don’t go to Hell they don’t go to Heaven either?

I certainly want to believe that good people who have never had the opportunity to hear the messages of Jesus Christ aren’t punished for something they had no control over. I would also wonder though that if they are denied Heaven because I didn’t teach them what will my punishment be for not teaching them?

I am convinced that the Spirit of Christ would not have visited the “spirits in Prison” while He lay in the toomb to punish them or tell them what they missed when the majority of them never heard of Him. I once asked a Catholic Priest after church about this and he said that Christ did indeed go to the spirit world to taunt those miserable souls there for punishment. The priest went to seminary and surely has forgotten more about the Gospel than most of us have ever learned but I’m not at this time prepared to believe him.

I have hope that those people who through no fault of their own who never heard the Gospel will not be punished for what they could not know. Even those who do bad things if they don’t know better should get a pass perhaps. I think I follow Jesus but perhaps others will say no you don’t do it right, does that mean I’m in the same boat as the others that never heard? Am I to be punished for my ignorance? I hope not, I truly have hope that I will not be punished or will others who in ignorance do not do it right.

If people who live moral lives do not go to Hell, if they haven’t heard of Christ how do they know what is moral?

Perhaps this is a sick example, but, What if Jeffery Epstine really thought he was doing nothing wrong. He has stated in the past that a couple hundred years ago it was normal for older men to have affairs with young women. I hope he rots in Hell but his argument if he believes it might hold some weight? It is at least an interesting question.

I would really enjoy knowing more of this instead of it simple being a mystery. It seems an important thing to know about.

There was a time when the Roman Church said everyone who was not a member was doomed to Hell, including those if other Christian churches. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch said essentially the same thing about his church. The pope and patriarch have both mollified their stances substantially in this day and age but it does not answer the questions for me.

[Wpin]

Thank you for the question. I can understand why you would ask this and appreciate the opportunity to answer. I am not a Theologian so I do hope you search further in Catholic doctrine on this and any other Catholic related question you have.

In regards to the ability of those who have never had the opportunity to hear about God from outside sources, but have led reasonable moral good lives going to heaven, we have to remember the qualifying condition. That is, that they have never had the opportunity to hear about God or the bible. God, is just...He also loves us. So, it is logical in a way we can even understand why this would fit within His framework. Those of us who have had the opportunity to hear of Him and the bible continue to have free will and hence we CHOOSE whether to follow Christ or reject Him. If we are unaware of Him there is no opportunity to do either. We must know of something to reject or accept it.

In regards to committing mortal sins, even without outside knowledge of God, we believe people are held accountable. The reason is that God has instilled His laws about such things as murder and homosexuality within us. We naturally know some things are wrong.

Think about it, if morality depended upon society for it’s validity...how valid would God actually be?

I know this is simplistic, but I think it captures it well.