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Zach
Aug 29, 07 - 11:54 PM |
What do you think of this article?
This one is a traditional view of an eternal hell, which yet affirms that it is not unbearable for those in it. The author bases his (her?) views on descriptions of hell as exclusion rather than unbearable pain; on references made to the condemned feeling sorrow and anger (weeping and gnashing of teeth) rather than unbearable pain; on the comparison made in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man between the sufferings of the rich man in Hades and the sufferings of Lazarus on earth (this would, of course, be a ridiculous thing to say about Dante's hell); on the statement that it would be "more bearable" for some cities in the day of judgment than for others; and on the Biblical custom of using illustrations that were more frightening than the reality (the Biblical descriptions contain nothing nearly as frightening as later preachers have come up with). I found it interesting. http://www.christian-thinktank.com/gr5part2.html |
Mike Burke
 Aug 30th, 2007 - 5:54 AM |
Re: What do you think of this article?
You once wrote "In case we are wrong (which I do not believe we are, though I am not certain), I have some concerns about the level of danger involved in falsely proclaiming universalism." Is there not as much danger in saying (or even being perceived to say) that hell isn't as bad as we've been told? Here's a quote from an article I wrote: It seems that to maintain a belief in eternal torment, one must either maintain that God strips those in hell of their rational free will, that those in hell eventually adjust to their condition--hell becoming not so bad after awhile, or that God Himself vindictively torments the damned forever. I've seen those who believe in eternal torment take all three positions, and all three deny some truth of scripture. A universalist can believe that hell is really hot, and stays that way for the duration of one's stay there. He can also believe that God is truly a God of Love, that all of us are truly free moral agents (in the sense of having our own wiils, and being able to learn from our mistakes), and that God never strips us of our free will. http://www.biblicaluniversalist.com/Strawmen.html |
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Mike Burke
Aug 30th, 2007 - 9:16 AM |
Re: What do you think of this article?
P.S. When I spoke of hell being hot, I wasn't necessarily speaking of literal flames. A prolonged life review, where one experienced (in his own body--2 Cor. 5:10) the consequences of his actions from the position of those he wronged, could be a very real lake of fire. In that regard, I once read something that I found rather interesting. It seems that Heinrich Himmler (though he sent many to the death camps), only inspected Aschwits once--and that he couldn't stop throwing up at the time. In life, he was able to insulate himself from the consequences of his actions (at least until the Reich fell, and the allies closed in--and even then a suicide pill allowed him to cheat the hangman), but I'm sure a very real hell (involving both the pain of regret, and the pain of sense) awaits him at the Great White Throne Judgment. G-d Bless. |
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