15
votes
Looking for an apologetic to the "Cosmic Child Abuse" objection
According to the doctrine of the Trinity, Jesus being the Son of God means that He is fully God made manifest in human form (John 1:14). Jesus is simultaneously both fully God and fully man. As such, ...
13
votes
Accepted
How do non-universalists account for these passages talking about the salvation of all?
Once one logically considers the relevant extant documents (by the genuine methodology of truly scientific textual criticism) ; once one has accurately translated these same documents ; once one has ...
- 26.9k
11
votes
Accepted
How do proponents of Apokatastasis deal with the "Everlasting punishment" texts in scripture?
Those who believe in Apokatastasis believe Revelation 20:10 is grossly misunderstood. The Greek says:
καὶ ὁ διάβολος ὁ πλανῶν αὐτοὺς ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν λίμνην τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ θείου, ὅπου καὶ τὸ θηρίον καὶ ...
- 2,492
11
votes
Accepted
According to believers in the inexorable damnation of the unreached, how is God not unfair for letting someone be born in unreachable conditions?
There are three common landing points that most believers fall into: (personally I progressed in my own thoughts along all three and don’t think its of absolute importance as to which place a person ...
- 34.2k
11
votes
How do non-universalists account for these passages talking about the salvation of all?
I read through a Universalist's web-page and I think you meant to refer to Colossians 1:19-20 (and not 3. Corinthians 1:19-20). Assuming that to be the case, I will just deal with that one proof-text ...
- 37.2k
10
votes
Accepted
How sound is the doctrine in Dante's Inferno?
How sound is the doctrine in Dante's Inferno?
Dante’s Inferno is basically just one part of the now famous work known as The Divine Comedy. Dante Alighieri’s epic poem was written in 1321 and was ...
- 74.5k
10
votes
Accepted
What is the Calvinist/Reformed solution to the Problem of Hell?
This article from a Reformed perspective addresses some of the questions: Universalism and The Reality of Eternal Punishment: The Justice and Mercy of God.
A good starting point is Romans. It is true ...
- 13.5k
9
votes
Accepted
Where did Augustine say that the same fire that tortures the damned purifies the elect?
This quote does come from Augustine, but its application to the doctrine of purgatory seems to be the work of Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas (who mistakenly attributes it to Gregory the Great) quotes ...
- 42.6k
9
votes
How do believers in hell respond to the argument "What finite crime deserves an infinite punishment?"?
Eleonore Stump addressed this very question in these 2 short interview-videos
Do Heaven and Hell Really Exist?
What is God's Judgment
by saying that opponents to the reality of hell mischaracterize ...
- 25.6k
9
votes
How do believers in hell respond to the argument "What finite crime deserves an infinite punishment?"?
The glory (meaning excellent goodness) of the person offended increases the crime. If for example you were to sleep with my wife and I ask you, ‘How dare you do that!’ and you say ‘I only did it ...
- 34.2k
8
votes
Do saints and church fathers generally make the claim that most people go to a hell of everlasting torment?
1) the large majority of people go to hell
See ch. 32 § "The Mystery of This Number" of Life Everlasting: A Theological Treatise on the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell by Fr. Réginald ...
- 41.4k
7
votes
Accepted
What is an overview of Reformed beliefs about hell?
Like most labels, Reformed theology defies clean boundaries, especially on a divisive topic like this one. But if we consider the term broadly, we will notice that the positions tend to follow those ...
- 42.6k
7
votes
Accepted
How many hells did Swedenborg say there were?
G.K. Chesterton is here referring to Swedenborg's common (for him) and somewhat unusual (in general religious writing) expression "the hells."
In his voluminous theological writings, Emanuel ...
- 8,620
7
votes
Accepted
Was there a non-Augustinian response to universalism in the early Church?
Two church fathers who (a) reject Origen's universal salvation and (b) are not influenced by Augustine are Basil (d. 379) and Chrysostom (d. 407). Their theological systems, however, are not nearly ...
- 42.6k
7
votes
Isn't it illogical for an atheist to go to hell?
It is illogical for an atheist to think they would go to hell.
Given they have arrived at the conclusion God does not exist, then they must also disbelieve in any place of eternal torment after death.
...
- 33.9k
7
votes
Isn't it illogical for an atheist to go to hell?
The illogic is in the question itself.
You say: “God gives me reason. … God doesn't exist”.
Asking a question based on two mutually exclusive facts doesn't make logical sense.
One can't believe both ...
- 10.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Concept and permanence of hell and the "outer darkness" according to LDS beliefs
Is the hell that is a spirit prison in the lds.org answer, or the place were people learn the truth about God, the same as the hell that is a permanent place for Satan and the sons of perdition?
No, ...
- 12k
6
votes
What is the Anglican teaching on Hell?
Here is a list of all the official Anglican statements of belief that talk about hell:
The 39 Articles of Religion
Contrary to what you say, the 39 Articles do mention hell, in Article 3:
As Christ ...
- 3,842
6
votes
Do Seventh Day Adventists believe people who attend church on Sunday will go to hell?
Do Seventh Day adventists believe that people who go to church on Sunday will go to hell?
No we do not, we believe only those who are unfaithful to God will be not be in heaven.
The Bible is clear ...
- 3,286
6
votes
What's the basis for saying Jesus went to hell?
Peter, in his testimony on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:14 ff, speaks of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and he quotes Psalm 16:10 where David the psalmist prophesies :
For thou wilt not ...
- 26.9k
6
votes
Is it morally commendable to volunteer your own life to go to Hell in place of someone else?
It is pride for any human to think that they can redeem another fellow human being.
They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; [whether material wealth or ...
- 26.9k
6
votes
What is the biblical basis for the idea that "hell is locked from the inside"?
The quote is from C.S. Lewis's book The Problem of Pain chapter VIII (Hell) which shows that although God gives every opportunity for a human being to repent and choose God, a person can be so blinded ...
- 25.6k
6
votes
Accepted
According to mainstream Christian groups, is it the soul or the body that goes to heaven?
The confusion here lies in an equivocation on the terms "heaven" and "hell." That is, the term heaven is used at different times to signify different states of affairs.
In ...
- 4,313
6
votes
What will a typical day in eternal life look like?
First off, the Bible does not promote reincarnation, so you won’t be coming back in another life onto this same old planet. Before you contemplate “what eternal life will look like” first you have to ...
- 33.9k
6
votes
What is the Calvinist/Reformed solution to the Problem of Hell?
Hell is only a problem to those who try to justify before God their actions (which includes sinful actions). Hell is a problem to those who consider their sin to be 'finite', despite the fact that ...
- 37.2k
5
votes
Is it possible to repent after death in Catholicism?
Short answer: For the general case, no.
Your question asks about both the general case, and an outlier case of suicide. That series of articles in the Catechism addresses in part whether or not the ...
- 6,747
5
votes
Looking for an apologetic to the "Cosmic Child Abuse" objection
From a Christian perspective, your question contains two erroneous premises: first that every person will be saved (universal salvation) and second that “Jesus descended into the deepest depths of ...
- 33.9k
5
votes
Why is Satan commonly believed to rule in hell?
I can only answer from a Protestant perspective and that perspective would be from scripture itself, since Protestants professedly believe that scripture is 'binding' (I am quoting here from the the ...
- 26.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Why is Satan commonly believed to rule in hell?
The idea that Satan is the ruler of Hell does not come from the Bible. Revelation 20:10 clearly describes Satan as being himself tormented in the lake of fire, and not as the tormentor. The idea may ...
- 33.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible