Free Will And The Problem Of Hell Flashcards
What do Catholics believe about hell and God “sending people to hell”?
-Hell is a place of absence we’re God where people who have rejected God and his forgiveness live
-As Jesus paid the “ransom” to free humans from sin through crucifixion when a person dies, they have already made the choices that have either taken them closer to God (Heaven) or remove them from God (Hell).Therefore, a person is not sent to Hell by God: rather they take themselves to Hell through their own choices.
-The Bible says Adam and Eve “ate the fruit” in Genesis Indicating that even though God warned them against it he allows humans to have free-will
Why might some people question the existence of hell?
-Many people would question the fact God would condem people to eternal suffering, which seems incompatible with his “ombnibenelovent” and merciful nature
-The Bible says “God is love” indicating that he is all loving therefore the idea of a hell conflicts with this idea as if he really loved humans then he would not want to send them to hell
-the concept of hell may seem inconsistent with God’s limitless forgiveness as it implies a lack of opportunity for redemption or reconciliation
-the Bible says “i tell you not seven but seventy seven times” which this contradicts
How might the Catholic belief in hell influence their lives?
Catholics would try to use the gift of free-will from God to make good decisions, using the teachings of Jesus like ‘love thy neighbour’ to help to inform their choices.
