Do we really care about Hell?

[Nihil Obstat]

I would say it's a vanishing minority of people, even among practicing Christians, that *really* believes in Hell. Even among those who admit that Hell exists, pretty much no one acts as if it did; as if most of humanity could end up in such terrible, endless torment, including oneself and all their loved ones. No one really feels the overriding, urgent moral duty to save their neighbor from Hell, as it seems to me logically follows.

You seem pretty dead set on this thesis, but so far you are not giving us anything in the way of evidence.

[Yaatee]

One slight correction, I am a He-Man by the power of Gray Skull and yes I do have a Battle Cat. But he is green with orange or yellow stripes, I can't remember I don't pay much attention to things like that.

 

 

LOve it!

You seem pretty dead set on this thesis, but so far you are not giving us anything in the way of evidence.

One thing I also notice. Those that are driven by the fear of hell to be 'moral'--aren't being moral at all.  They have no sense of morality, especially as it applies to them.   They are people who aren't very nice, have no compassion or  charity, but they go to church, avoid the major sins, confess when they masturbate, give a minimum to charity, and are glad that they're not going to hell--but that all the unbelievers, people they envy and dislike, those that have things they don't have--are.

[Yaatee]

1. A person's skin colour doesn't determine the truth or falsehood of what they say.
2. A person's sex doesn't determine the truth or falsehood of what they say.
3. Truth is not determined by how many people believe in something.
4. This is a Catholic forum, so it seems appropriate that you'll find Catholic beliefs discussed on here, much like how you'd find Hindu beliefs discussed on a Hindu forum.
 

 

All your points are true, but irrelevant.  I am just making an observation about who on this phorum likes to post about hell.  It's mainly men and boys who post and also who appear to believe that only a minority of the human race will ever make it to heaven.  To me it's a comment on their maturity and also I suspect their positions in life, or their attitudes towards their positions who they are and their relationship to others.

[Nihil Obstat]

One thing I also notice. Those that are driven by the fear of hell to be 'moral'--aren't being moral at all.  They have no sense of morality, especially as it applies to them.   They are people who aren't very nice, have no compassion or  charity, but they go to church, avoid the major sins, confess when they masturbate, give a minimum to charity, and are glad that they're not going to hell--but that all the unbelievers, people they envy and dislike, those that have things they don't have--are.

How nice of you to examine their consciences for them.

[Catlick]

Ah, so defending the existence of Hell is a white male issue. Very strange, as from all the Christians I know the ones who talk most about demons and Hell are African women. 

[Credo in Deum]

Ah, so defending the existence of Hell is a white male issue. Very strange, as from all the Christians I know the ones who talk most about demons and Hell are African women. 

It's that darn white privilege again.

[Dr_Asik]

You seem pretty dead set on this thesis, but so far you are not giving us anything in the way of evidence.

I gave some examples above. This is only based on my experience of course.

Another example would be the low emphasis on evangelization in the Catholic Church.

[Nihil Obstat]

I gave some examples above. This is only based on my experience of course.

Another example would be the low emphasis on evangelization in the Catholic Church.

Meh. You gave some extremely broad, extremely general impressions that you have about people who believe or do not believe in hell. I would hesitate even to call them anecdotes, and we all know how worthless anecdotes can be in the first place.

[Ice_nine]

yeah this is silly to talk about it as a race thing. Most people, I think, on this website are white (and you can't really know that for sure) but since most English speaking Catholics are White (right?) I guess it's not a huge leap to make that assumption. And men talk about hell more because idk it's befitting of the stereotype that men are stronger and want to demonstrate that they can "handle the truth."

 

[Dr_Asik]

Meh. You gave some extremely broad, extremely general impressions that you have about people who believe or do not believe in hell. I would hesitate even to call them anecdotes, and we all know how worthless anecdotes can be in the first place.

That I've never heard a sermon on Hell is not an impression but a fact, and in mainstream Catholic circles that is something many people could relate to. I give this example because it's one many practicing Catholics could give. 

Someone suggested I should attend more traditional, Latin Masses, which only proves my point, given that these are very rare.

That the Church has a low focus on evangelization is enough of a problem for "New Evangelization" to have been a buzzword for several years now.

Perhaps where you live, most people believe in Hell, and are genuinely worried and do all they can, as their top priority in life, to help save their loved ones and neighbors, given that this surpasses any worldy issue. Can you honestly say that?

[Nihil Obstat]

I can certainly say that about my parish community. 

[Era Might]

What I find interesting is who posts about hell on the Phatmass Forum.  Overwhelmingly , it's the men--or boys.  And I suppose that it's mainly white men.

There are a few women, like me, who post about hell, but not many, and we don't seem to bring it up as a topic.  Also, there has been recently, on Phatmass, a good deal of discussion about how many people are going to hell, sometimes using rather gloating descriptions.  Boy, a lot of people are going, but not me!!  So you have white men posting about hell, some in a gloating fashion.  Why is this? 

I think that most Christians don't believe in hell.  I suspect that most people don't.  I also suspect that many otherwise believing Catholics, including many priests and religious, if it comes down to it, don't either.  Hindus and Buddhists don't. Jews don't, not even for Adoph Hitler.  I think that there was a contest, during WWII, about what was the most appropriate punishment for Hitler.  The winner went to someone who suggested that he be forced to live with his mother-in-law. 

I think that there is a wide streak of resentment, envy, unresolved anger, and desire for revenge among people who bring up hell.  They like to write about it, defend it, and think, "Boy, some time, some day, they'll get theirs!!"

Women don't need hell to get their revenge...that's what slanderous gossip and sleeping with other women's husbands is for.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Era Might

[Socrates]

If this parent believes his child could at any time die and go to hell, shouldn't preventing this be much higher in his priorities? Isn't Hell much worse than failing at school or taking drugs or whatever could happen to you in this life?

Similarly, if Christians think baptism is necessary for salvation, and that outside of salvation our default destination is Hell, shouldn't they be much more concerned about getting people baptised? Isn't this way more important than schools, hospitals, etc.?

Yes to all the above.  That is actually the teaching of the Church.

[Socrates]

Several things.  Most people, Christians or otherwise don't believe in Hell.  Christians, believing in hell or not, tend to baptize their children shortly after birth.

It is my understanding that the Catholic Church exempts from hell  those outside its compass like hundreds of millions of Hindus, Buddhists and Shintoists, plus the Jews.  People who honestly don't believe in Christianity are not rejecting hell, and other doctrines,  they just don't believe in them.  Being unbaptised used to send you to limbo; I don't know what the current belief is on that.  To qualify for hell you have to commit a mortal sin, something serious, against church law, to which you assent.  Rejecting a belief because you honestly don't believe in it is not a mortal sin.

As Christians, what "most people" believe shouldn't matter at all.  All that matters is what Jesus Christ teaches about Hell, and He very plainly and clearly taught that it exists, and that we should avoid it.  So does His Church, which clearly teaches that only the grace of Christ can save any of us.

Judging by your profile, I'm presuming you're neither Catholic nor Christian, but this is a Catholic message board (in case you haven't noticed.) 

[Socrates]

What I find interesting is who posts about hell on the Phatmass Forum.  Overwhelmingly , it's the men--or boys.  And I suppose that it's mainly white men.

There are a few women, like me, who post about hell, but not many, and we don't seem to bring it up as a topic.  Also, there has been recently, on Phatmass, a good deal of discussion about how many people are going to hell, sometimes using rather gloating descriptions.  Boy, a lot of people are going, but not me!!  So you have white men posting about hell, some in a gloating fashion.  Why is this? 

I think that most Christians don't believe in hell.  I suspect that most people don't.  I also suspect that many otherwise believing Catholics, including many priests and religious, if it comes down to it, don't either.  Hindus and Buddhists don't. Jews don't, not even for Adoph Hitler.  I think that there was a contest, during WWII, about what was the most appropriate punishment for Hitler.  The winner went to someone who suggested that he be forced to live with his mother-in-law. 

I think that there is a wide streak of resentment, envy, unresolved anger, and desire for revenge among people who bring up hell.  They like to write about it, defend it, and think, "Boy, some time, some day, they'll get theirs!!"

Those gosh darned White Males!  (Yep, let's go by the liberal playbook, and make everything about race and gender.)

A certain Middle Eastern Jewish Man (who is also God) did happen to preach quite a bit on hell, and how to avoid it.

But I'm sure He lacks sufficient pc cred to be taken seriously.  I'm sure whatever  transgendered African-American/Alaskan Native Buddhists believe on the issue according to the latest Gallup poll is much more relevant.

And besides, the Guy clearly had anger issues (need we even mention the whole Temple court incident?).