I instructed pagans in Africa who hadn’t even heard of Christ and welcomed the Gospel with open arms. There must be many others who have never had the opportunity. I’m sure they aren’t condemned through no fault of their own.
When did he say he was superior? It might be my pregnancy hormones, but it seems like some of the posts in this thread are getting a little obnoxious!
And as someone wise once said to me when I mentioned Africa: “Maybe here, now, is your Africa!”.
Only throwing stones at all the false information I’m getting on CAF.
Totally.
Who sounds like the Christian, the one with a heart of mercy or the one throwing stones.
Quite possibly. Always a mistake to post when angry.
How can one truly measure the errors of non-believers against believers?
Yet another misrepresentation! My exact words:You said WHEN we die we shall repent in Purgatory… so, you mean as we are dying & getting the last rites we repent & then make amends after we die in Purg.?
It didn’t come across like that.
It should be obvious that we can repent as soon as we understand how much unnecessary suffering we caused but impossible to make amends** before** we are in Purgatory - which does not begin until** after **we die.:tsktsk:
However, it is best to believe that one DOES end up in Hell if one sins mortally as a teenager, as a Catholic. It would be presumptious to believe otherwise. One should get to confession, absolutely. But whether non-Christian teenagers end up in Hell if dying in what we as Christians recognise as mortal sin is down to our Creator alone, to know.
Well…if the only litmus test for Christian-ness is never presuming to judge the state of someone else’s soul, then you can’t really make a statement like that without failing it yourself. However, I do think one can objectively judge the sinfulness or holiness of a specific action. The individual’s culpability, of course, is known only to God. Therefore, one can objectively say that it is possible for a teen to go to Hell, as it is possible for a teen to reject God. However, I think it is reasonable to say that the culpability of a teen is likely seen by the Lord as less than that of a mature adult in many instances.
Totally.
Who sounds like the Christian, the one with a heart of mercy or the one throwing stones.
Some believe they’re infallible!How can one truly measure the errors of non-believers with believers?
Maybe it is advisable to stop measuring the sins of others completely, unless in the confessional, in the position of priest.
Seems that way, doesn’t it.
I don’t think it’s obvious at all. Just to clarify, are you saying that after we die, we will have some sort of vision of how bad we really were and then a final opportunity to repent before being sent to purgatory to make up for it? Because if you are, I don’t really think that idea is supported by Scripture or Tradition, nor is it a teaching of the Church.
Indeed. I regard the UK as a spiritual desert in many respects. I had a very good neighbour who was the kindest person you could hope to meet yet when I told him I would pray for his wife who was having an operation he laughed as it were a joke. May he rest in peace.
I don’t totally disagree with this!
I do think not judging is a biggie and it can be hard. Assessment of behaviour has to done for all sorts fo reasons. We make assessments everyday about things. But deciding whether someone is off to Hell is more than an assessment. It is a judgement. Even if I knew that someone lived a bad life, especially if they died as a teen, and even moreso, if they died as a non-Christian teen, I would not dream of sending them off to Hell in my heart or imagination. As you say, it is up to our Creator.I’m not angry, but it seems like some people are.
Maybe he did joke. But maybe some part of him appreciated it. We can’t tell all things. Maybe he thought about your comment after you parted company with him?!
I’m not. And if you are not either then that makes two.
I don’t know why anyone confuses “when” with “after”. It would certainly be unjust if we had no opportunity to repent regardless of when it occurs. That belief is certainly incompatible with the teaching of Jesus that God is a loving Father. And if we never know how really bad we have been how can we possibly repent?
I don’t see where what you are saying is different from what I said. I certainly didn’t “send anyone to hell”. I only said that it is possible for any person with complete mental faculties to die in a state of mortal sin. Humans have no way of knowing if any specific person will be found by God to be in a state of mortal sin, because we don’t know their individual culpability. But we do know from both Scripture and Tradition that mortal sin exists and hell exists. I don’t see that anyone in this thread condemned any specific person to hell, but only said that it is a possibility.I don’t totally disagree with this!