Defending the Pope

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“the clear teaching of Scripture regarding the reality of a literal lake of fire that burns throughout all eternity” is obviously a Fundamentalist view which overlooks the fact of Semitic hyperbole. It is in direct contradiction to the teaching of Jesus that God is a loving Father who cares for His children and sent His Son to give us eternal life in heaven…
 
The Pope is not rejecting hell. He is trying to explain hell in more accurate terms.

We here on earth are limited in our understanding of things in the next life. We must refer to things in terms of created material things. That’s why we usually point to the sky when referring to heaven, and the ground while speaking of hell. Both are inaccurate, however.

When we die, however, this limitation will be removed and we will be able to see the reality of the afterlife. If we think about when we were created, we lived in our mother’s womb for about nine months. This was our reality. We had no idea about the “big world” outside! Similarly, we cannot fathom the next life awaiting us when we leave this world. But that doesn’t make it any less real.
 
The reference to Hebrews doesn’t say anything about the nature of judgement and Jude simply says that the false teachers will be punished like Sodom and Gomorrah but not necessarily in the same manner.

The person who wrote this, and those who believe him/her, reads Scripture through the lens of what I call selective literalism. To answer anyone who approaches you from this view, simply ask them why they don’t read John 6 and the Last Supper accounts as literally as they read the verses regarding Hell and eternal judgement.
 
Scoobyshme said:
When we die, however, this limitation will be removed and we will be able to see the reality of the afterlife. If we think about when we were created, we lived in our mother’s womb for about nine months. This was our reality. We had no idea about the “big world” outside! Similarly, we cannot fathom the next life awaiting us when we leave this world. But that doesn’t make it any less real.
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This is a very nice comparison. Thanks for shining a light on it.
 
brgregmack said:
The reference to Hebrews doesn’t say anything about the nature of judgement and Jude simply says that the false teachers will be punished like Sodom and Gomorrah but not necessarily in the same manner.

The person who wrote this, and those who believe him/her, reads Scripture through the lens of what I call selective literalism. To answer anyone who approaches you from this view, simply ask them why they don’t read John 6 and the Last Supper accounts as literally as they read the verses regarding Hell and eternal judgement.
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“selective literalism” (a delightful term!) is the reason why there are thousands of Christian sects.
 
Belief in a literal lake of fire is ridiculous as it suggests hell is a physical place.
 
razredge said:
Belief in a literal lake of fire is ridiculous as it suggests hell is a physical place.
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Keep in mind that while we live in this life, we are restricted in our ability to understand the next life. For the most part, we are restricted to expressing what we know of the next life through created things in this life. However, that doesn’t mean that everything we express is entirely inaccurate. It may just be lacking. I suspect when we enter the next life, we’ll go, “Oooohhh! THAT’s what was meant by… NOW I see! It all makes sense now!”
 
This is all great. Thanks guys. But another question though, don’t people in hell get their bodies back as well at Judgement Day? Wouldn’t that mean that Hell will become a place since it holds something material?

P.S. I’m probably wrong…😉
 
Scoobyshme said:
Keep in mind that while we live in this life, we are restricted in our ability to understand the next life. For the most part, we are restricted to expressing what we know of the next life through created things in this life. However, that doesn’t mean that everything we express is entirely inaccurate. It may just be lacking. I suspect when we enter the next life, we’ll go, “Oooohhh! THAT’s what was meant by… NOW I see! It all makes sense now!”
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I said belief in a literal lake of fire.
 
AveMaria12 said:
This is all great. Thanks guys. But another question though, don’t people in hell get their bodies back as well at Judgement Day? Wouldn’t that mean that Hell will become a place since it holds something material?

P.S. I’m probably wrong…😉
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After death everyone is in the spiritual world which “beyond” time and space.
 
Avemaria,
According to the creed, “(I believe) in the resurrection of the body…”

All the dead will rise again on the last day with their bodies.
The dead will rise again with the same bodies as they had on earth.
The bodies of the just will be re-modelled and transfigured to the pattern of the risen Christ.
The bodies of the godless will rise again in incorruption and immortality, but they will not be transfigured.
The present world will both be destroyed and remade on the last day.

The above was taken from Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Ott
 
So we wouldn’t consider heaven a place even if it hold the BVM’s body?
 
AveMaria12 said:
So we wouldn’t consider heaven a place even if it hold the BVM’s body?
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Heaven is a place, since all bodies have accidents (one of the ten accidents is location) and both the bodies of Our Lord and Our Lady are there, Our Lord, seated at the right hand of the Father, and His Blessed Mother at His right hand.

Hell is also a place, we know that the earth opened up and that Dathan and Abiron and their families all went down into hell alive for the blasphemy committed (Numbers ch. 16). The three children at Fatima were allowed, under the protection of Our Lady, to witness the sufferings in hell. Sr. Josefa Menendez actually spent time, by special grace of Our Lord, in hell during her life to suffer for sinners. St. Faustina Kowalska was also given special revelation of hell… And, by the fact of the resurrection of the body, and that after the general judgment, those who have kept their grace will be admitted to the Beatific Vision bodily or to the fires of purgation bodily and those who have not will be consigned to the fires of hell bodily. Being there bodily, even with a spiritualized body, demands that hell be an actual location, but not necessarily always a visible location to us now.

– Nicole
 
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