Did God Create Hell?

[ML561]

I worry about Hell night and day and have almost fallen into despair, although I have repeatedly gone to confession .I worry so much I cannot sleep. Here is my question: I have done many things that disappointed my earthly father, yet he forgave me but he had every reason not to. He still loves me and has never given up on me. The last thing he would want would be for anything bad to happen to me. I am not talking about trivial matters here, this concerns sins I committted that got me imprisoned and caused great embarrassment to my family. Yet now I cannot believe that God loves me as much as my earthly father does. I read the lives of the saints and become more and more discouraged, as even they feel unworthy of God’s love. Why must we live our lives scared to death of a God who supposedly loves us? I am more convinced of the human love that my parents showed me than I am of a God whom I have trouble understanding who seems bent on sending almost everyone to Hell. (by the way, I confessed my sins and have not committed them again.My parish priest told me that I should dismiss these sins from my mind as long as I have the intention of not committing them again. )

 

[Shin]

God desires people to serve Him out of love… the fear is the motivator for the wicked in the beginning, and fear of a different kind the motivator for the just…

 

[Hugh_Millity]

Folks, Hell is indeed a real place. Pope Benedict 16 also said so last year. Also, there have been several visions of Hell granted to saints and mystics. One said that all people in Hell choose to be there because of their sin and hate and rebellion against God. She also said that God created Hell in His mercy, because even though the pain is beyond understanding, it would be far worse if the damned were forced to be near God and His holiness… so even Hell was created in mercy.

 

[Shin]

You must ‘hope beyond hope’ in the infinite goodness of God , and thank God with gratitude for the gifts He has given you, which are a cause for happiness in the heart. Look at what He does for you… inside and out… repentance… the desire for goodness… the breath of life… our daily bread… the sun, the moon, the rain the stars… these are of God… And His sacrifice on the cross, He would have done for you alone, of all those in this world, if you alone were the single sinner.

‘I feel so persuaded, O my God, that You graciously watch over those who hope in Thee, and that no one need require anything so long as they look up to Thee in all things, that I am determined for the future to lay at Your feet, all my anxieties and troubles. “In peace, in the selfsame I will sleep and rest. For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.” (Ps. iv.)’

‘Men may deprive me of property and honour; sickness may take away my strength and other means of serving You; I may even lose Your grace by sin; but never, never will I lose my hope in Thee. I will cherish it unto that dreadful moment when all hell will be unchained to snatch my soul away. “No one hath hoped in the Lord and hath been confounded.” (Eccles. ii. 11).’

St. Claude de la Colombiere

. . . if I wanted to, I could very well utter my words so that the whole world could hear them. I am capable of opening up hell for all to see its punishments. However, that would not be just, since people would then serve me out of fear, when they should be serving me out of love. For only a person who loves shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Moreover, I would be doing injury to the devil, if I took his lawfully purchased thralls from him without good works.

The Lord God to St. Bridget of Sweden

‘I am full of miseries; however, I hope to save my soul: I hope it of the infinite power and goodness of God; I hope it through the Passion and death of Jesus; I hope it by the intercession of the Mother of Sorrows; yes, I hope to go to heaven.’

‘If your eternal salvation depended on yourself alone, you would have serious cause for alarm, but since it is in the hands of your heavenly Father, what have you to fear? My hopes rest on the Passion of Jesus and on the dolors of Mary.’

‘Why despair of your eternal salvation? Do you not know how good God is?’

‘Let all our hopes centre in the Infinite Goodness; let us give thanks to our Crucified Love when He deprives us of all human aid, and let us place still greater confidence in His fatherly goodness.’

St. Paul of the Cross

 

[1WATCHER]

I worry about Hell night and day and have almost fallen into despair, although I have repeatedly gone to confession .I worry so much I cannot sleep. Here is my question: I have done many things that disappointed my earthly father, yet he forgave me but he had every reason not to. He still loves me and has never given up on me. The last thing he would want would be for anything bad to happen to me. I am not talking about trivial matters here, this concerns sins I committted that got me imprisoned and caused great embarrassment to my family. Yet now I cannot believe that God loves me as much as my earthly father does.

I read the lives of the saints and become more and more discouraged, as even they feel unworthy of God’s love.

Why must we live our lives scared to death of a God who supposedly loves us? I am more convinced of the human love that my parents showed me than I am of a God whom I have trouble understanding who seems bent on sending almost everyone to Hell. (by the way, I confessed my sins and have not committed them again.

My parish priest told me that I should dismiss these sins from my mind as long as I have the intention of not committing them again. )

ML, Understand this God has shown your parents how to LOVE YOU so that you may know how great his LOVE is FOR YOU.

satan, and his demons greatest tools are Discouragement and Disappointment as a means allow one to think of unworthiness.

Believe in he who petitions for you (Your Priest) and that forgiveness was Granted he is our beautiful and blessed earthly vessel we can use to come to PEACE knowing he is and has put his life on the line for you, to show his flocks nothing cost too much for his responding to the call of God. and has been called to answer the call of those who suffer in this earthly place. One lasting thought to think of remember the moment you confessed your sins, to the Lord…You have been washed clean of your SINS… as they never existed, now one must remember that as we live our earthly live we are still accountable for the conquences
of our actions and that once we have moved through the results of our sin We may show Gods Glory in the new creation that we have become.
I will pray for you with the Holy Mother and all the Saints for your sorrow M.L. and know you will be complete and be satisified with true Joy this very moment. You have received MERCY…from OUR LORD JESUS THE CHRIST!
1watcher

 

[cranster]

There is a good video with Scott Hahn, Steve Ray, Tim Staples and others called “What every Catholic needs to know about hell”. I think you can find it on you tube. They show it on EWTN every once in a while.

Hell is most definitely a real place, but it’s not the final destination for the damned. The lake of fire is the final destination after the last judgement where hell will be cast.

They said that no one in the Bible mentions hell more than meek, mild Jesus. I think they said he references it like 96 times.

They brought up something I thought was rather interesting in the video. It was said that “Heaven is hotter than hell”.

God is a raging fire that burns with infinite holiness and love. If a person does not die in the state of Grace then the most horrific thing imaginable would be to be in God’s direct presence, but the damned soul will also see G-d as He is in His infinite beauty at death and know what it’s lost. The chief punishment of hell is loss. No one could tolerate being in G-d’s direct presence in the state of mortal sin. That would be infinitely worse than being separated from God forever. People cast themselves there immediately at death if they die in the state of mortal sin. The damned soul is one that dies in a state of mortal sin and it is set permanently in desperate ill will against G-d by it’s own choice of having lived apart from G-d’s grace, and dying in that state.

People who die in the state of Grace but are not yet perfected cast themselves immediately in to purgatory. The thought for them of being in G-d’s presence with even the slightest stain of imperfection and having not yet paid every last cent of reparation to God’s justice would be unbearable. They experience the fire of God’s love in purgatory as pain. Which some mystic’s have said is equal in intensity to the fire’s of hell. The imperfections still remaining in the soul at death are being burned away by God’s love and that’s what is experienced as the pain of fire.

The difference between the soul in hell and purgatory is the soul in hell is alone, in despair and hopeless. The soul in purgatory is filled with joy even greater than the pain it’s experiencing because it knows it is destined to be with G-d forever, and is happy to let God completely remove the last vestiges of imperfection as long as it takes. No one there would even dream of entering God’s presence until completely purified. Saint Katherine of Genoa said that “The soul in purgatory reaches such a state of purity that even if it could remain an extra day it would no longer experience the fire as pain, but only as the bliss of God’s infinitely burning love and it would be Heaven anyway.”

We all have to face that fire. We can do it one of three ways. Either here by completely embracing the Cross, in purgatory which is much more difficult than here, or as God’s justice in hell. Suffering while only temporary for those who die in a state of Grace is the mechanism of purification chosen by God. We are also told not to compare our sufferings to the rewards to come because the rewards far out weigh the sufferings.

 

[cranster]

I recommend watching the video “What every Catholic needs to know about hell”. It was made by Scott Hahn, Steve Ray, Tim Staples and others. They go into great detail about Catholic teaching on the doctrine of hell. You can probably find it on you tube.

Heaven is hotter than hell and takes dying in the state of grace to tolerate it for what it is, the infinitely raging fire of G-d’s holiness and love.

The way I see it is we all have the choice of experiencing that fire in one of three ways. As G-d’s justice by dying in the state of mortal sin. As a perfecting fire in purgatory which is far more difficult than the third way. By completely embracing the Cross here while still alive.

Suffering is G-d’s chosen way of perfection. It’s what elevates us to the state of purity necessary to be able to tolerate being in His presence. We can embrace it here where it has merit for others and ourselves. In purgatory merit is no longer possible.

The chief punishment and suffering of hell is one of loss. The soul that dies in the state of mortal sin will see G-d as He is at their particular judgement and will despair at what it’s lost forever.

I think it’s really important to remember G-d desires for no one to be in hell. He didn’t create it for us. He created it for the devil and it’s angels. We freely choose our destination either by rejection of G-d’s grace, or through Living in G-d’s grace by repentance and avoiding mortal sin through constant use of the Sacraments.

No matter how many times we fall as Father Corapi say’s, “Never give up, and never surrender. Defeat is not an option”.

 

[Veridical16]

Hell is a place that God allows to exist but that He did not create. Hell is a creation by the free will decision of an individual to reject God. Hell is a choice that the damned make which through free will, they perceive as preferable to Heaven.

Let me try this thought to see it works. Hell is unimaginable in torment and punishment. Yet, I suspect that there is one place even worse for the damned than Hell. If one has chosen, and is sealed in the decision to reject God with their death, then wouldn’t being forced to be in God’s presence, (Heaven) be a white hot punishment worse than even hell, for those sealed in that decision?

If my supposition is correct, then God’s allowance for Hell to exist could be seen as a sign of His mercy, as the alternative (Heaven and the damned being forced to be in God’s presence forever) would be even worse. This would be consistent with God’s infinite Love of his creation and benevolence. The existence of Hell would also recognize the consequence of free will and God’s respect for this gift to us.

What do you think? I hope this is consistent with the Catholic teaching.

That’s how I’ve come to learn it.

This is from Bishop Fulton sheen :

*"Do Not think that God is angry because he sentences us to Hell.

Remember this, the sun which shines on wax softens it. The sun which signs on mud, hardens it. There is no difference in the sun, only in that upon which it shines. So too, the love of God shining on a soul that loves him, turns to Heaven…and the love of God shining on the soul that hates him, turns to Hell. Hell is a place, where there is no love. Would anything be worse? "
*

Folks, Hell is indeed a real place. Pope Benedict 16 also said so last year. Also, there have been several visions of Hell granted to saints and mystics. One said that all people in Hell choose to be there because of their sin and hate and rebellion against God. She also said that God created Hell in His mercy, because even though the pain is beyond understanding, it would be far worse if the damned were forced to be near God and His holiness… so even Hell was created in mercy.

I always heard when I was younger Hell being referred to as a “state” and I thought that made sense in terms of “soul” But now, I realize, that, if Heaven is a place where we’ll be with both our soul and resurrected body, then that’s obviously not going to be just a “state” of consciousness for those souls.

 

[holy_moly]

Great explanation! We must remember that hell is not a place like we see in movies. It is a seperation of God. There is no such thing as a spirtual place where all the damned souls live.People say hell will be painful becuase we are going to be burning alive but that is not the case. People will feel pain in there but it will be a spiritual pain because they willl be out of God’s presence,

Peace and Good will brothers!!!

Hell, according to Jesus & the NT is a place… from Scripture Catholic:
Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17 - John the Baptist said the Lord will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. This unquenchable fire is the state of eternal separation from God, which the Church has called “hell” for 2,000 years. Some Protestant communities no longer acknowledge the reality of hell.

Matt. 25:41 - Jesus says, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Matt. 25:46 - Jesus says, “they will go away into eternal punishment” which is in reference to this eternal fire.

Mark 9:47-48 - Jesus refers to hell as where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. It lasts forever.

2 Thess. 1:6-9 - the angels will come with flaming fire and the disobedient will suffer punishment of eternal destruction. It is important to note that “destruction” does not mean “annihilation,” as some Protestant denominations teach. It means eternal exclusion from the presence of God.

Jude 6-7 - the rebelling angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Rev. 14:11 - the worshipers of the beast suffer and the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever.

Rev. 20:10 - they’re tormented in the lake of fire and brimstone day and night forever and ever.

Isaiah 33:14 - “Who of us can dwell in the everlasting fire?” This is a reference to hell which is forever.

Isaiah 66:24 - their worm shall not die and their fire shall not be quenched. We cannot fathom the pain of this eternal separation from God.

Jer. 15:14 - in my anger a fire is kindled which shall burn forever. Hell is the proper compliment to the eternal bliss of heaven.

Judith 16:17 - in the day of judgment the Lord will take vengeance on the wicked and they shall weep in pain forever. Hell is a place that sinners have prepared for themselves by rejecting God, who desires all people to be saved in His Son Jesus Christ. God sends no one to hell.

 

[dweebken]

I recently read a book called 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese, I highly recommend it. He backs up his experiences there with references to and excerpts from the Bible. Although his visit there was chilling enough, I disagreed with some of his discussions later, but the point is, hell is very real and terrifying, and hell is a very physical experience. You can get the book at Amazon.com in hard copy or Kindle format.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

I worry about Hell night and day and have almost fallen into despair, although I have repeatedly gone to confession .I worry so much I cannot sleep. Here is my question: I have done many things that disappointed my earthly father, yet he forgave me but he had every reason not to. He still loves me and has never given up on me. The last thing he would want would be for anything bad to happen to me. I am not talking about trivial matters here, this concerns sins I committted that got me imprisoned and caused great embarrassment to my family. Yet now I cannot believe that God loves me as much as my earthly father does. I read the lives of the saints and become more and more discouraged, as even they feel unworthy of God’s love. Why must we live our lives scared to death of a God who supposedly loves us? I am more convinced of the human love that my parents showed me than I am of a God whom I have trouble understanding who seems bent on sending almost everyone to Hell. (by the way, I confessed my sins and have not committed them again.My parish priest told me that I should dismiss these sins from my mind as long as I have the intention of not committing them again. )

Judgment is real. You’re right about that. Even Christians will have their lives played back to them, warts and all, but will still have passed from judgment to life.

I also think that your experience of prison has made you wonder what hell is like. I’m guessing there, but I suspect it wasn’t pleasant. I also wonder what your experience of human authority was like while you were in there. Were the guards vindictive? What sort of culture did the prison have?

I think you need to realise that your personal experiences have had a bearing on your thinking in this regard. You’d be best advised to listen to your priest. But I still think it’s going to take a while for the realisation to sink in that you’ve been forgiven. In fact, I think the real problem may be that you have trouble forgiving yourself. Maybe you’ve hurt other people, and you’re frustrated that you can see no way to make it up to them.

I do a couple of jobs. I do an admin job and I drive a cab a couple of days a week. The bloke I drive for spent 15 years in prison, and it wasn’t very pleasant by his account. He tried to commit suicide and a guard gave him a Bible and said “I think you should read this”. He did, and became a Christian. He’s been clean for a good 20 years or so now. But he commented to me one day that when it came to the realisation that he couldn’t do anything much to make up for the damage he’d caused that sent him to prison, “You’ve got no idea how frustrating it is!”

So I’m wondering if your main problem isn’t forgiving yourself?

 

[tonyrey]

Hell, according to Jesus & the NT is a place… from Scripture Catholic:
Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17 - John the Baptist said the Lord will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. This unquenchable fire is the state of eternal separation from God, which the Church has called “hell” for 2,000 years. Some Protestant communities no longer acknowledge the reality of hell.

Matt. 25:41 - Jesus says, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Matt. 25:46 - Jesus says, “they will go away into eternal punishment” which is in reference to this eternal fire.

Mark 9:47-48 - Jesus refers to hell as where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. It lasts forever.

2 Thess. 1:6-9 - the angels will come with flaming fire and the disobedient will suffer punishment of eternal destruction. It is important to note that “destruction” does not mean “annihilation,” as some Protestant denominations teach. It means eternal **exclusion from the presence of God.
**
Jude 6-7 - the rebelling angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Rev. 14:11 - the worshipers of the beast suffer and the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever.

Rev. 20:10 - they’re tormented in the lake of fire and brimstone day and night forever and ever.

Isaiah 33:14 - “Who of us can dwell in the everlasting fire?” This is a reference to hell which is forever.

Isaiah 66:24 - their worm shall not die and their fire shall not be quenched. We cannot fathom the pain of this eternal **separation from God.
**
Jer. 15:14 - in my anger a fire is kindled which shall burn forever. Hell is the proper compliment to the eternal bliss of heaven.

Judith 16:17 - in the day of judgment the Lord will take vengeance on the wicked and they shall weep in pain forever. Hell is a place that sinners have prepared for themselves by rejecting God, who desires all people to be saved in His Son Jesus Christ. God sends no one to hell.

Since God is Spirit heaven is not a place - nor is hell. Jesus used imagery so that everyone can understand His teaching. If His reference to fire was intended to be taken literally we should also cut off our hand if it offends…

 

[Shin]

God also happens to be a man, with a body, and that body is in a place, which is Heaven. So too the Blessed Virgin…

And every human being in Heaven and Hell will have bodies someday.

And it is literally true that it’s better to lose your hand or eye than to sin. Which is why Padre Pio did not heal a particular blind man at one time, while he healed others…

 

[johncbrainerd]

Isn’t there an old analogy about the difference between Buddhism and Christianity? Like the hole where someone has fallen in, and the Buddhist passes by with an admonition to climb out, whereas the Christian, i.e. Christ, goes into the hole to boost him out.

This seems like a perfect analogy for the comparison, in a more general way, between Easternist and Westernist ways of addressing the general human predicament, to find meaning in life.

So Hell and Heaven are states of being, brought on by states of mind, or soul, that is, pro- or anti-Deity, which, without Christ’s helping hand up (redemption), we fall into despair and anger at a Father who would not reach out to us v. a Father who sends His son to open Heaven to our hope.

So many of us of a purely secularist persuasion these days see no value or need for divine redemption in their lives. I think this is because they think of life as a striving to realize their expectations within their local social system. What they seem to miss is the realization that that disposition is a damper on that very possibility.

The difference between an expectation and its realization is not in the local social system but in the attitude that opens to unfolding events. In short, system is merely a pattern of relations, whereas events are the medium in which all is either realized or not. Events are everything that is real. If we don’t do it there, we do not do it.

The question I have about this is, From the experience we all have in life, what aspect of it is direct preparation for our “waking up” after death in beatitude and what aspects, if any, are extraneous to that? If we find that aspect, we can emphasize that and abandon the other. And so Christ’s teaching is probably the clue to that.

I’m sure Hell is that state of mind where disappointment of life expectations is more important to us than changing those expectations to the destiny laid out for us by the Father. After all, changing expectations is a lot easier than changing the way things are. But we hear almost everyday someone say, “That’s just the way I am,” implying we can’t change our expectations. Perhaps such an attitude is “hell on wheels”!

I am impressed with the old adage about this: Well, there may not be a heaven after death, but self-consciousness dictates the probability. Hence, Hell would be waking up after death to the fact there is a Heaven and not having wanted it and therefore losing it. I would think that would be “hell on wheels,” the realization of what we missed but for carrying that “easy yoke.”

Hence, all we have to do is acquire and attitude of positive wanting the Father’s destiny, and He gives it to us gratuitously. That seems like living in a loving and all-powerful and all-benevolent embrace throughout life.

 

[twelvestars8]

Hell is the place where satan resides- it is a “place” like heaven as there have been a lot of visions of hell in the writings of the saints- such as St. Faustina, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John Bosco- also there are the children at Fatima to whom Our Lady appeared to and she also showed them a visioin of what hell is like.

St. Faustina said, “*I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the Abysses of Hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence…the devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God, What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell.”

“Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like…how terribly souls suffer there! Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God’s mercy upon them. O My Jesus, I would rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the greatest sufferings, than offend you by the least sin*.”
**
Being a place, it may be well considered that it is created by Our Creator, as He needs a place where to throw satan and all the souls who chose Eternal damnation above Eternal Life.**

 

[Martha_Karim]

I worry about Hell night and day and have almost fallen into despair, although I have repeatedly gone to confession .I worry so much I cannot sleep. Here is my question: I have done many things that disappointed my earthly father, yet he forgave me but he had every reason not to. He still loves me and has never given up on me. The last thing he would want would be for anything bad to happen to me. I am not talking about trivial matters here, this concerns sins I committted that got me imprisoned and caused great embarrassment to my family. Yet now I cannot believe that God loves me as much as my earthly father does. I read the lives of the saints and become more and more discouraged, as even they feel unworthy of God’s love. Why must we live our lives scared to death of a God who supposedly loves us? I am more convinced of the human love that my parents showed me than I am of a God whom I have trouble understanding who seems bent on sending almost everyone to Hell. (by the way, I confessed my sins and have not committed them again.My parish priest told me that I should dismiss these sins from my mind as long as I have the intention of not committing them again. )

Hi Mr ML561 ,

I really stopped my readings just here to answer your post. I found it is so important to reply in order to give you a guidence “humbly”. I am catholic Maronite from Lebanon and I raised up in a family who prays and attends mass and I had a grandfather, an uncle and a cousin were priests (they are dead), and now my brother in law is a priest. Here in East, a Catholic can get married then be a priest (if he really has a vocation). I am 46 years old , I pray the rosary almost everyday. I am a lawyer since 18 years (I am not rich because I work very very honestly) . I gave you a summary of my catholic life in order to give you idea so that you take in consideration what I will say.

God is LOVE, He never sends to Hell. Only people who don’t believe in His mercy or misericord, they send themselves to Hell. A Human has the choice to choose Heaven or Hell. As God has always respected our liberty.

God loves people who come up from or quitt their sins, who makes real and honest confession, He really takes care of them more than the righteous ones, because He sent His only Son to save us from Sins, Jesus says ( i use the present tense not the past tense to say that Jesus is always forgiving) : I came for the sinners not for the righteous.

Please Please Mr. ML561, I ask you to **trust in God,and be aware that He cares so much for you and He is so happy that you seek **for Him and that you have done a real repentence. Actually you need to believe that God has accepted your repentence and He has deleted your sins due to your real repentence, which means you need to forgive yourself also, it is so important to forgive yourself wich means you believe in His mercy.

That’s all. I hope you will reply to my message and I am ready to answer every question.And I hope I have written a good english.
God bless you
Martha

 

[Vile_Servant]

I worry about Hell night and day and have almost fallen into despair, although I have repeatedly gone to confession .I worry so much I cannot sleep. Here is my question: I have done many things that disappointed my earthly father, yet he forgave me but he had every reason not to. He still loves me and has never given up on me. The last thing he would want would be for anything bad to happen to me. I am not talking about trivial matters here, this concerns sins I committted that got me imprisoned and caused great embarrassment to my family. Yet now I cannot believe that God loves me as much as my earthly father does. I read the lives of the saints and become more and more discouraged, as even they feel unworthy of God’s love. Why must we live our lives scared to death of a God who supposedly loves us? I am more convinced of the human love that my parents showed me than I am of a God whom I have trouble understanding who seems bent on sending almost everyone to Hell. (by the way, I confessed my sins and have not committed them again.My parish priest told me that I should dismiss these sins from my mind as long as I have the intention of not committing them again. )

Dear ML561,

God loves you so much that His only Son died a most painful and disgraceful death to redeem you. Meditate on the passion of Christ and you will not only discover the tender of love of God, but also a horror of sin.

With fear and trembling let us work out our salvation, because the devil and his angels toil night and day to secure our perdition. Your soul is worth more than the whole world. If we are faithful to Christ and keep his commandments, to love God and our neighbor, with holy perseverance to the end of our lives, then we shall have no worry about Hell at all.

God is both merciful and just. In His mercy, He does not fail to call us to return to Him when we fall in this life, He is slow to anger, rich in mercy and abounding in love. In His justice, He will reward and punish all souls according to their works.

So let us fight the good fight and run the good race, as the Apostle has exhorted us, so that we may eventually gain the crown of glory in heaven.

Blessings and peace.

 

[Cristian_B]

God created everything. Does that mean that God created Hell? In other words, when Satan revolted and decided not to serve God, where could he go? He couldn’t go somewhere outside of God’s creation because no such thing exists. But if God created everything to be good, then what does that say about Hell?

My first thought was that God created everything including Hell, but that Hell is fundamentally a neutral place. It was Satan that turned it into the agony that it is when he revolted against God. It’s sort of like someone building a nice home and you move in and thrash it. It’s not the builder’s fault that you turned something into a squalor.

Anyone have anything to add? This is just a nightly pondering.

God created Hell. Hell was originally created for Satan.

 

[Cristian_B]

I worry about Hell night and day and have almost fallen into despair, although I have repeatedly gone to confession .I worry so much I cannot sleep. Here is my question: I have done many things that disappointed my earthly father, yet he forgave me but he had every reason not to. He still loves me and has never given up on me. The last thing he would want would be for anything bad to happen to me. I am not talking about trivial matters here, this concerns sins I committted that got me imprisoned and caused great embarrassment to my family. Yet now I cannot believe that God loves me as much as my earthly father does. I read the lives of the saints and become more and more discouraged, as even they feel unworthy of God’s love. Why must we live our lives scared to death of a God who supposedly loves us? I am more convinced of the human love that my parents showed me than I am of a God whom I have trouble understanding who seems bent on sending almost everyone to Hell. (by the way, I confessed my sins and have not committed them again.My parish priest told me that I should dismiss these sins from my mind as long as I have the intention of not committing them again. )

What do you believe Hell is?

 

[rinnie]

No We created hell when we refused to turn towards God and separate ourself from him.

Hell is total separation from God. God does not do that, we do it to ourself.