Do the damned choose hell?

[GordonBOPS]

Does God put the damned in hell, or do the damned choose hell rather than submit to God’s judgment [that judgment at the end of each individuals life]. If this is an accurate statement, I’m hoping to use it as a way to explain to my “liberal” friends how freewill isn’t some “privilege” to excersise - but rather, all that it means is that we have the right to say NO to God [who wants to do that]. And that at the end of this life, if you’ve lived a life of saying no to God, then why should anything change when you die? He/She won’t be able to recognize or appreciate God and will send themselves far away from such “judgmentalness” [to coin a term].

 

[thessalonian]

As I understand it the damned choose it for themselves by the lives they lead. When they see God in his holiness they cannot choose to be with him. The are unable to trust in his mercy. I saw a good scripture for this and tried to make a mental note but am drawing a blank right now. I’ll try remember it and get back to you.

 

[DeFide]

GordonBOPS:

Does God put the damned in hell, or do the damned choose hell rather than submit to God’s judgment [that judgment at the end of each individuals life]. If this is an accurate statement, I’m hoping to use it as a way to explain to my “liberal” friends how freewill isn’t some “privilege” to excersise - but rather, all that it means is that we have the right to say NO to God [who wants to do that]. And that at the end of this life, if you’ve lived a life of saying no to God, then why should anything change when you die? He/She won’t be able to recognize or appreciate God and will send themselves far away from such “judgmentalness” [to coin a term].

Yes. You either say to God “Thy will be done”, or He can see your false self-deification and say to you “thy will be done”. He lets us choose.

peterkreeft.com/topics/hell.htm

 

[GordonBOPS]

Just another reference, I thought I read something by Aquinas in his Shorter Summa this concept that the soul ends up going where it can most tolerate the fire… but for the damned souls it always the pain of loss…

 

[Zooey]

What popped into my head was not scripture, but John Milton, who has satan say something like: “'Tis better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven”…
Yes, my understanding is that, indeed, people who go to Hell do so, not so much because they** don’t** repent, they are there because they won’t repent…

 

[DavidFilmer]

I recall a quote from a famous writer that goes something like:

No one will find himself in hell and complain, “there must have been some sort of mistake.”

But, unfortunately, I can’t recall the writer (seems like it was Fulton Sheen, but I could be wrong).

 

[jimmy]

You are given the choice. You can either say, “My will be done”, or “Thy will be done”. The first causes and leads to a seperation between you and God. The second leads to union with God. This life is meant for us to work toward union with God.

God gives us the choice to accept him or to reject him.

 

[radhika]

CS Lewis writes that the gates of hell are locked from the inside.

 

[BobCatholic]

There are two types of people who go to hell.

1. Those who are PROUD of their sins. They give God the finger and do a swan dive into the pit of hell voluntarily.
2. Those who are so ashamed of their sins, that when they see God’s burning love for them, they cannot stand what they have done and say “I would rather go to hell than deal with my shame”

 

[Zooey]

radhika:

CS Lewis writes that the gates of hell are locked from the inside.

Oh, wow! That is powerful…Where is that he says that? Do you know??

 

[RyanL]

Oh, wow! That is powerful…Where is that he says that? Do you know??

it’s from “the great divorce”. be careful, however, as lewis proposes a view of hell at odds with the catholic teaching (that the damned could take the bus from hell to heaven whenever they like). other than that…great book. i’m a big-time lewis fan. oh…he also believed in purgatory…kinda’ odd for a protestant!

RyanL

 

[VociMike]

Oh, wow! That is powerful…Where is that he says that? Do you know??

I can’t tell you where he wrote that, but if you want to read more read his “The Great Divorce”, all about how people choose to remain in hell. Fascinating book.

 

[VociMike]

RyanL:

it’s from “the great divorce”. be careful, however, as lewis proposes a view of hell at odds with the catholic teaching (that the damned could take the bus from hell to heaven whenever they like). other than that…great book. i’m a big-time lewis fan. oh…he also believed in purgatory…kinda’ odd for a protestant!

RyanL

I think his point was that it’s only hell for the people who can’t or won’t leave (thus, who continue to reject God), while for the others it’s only purgatory. I didn’t read it as an Official Catholic Guide To Hell, but as an explanation of how it is that people in hell choose to be there, while people in purgatory choose to submit to the cleansing fire of God’s mercy (e.g. the man with the red lizard of his sinfulness on his shoulder. When the angel asks permission to kill it, the man first says no, but the angel assures him that it will not kill him. The man continues to resist, fearing the pain. The angel replies something like “I did not say it would not hurt. I said it would not kill you” Read the book to find out the outcome )