Does God send people to Hell who do not know Christ?

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COPLAND_3 said:
I just finished an article on this, it has been a hot topic on this forum, and it has always been one that I have been passionate about. Check it out litteralchristianlibrary.wetpaint.com/page/Does+ignorance+of+Christ+send+people+to+Hell%3F
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I think the key is that invincible ignorance applies only to those who truly have no knowledge of Christ and his teachings but live a life in accordance with his teachings without realising that is what they are doing.
I do not think it applies in cases where someone knows nothing about Christ and lives a debauched and criminal life. I believe these people will go to Hell.

Also in this day and age of global communications there cannot be many who have not heard of Christ and consequently have the chance to find out more.
 
Actually I am amazed of how many people who do not know Christ who live in America. Sure, access to the Gospel is available to everyone, but people having the seed planted and then watered does miss lots of people. I grew up without having anybody explain the Gospel to me, I was totally clueless of who Christ was and what He did for us until I was in my 20’s. I can see how people in our society can miss the Gospel for a long time, especially if they have not been raised by a Christian parent or have close family or friends who are devoted enough to tell them about it.
 
notsmart said:
thistle;4532049:
I agree here.

I don’t know if they will go to Hell or not, I would use the same conditions 3 the church does for determining someone’s mortal sin.

Yeah, and the information out there is mostly junk. You can’t judge someone on rejecting junk.
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What I meant here is that most would at least have the chance to read a bible, other books, speak to a priest etc.
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thistle said:
notsmart;4532065:
What I meant here is that most would at least have the chance to read a bible, other books, speak to a priest etc.
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Well, let me tell you from my personal experience that sounds good on paper but in reality its just a high hope christians have.

When you have not had good witness from self proclaimed christians, its a real uphill battle for an atheist to take to the “message”. Long story short, it did not help me any. I did read the bible, but more out of the need to in order to have dinner party converstations with my non catholic friends.

Most were leading lives of open sinfulness according to their own faiths, and the bible. Yet, I for some reason was hellbound.🤷\ for not believing what they did. I did not see it “take” with them.
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notsmart said:
thistle;4532049:
I agree here.

I don’t know if they will go to Hell or not, I would use the same conditions 3 the church does for determining someone’s mortal sin.

Yeah, and the information out there is mostly junk. You can’t judge someone on rejecting junk.
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I have always been curious about what happens to people of the Jewish Faith? I have found that that many Protestants truley beleive that they would go to Hell reguardless of how faithfull they were to there beliefs .
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billieandme said:
notsmart;4532065:
I have always been curious about what happens to people of the Jewish Faith? I have found that that many Protestants truley beleive that they would go to Hell reguardless of how faithfull they were to there beliefs .
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I don’t believe that simply being Jewish will send you to hell.
Thats another of many reasons I reject the protestant doctrines.
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billieandme said:
notsmart;4532065:
I have always been curious about what happens to people of the Jewish Faith? I have found that that many Protestants truley beleive that they would go to Hell reguardless of how faithfull they were to there beliefs .
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I believe that the non-Christian Jews are no different than any other non-believer now because the Church is the New Israel of God (Gal. 6:16) through the New Covenant. With that being said they will all be judged according to how they respond to God with what knowedge they have of Him. Some Jews reject Christ because they were misguided, which God is more flexible, but there are Jews who reject Christ out of hardness of heart which God will not tolerate. And there are those Jews who are like anybody else who are just down right wicked and rebellous that will be treated like a pagan who acts the same way. Gal. 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female:…
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COPLAND_3 said:
billieandme;4536754:
I believe that the non-Christian Jews are no different than any other non-believer now because the Church is the New Israel of God (Gal. 6:16) through the New Covenant. With that being said they will all be judged according to how they respond to God with what knowedge they have of Him. Some Jews reject Christ because they were misguided, which God is more flexible, but there are Jews who reject Christ out of hardness of heart which God will not tolerate. And there are those Jews who are like anybody else who are just down right wicked and rebellous that will be treated like a pagan who acts the same way. Gal. 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female:
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…

This is well said - but I’d add another category, some Jews are supernaturally blinded by God as part of his salvation plan (blinded until the full allotment of Gentiles comes in) - I believe God is big enough to look into their hearts for what they “would” do if not so blinded. I pray every night for my Jewish relatives who have passed - praying, since God stands outside time, that he presently (in our time sense) comes to them in the moments before their deaths (past in our time sense) and reveals himself so that they, like the thief on the cross, may respond to his voice (his sheep know his voice) and come to eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Blessings,

Brian
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There will be Jews who will see him as the messiah when he comes again. They may see him when he comes again before some christians do.
 
Robbinson said:
COPLAND 3;4536926:
This is well said - but I’d add another category, some Jews are supernaturally blinded by God as part of his salvation plan (blinded until the full allotment of Gentiles comes in) - I believe God is big enough to look into their hearts for what they “would” do if not so blinded. I pray every night for my Jewish relatives who have passed - praying, since God stands outside time, that he presently (in our time sense) comes to them in the moments before their deaths (past in our time sense) and reveals himself so that they, like the thief on the cross, may respond to his voice (his sheep know his voice) and come to eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Blessings,

Brian
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That is a very interesting way to look at it, maybe I looked at that wrongly. I figured that God knew that they would not believe so He completely blinded them. Maybe there is a great deal of truth to both, but I like yours better.
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I don’t think it is that simple. Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, saying that had he never spoken to them they would no know sin. The Church teaches this very thing; one of the main components to sin is knowledge that you are sinning. We are not all to be judged to the same standard; this is also a Scriptural Truth, and is taught by the Church.

As to whether or not someone has rejected Jesus, I once heard a very humbing quote. “The only Jesus someone may ever have the chance to reject is the one we present to them.” This statement really hit home for me. As a Christian, it is my duty to give witness, and if someone who did not “know Christ” rejects my witness, the culpability could very well be on me for my poor presentation rather than the one who rejected my representation.
 
John, I think the Church reflects what you wrote. If I am not mistaken, the Church recognizes that when someone follows the truth written on their hearts as best they can, they ARE in a sense following Christ, who is Truth itself. Their knowledge of Him is not formal, yet they will still be saved by Him though they don’t realize it.

That famous Christian apologist C.S. Lewis used this principle in his book The Last Battle (p 205-206):

…the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, "Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me…no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him…unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek.
 
The Magisterium has repeatedly taught that those in good faith who repent of their sins and love God above all things and seek His way, truth, and life, are united in some way to the Body of Christ and may be saved.

As an aside, I am currently reading some revelations to St. Bridget of Sweden (1300s) approved by Pope Boniface IX, and in one of them Jesus specifically says that He will save Jews and pagans who seek to serve God with love and an upright faith even if they do not know Him explicitly.
 
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