Fear of Hell

[Sinner1]

For those who believe in hell, how do you live your day to day life without being absolutely terrified? The thought of spending eternity anywhere is frightening. Hell, a place of eternal suffering, is all the more terrifying.

I don’t know what I believe in, but I’m scared that I might end up in hell. When I am in the state of a mortal sin, which is often, I have trouble falling asleep knowing that if I don’t wake up in the morning, then I’m doomed for all eternity. I just don’t have faith in God, but yet Pascal’s Wager haunts me every day.

Most people I know seem confident that they won’t go to hell because they consider themselves generally a good person. But how can you be sure? How do you know that you’re actually doing what’s right and how do you know that you’re actually following the right faith?

If hell exists, then following the right faith is the most important thing in the world. Yet everything is so vague. There are so many different faiths out there, and within each faith there is so much disagreement over what is true. With our eternal soul at stake, why doesn’t God make it more clear what path to take?

 

[Trishie]

I don’t know that we think we’ll go to heaven because we think we’re generally good people, but because God is merciful and forgiving.

Are you generous and kind to others? This is the pivotal question for your life whetehr you believe in God or not.

Jesus is the source of salvation and the foundation of the Church. Can we call ourself Christians if we don’t accept the words of Jesus the Christ?

Matthew 25 verses 31-46…
Jesus’ words on who will be saved:
“The Last Judgement”

“When the Son of Man comes in all His glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men from one another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats.
He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. then the King shall say to those on his right hand,” Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was a stranger and you made me welcome. I was thristy and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.

Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?
And the King will answer, " I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me."

Next he will say to those on his left “Go away from me with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for when I was hungry you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in proson and you never visited me.”
Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty; a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and not come to your help?”
Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.

And since Jesus is the very Person who will judge all of us, I think we have to accept HIS criterion for who may be saved! His criterion is salvation depends upon our charity towards other people, which He regards as charity directly given to Him.

Please don’t live in fear. If you accept the possibility of hell, then accept the words of the man who is also God.

 

[Sinner1]

I don’t know that we think we’ll go to heaven because we think we’re generally good people, but because God is merciful and forgiving.

Are you generous and kind to others? This is the pivotal question for your life whetehr you believe in God or not.

Jesus is the source of salvation and the foundation of the Church. Can we call ourself Christians if we don’t accept the words of Jesus the Christ?

Matthew 25 verses 31-46…
Jesus’ words on who will be saved:
“The Last Judgement”

“When the Son of Man comes in all His glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men from one another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats.
He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. then the King shall say to those on his right hand,” Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was a stranger and you made me welcome. I was thristy and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.

Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?
And the King will answer, " I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me."

Next he will say to those on his left “Go away from me with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for when I was hungry you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in proson and you never visited me.”
Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty; a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and not come to your help?”
Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.

And since Jesus is the very Person who will judge all of us, I think we have to accept HIS criterion for who may be saved! His criterion is salvation depends upon our charity towards other people, which He regards as charity directly given to Him.

I think I am generally kind and generous to people, but how do I know if I’m generous and kind enough? I’ve given food to the poor, but have I given enough? I try to make strangers feel welcome, but do I make them feel welcome enough?

Please don’t live in fear. If you accept the possibility of hell, then accept the words of the man who is also God.

I don’t want to live in fear, but how can I not when all of eternity rests on what I do and what I think?

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

For those who believe in hell, how do you live your day to day life without being absolutely terrified? The thought of spending eternity anywhere is frightening. Hell, a place of eternal suffering, is all the more terrifying.

I don’t know what I believe in, but I’m scared that I might end up in hell. When I am in the state of a mortal sin, which is often, I have trouble falling asleep knowing that if I don’t wake up in the morning, then I’m doomed for all eternity. I just don’t have faith in God, but yet Pascal’s Wager haunts me every day.

Most people I know seem confident that they won’t go to hell because they consider themselves generally a good person. But how can you be sure? How do you know that you’re actually doing what’s right and how do you know that you’re actually following the right faith?

If hell exists, then following the right faith is the most important thing in the world. Yet everything is so vague. There are so many different faiths out there, and within each faith there is so much disagreement over what is true. With our eternal soul at stake, why doesn’t God make it more clear what path to take?

I am so very sorry you fell victim to such a horrific concept, but I think it’s doing its job. The idea of Hell is suppose to scare you into doing good or staying in a certain faith.

Unfortunately for these faiths who promote such places, I am not the type to advocate this type of manipulation.

If you believe there is a Hell, than live your life as if it were Heaven. Quiet the conflicts within yourself and with others; be kind to friends, family, and peers because it is the right thing to do–not an obligation. Know your freedoms, learn from your mistakes, forgive others through compassion and understanding, respect and try to understand the beliefs of others, help those who ask for your help, eat healthy, appreciate the beauty in the world, be aware of its horrors, keep your loved ones close, be gentle, be kind, never violate anyone in a sexual/mental/emotional/physical way; never manipulate people the way this idea of Hell has manipulated you.

As for your beliefs… Christianity isn’t for everyone. Remember that your ability to practice a religion is a freedom, a comfort, a blessing… but it is not an obligation.

Bear in mind, religion may be important in someone’s life, but at the end of the day, your relationship with people and yourself is all that matters.

*How do you know you’re following the right faith? * Well, that’s the problem: You don’t. Some feel very confident their faith is absolute truth, but be careful with that because that can create “humility malfunctions.”

God is suppose to be a vague, mysterious, and unknown being beyond our understanding. Many people in all faiths make the horrible mistake by attempting to define this being. The worst part about it, God can end up being a person’s thoughts, ideas, opinions, varied biblical interpretations, and even prejudices as a personified entity.

I hope that helps.

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

 

[Chris_LaRock]

For those who believe in hell, how do you live your day to day life without being absolutely terrified? The thought of spending eternity anywhere is frightening. Hell, a place of eternal suffering, is all the more terrifying.

I don’t know what I believe in, but I’m scared that I might end up in hell. When I am in the state of a mortal sin, which is often, I have trouble falling asleep knowing that if I don’t wake up in the morning, then I’m doomed for all eternity. I just don’t have faith in God, but yet Pascal’s Wager haunts me every day.

Most people I know seem confident that they won’t go to hell because they consider themselves generally a good person. But how can you be sure? How do you know that you’re actually doing what’s right and how do you know that you’re actually following the right faith?

If hell exists, then following the right faith is the most important thing in the world. Yet everything is so vague. There are so many different faiths out there, and within each faith there is so much disagreement over what is true. With our eternal soul at stake, why doesn’t God make it more clear what path to take?

Examine your life and actions, and compare it to the 10 commandments. If we are judged by that standard, we are all hell-hound. Using the law to bring about the knowlege of sin is vital for showing people their need for a savior, and repentence.

 

[Angels_Unaware]

For those who believe in hell, how do you live your day to day life without being absolutely terrified? The thought of spending eternity anywhere is frightening. Hell, a place of eternal suffering, is all the more terrifying.

I don’t know what I believe in, but I’m scared that I might end up in hell. When I am in the state of a mortal sin, which is often, I have trouble falling asleep knowing that if I don’t wake up in the morning, then I’m doomed for all eternity. I just don’t have faith in God, but yet Pascal’s Wager haunts me every day.

Most people I know seem confident that they won’t go to hell because they consider themselves generally a good person. But how can you be sure? How do you know that you’re actually doing what’s right and how do you know that you’re actually following the right faith?

If hell exists, then following the right faith is the most important thing in the world. Yet everything is so vague. There are so many different faiths out there, and within each faith there is so much disagreement over what is true. With our eternal soul at stake, why doesn’t God make it more clear what path to take?

Christianity is not vague. It is unique in claiming that God became man so that we could see who we are to become, and the path out of death and back to God.

It is unique in claiming that the Light of Man was hated by men because of his goodness, and that his very goodness incited others to kill him like the most despised of criminals.

It is unique in claiming that the God-Man took up his body again, was resurrected, and defeated death.

Hell is simply the culmination of death. We are separated from God. We are inclined to evil. We have a body, but because of sin, it dies. When it dies, we leave time and enter eternity. If we enter eternity still separated from God, then we remain eternally in death.

After we leave this body, we no longer perceive reality through the brain, but through the spirit, so we can perceive God all around us, since God is everywhere. He is also an all-consuming fire. For those who are made pure, that fire is love. For those who remain in darkness that fire is hell.

One thing that may comfort you is knowing that things do happen after death, and choices are still made. Purgatory is a great grace for those who have died and wish to be reconciled with God but are still imperfect.

 

[Sinner1]

One thing that may comfort you is knowing that things do happen after death, and choices are still made. Purgatory is a great grace for those who have died and wish to be reconciled with God but are still imperfect.

I am under the impression that Catholicism teaches that upon death, we are judged and sent to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory, and that it is too late to repent and change course at that point.

 

[Angels_Unaware]

I am under the impression that Catholicism teaches that upon death, we are judged and sent to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory, and that it is too late to repent and change course at that point.

The whole meaning of purgatory is to be cleansed.

How can cleansing and healing happen if the soul does not gain a different perspective, and release negativity? That is repentance, isn’t it?

 

[Angels_Unaware]

I am under the impression that Catholicism teaches that upon death, we are judged and sent to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory, and that it is too late to repent and change course at that point.

Gosh, you seem almost disappointed…almost as if this is a loaded question, and as if you have an agenda.

 

[thistle]

I am so very sorry you fell victim to such a horrific concept, but I think it’s doing its job. The idea of Hell is suppose to scare you into doing good or staying in a certain faith.

Unfortunately for these faiths who promote such places, I am not the type to advocate this type of manipulation.

If you believe there is a Hell, than live your life as if it were Heaven. Quiet the conflicts within yourself and with others; be kind to friends, family, and peers because it is the right thing to do–not an obligation. Know your freedoms, learn from your mistakes, forgive others through compassion and understanding, respect and try to understand the beliefs of others, help those who ask for your help, eat healthy, appreciate the beauty in the world, be aware of its horrors, keep your loved ones close, be gentle, be kind, never violate anyone in a sexual/mental/emotional/physical way; never manipulate people the way this idea of Hell has manipulated you.

As for your beliefs… Christianity isn’t for everyone. Remember that your ability to practice a religion is a freedom, a comfort, a blessing… but it is not an obligation.

Bear in mind, religion may be important in someone’s life, but at the end of the day, your relationship with people and yourself is all that matters.

*How do you know you’re following the right faith? * Well, that’s the problem: You don’t. Some feel very confident their faith is absolute truth, but be careful with that because that can create “humility malfunctions.”

God is suppose to be a vague, mysterious, and unknown being beyond our understanding. Many people in all faiths make the horrible mistake by attempting to define this being. The worst part about it, God can end up being a person’s thoughts, ideas, opinions, varied biblical interpretations, and even prejudices as a personified entity.

I hope that helps.

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

That doesn’t help because as a Catholic what you are suggesting in some of your remarks is heretical.

You imply the Church is manipulating us. Does that mean you do not believe the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ on Peter and given authority to teach.

“Christianity is not for everyone”?? What kind of remark is that. You make it sound as if that’s okay. Many people are not Christians, I agree, but that puts their immortal soul in danger. Christ is our ONLY salvation. There is no salvation except through Christ.

“Religion may be important but your relationship with people and yourself is all that matters.” What matters above all else is our relationship with God.

How can you call yourself a Catholic?

 

[Angels_Unaware]

That doesn’t help because as a Catholic what you are suggesting in some of your remarks is heretical.

You imply the Church is manipulating us. Does that mean you do not believe the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ on Peter and given authority to teach.

“Christianity is not for everyone”?? What kind of remark is that. You make it sound as if that’s okay. Many people are not Christians, I agree, but that puts their immortal soul in danger. Christ is our ONLY salvation. There is no salvation except through Christ.

“Religion may be important but your relationship with people and yourself is all that matters.” What matters above all else is our relationship with God.

How can you call yourself a Catholic?

No, she doesn’t. She studies Astrology.

Actually, I shouldn’t say that she does not call herself Catholic, I don’t know that. I just know from clicking on her blog and reading her posts that she has a lot of New Age influences, so I assumed she did not call herself Catholic.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

No, she doesn’t. She studies Astrology.

Actually, I shouldn’t say that she does not call herself Catholic, I don’t know that. I just know from clicking on her blog and reading her posts that she has a lot of New Age influences, so I assumed she did not call herself Catholic.

I am a Catholic, and I am proud to call myself a daughter of a Catholic mother, father, and such an influential Catholic grandmother. I do study Astrology, but it’s new to me-- I specialize in other areas, however; basically, I study religion.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

That doesn’t help because as a Catholic what you are suggesting in some of your remarks is heretical.

You imply the Church is manipulating us. Does that mean you do not believe the Catholic Church is the one true Church established by Christ on Peter and given authority to teach.

“Christianity is not for everyone”?? What kind of remark is that. You make it sound as if that’s okay. Many people are not Christians, I agree, but that puts their immortal soul in danger. Christ is our ONLY salvation. There is no salvation except through Christ.

“Religion may be important but your relationship with people and yourself is all that matters.” What matters above all else is our relationship with God.

How can you call yourself a Catholic?

Some people don’t feel manipulated, others do. I did not imply manipulation; I *stated *it. Thankfully, there are many religious people out there who do not use such techniques on others and I am grateful for that. This person, however, sounded very frightened and it broke my heart to read every word about his/her fears of a place labeled ‘hell’ for people who may possibly be undeserving of it.

Christianity is not for everyone– It is an honest remark. Some find there comforts in it, others obsess over it, and a precious few are frustrated with their paranoia of leaving it. It’s an honest truth, and if people were more responsible with it, there may be more Christians in the world.

How is it possible to have a relationship with God if you do not have a relationship with people? When you have that special relationship with the people around you, you feel confident in a relationship with God. You feel safe and you feel blessed.

I can safely call myself a Catholic, no matter how secular in my speech I get. If it wasn’t for the beloved Catholic Church, this person wouldn’t have gotten my response.

Finally, my response did help. I am sure of it.

Ironically Yours.

 

[thistle]

Some people don’t feel manipulated, others do. I did not imply manipulation; I *stated *it. Thankfully, there are many religious people out there who do not use such techniques on others and I am grateful for that. This person, however, sounded very frightened and it broke my heart to read every word about his/her fears of a place labeled ‘hell’ for people who may possibly be undeserving of it.

Christianity is not for everyone– It is an honest remark. Some find there comforts in it, others obsess over it, and a precious few are frustrated with their paranoia of leaving it. It’s an honest truth, and if people were more responsible with it, there may be more Christians in the world.

How is it possible to have a relationship with God if you do not have a relationship with people? When you have that special relationship with the people around you, you feel confident in a relationship with God. You feel safe and you feel blessed.

I can safely call myself a Catholic, no matter how secular in my speech I get. If it wasn’t for the beloved Catholic Church, this person wouldn’t have gotten my response.

Finally, my response did help. I am sure of it.

Ironically Yours.

You have got it the wrong way round. How can you have a proper relationship with people if you don’t have a good relationship with God! God always must come first in your life.

As for astrology that’s a grave sin against the First Commandment.

CCC 2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

The more you grow in your love of and trust in God, the less you will fear hell and the more you will fear offending God who did so much for you . You will grow to a point where fear of the Lord, is not being afraid of the Lord, but being afraid of offending him because he has done so much for us. As you grow in love with someone, the more you grow in not wanting to do anything that would offend that person. So too it is with God. This will manifest a maturity in your spirituality and growth in love of God. It does not mean you become sinless for we are all born of sinful flesh. But it does mean you will sin less, repent more fervently, confess more frequently and enjoy being with God at Mass, at Eucharistic Adoration and praying more frequently and sincerely. .And above all, love him more deeply.

 

[Sinner1]

Gosh, you seem almost disappointed…almost as if this is a loaded question, and as if you have an agenda.

???

Disappointed?

 

[Fran65]

Fear of hell is one of those things that has kept me alive - that and love for my family.

I trust in the God’s grace, His mercy and His compassion and do my best in my circumstances.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Today’s Office of the Reading is from 1 John, Chapter 1.

My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.

He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

Do not doubt St. John’s words.

Jim

 

[beckycmarie]

For those who believe in hell, how do you live your day to day life without being absolutely terrified? The thought of spending eternity anywhere is frightening. Hell, a place of eternal suffering, is all the more terrifying.

It is terrifying, and it was the thought of hell that lit a fire under my rear this time last year to return to Church. If I am in a state of grace, I have no reason to fear going to hell.

I don’t know what I believe in, but I’m scared that I might end up in hell. When I am in the state of a mortal sin, which is often, I have trouble falling asleep knowing that if I don’t wake up in the morning, then I’m doomed for all eternity. I just don’t have faith in God, but yet Pascal’s Wager haunts me every day.

This fear you have is a grace from God, calling you to conversion. It sounds to me that this fear is what it may take to get you into the confessional and help you avoid mortal sin, and begin living as a faithful Catholic if you haven’t started to do so already.

Most people I know seem confident that they won’t go to hell because they consider themselves generally a good person. But how can you be sure? How do you know that you’re actually doing what’s right and how do you know that you’re actually following the right faith?

Being “generally a good person” is subjective. So instead of relying on my own opinions, I use an examination of conscience. Am I keeping the precepts of the Church (the minimum one needs to do to keep a spiritual pulse going), praying daily, avoiding serious sin, and making an effort to avoid deliberate venial sin? If so, then I have no reason to believe I am not in a state of grace. And if I do fall, I have the Sacrament of Reconciliation there to pick me back up.

How do I know I am actually following the right faith? Because our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church was founded by God himself. I recommend you read the Catholic Answers’ “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth” for a refresher.

If hell exists, then following the right faith is the most important thing in the world. Yet everything is so vague. There are so many different faiths out there, and within each faith there is so much disagreement over what is true. With our eternal soul at stake, why doesn’t God make it more clear what path to take?

He does make it very clear - once you accept with faith that what the Catholic Church teaches is true, the understanding of the mind and devotion of the heart follow. St. Augustine put it this way, “Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.”

For this upcoming year, I’d recommend taking time to listen to each episode of the One True Faith Podcasts. They are interesting and excellent, and will teach you things about the faith so you don’t have to live in constant fear of hell.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

You have got it the wrong way round. How can you have a proper relationship with people if you don’t have a good relationship with God! God always must come first in your life.

As for astrology that’s a grave sin against the First Commandment.

CCC 2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

I’m not into astrology. It’s an interesting subject to study, but I do not practice any of it. What can I say? I love religion, therefore I study as much as I can.

Proper relationships with people are incredibly important to live a bearable life fully and confidently. The relationship with God (if one exists, that is) is a bonus, and makes living even more worthwhile. But since people are actually beings you have to come into contact with, you may as well treat them kindly-- even a precious few atheists have the common decency to treat people fairly. (I am not an Atheist, by the way; I am Catholic.)