Hell

[Amandil]

Well, technically the Catholic Church does not deny that the soul could be annihilated:

1034 Jesus often speaks of “Gehenna” of “the unquenchable fire” reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. (vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P2O.HTM)

Italics added.

And so, God may not actually leave people in hell “forever.” He could completely and everlastingly destroy their souls and bodies so that they no longer exist.

It also depends upon what you mean by “annihilation”.

If you’re saying that the human soul is annihilated, that’s entirely different than saying “identity” or “individualism” is annihilated.

The human soul is by its nature immortal and willed by God, thus the soul itself cannot be annihilated. But its entirely possible that by sin your soul literally loses its true identity and individuality, and thus a person becomes unidentifiable, “lost to sin” and death, completely unable to distinguish itself from the sin it loved more than God.

Some have even suggested that a soul in such a state is not even a person anymore, just “remains”. The soul still exists, will always exist, but it cannot be what it was because it is eternally dead.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

If God can create a soul, why can’t he annihilate one?

 

[Amandil]

If God can create a soul, why can’t he annihilate one?

Because I don’t think He has any desire to annihilate anything that He’s made. He loves that soul, no matter how putrified and utterly disfigured it has become by sin.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

Because I don’t think He has any desire to annihilate anything that He’s made. He loves that soul, no matter how putrified and utterly disfigured it has become by sin.

But if you love someone, which is the better choice: to see him burn in hell for all eternity or annihilate him?

Back to the original question.

Which is worse? Eternal hell or eternal nothingness

 

[atassina]

The discussion so far raises an interesting question for me.

Instead of them burning in hell for eternity, why doesn’t God just anihilate them?

Which is worse?

Annihilation is a choice of the free will. God will not force a free will decision on us. The beings in hell want to be there by their own free choice.

 

[Amandil]

But if you love someone, which is the better choice: to see him burn in hell for all eternity or annihilate him?

Back to the original question.

Which is worse? Eternal hell or eternal nothingness

What more can God “do” to a soul which has already lost any trace of identity or individuality by its own free will choice to refuse God?

And what says that eternal hell and eternal nothingness aren’t the same thing?

If our God is an “all-consuming fire”, what’s to say the very fires of God’s love which the blessed bathe in are the very same fires which are relentless torment to the souls in hell?

Even from a parental standpoint, if my children demanded emancipation from me, went off and lived totally for themselves to the point of not only destroying themselves but even making it so that I could almost say that they were utterly unrecognizable, and who even cursed and raged, or even worse utterly indifferent, as I approached their death bed, I could still never say “euthanize him/her”.

When it comes to souls I don’t think God does a quality of life check or a cost-benefit analysis.

But on the other hand you have to ask is God so overly attached to anything to the degree that it would compromise His freedom and joy? Can God be blackmailed by the knowledge of those souls in hell who are no longer persons but “remains.”

I would think that the answer to those would be “no.”