How prevalent is the idea that God sends some people to hell through no fault of their own?

[Peebo]

As a former Pentecostal I hope you realize that most of us Catholics are going to hell also…I had even heard argument that Mother Teresa may have not gone to heaven because she was not considered a “born again” Christian…plus she was an idol worshiping Catholic…I don’t know about all Penecostals as there are many different interpretations among churches…some believe that you are not “born again” unless you have the gift of speaking in tongues…many also doubted that anyone who had not been “born again” ie…baptized by full emersion and confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior…could ever see heaven…that included those who had never heard the gospel…a lot of Catholics are lured away from the Catholic Church…by these false “doctrines”…Brazil is a good example where Catholics are being saved from hell in droves by embracing Pentecostalism .

 

[BeProfOSX]

I do like the metaphorical explanation more than the theory of people literally being on fire 24/7. Also if you have no physical body at that point then how could you feel physical pain anyway? The concept of ‘spiritual agony’ on the other hand makes more sense.

No, they will have bodies.

Don’t forget that there are two Resurrections at the end of Revelation. One to life and one to death.

 

[57Bill]

simple question for the non Catholic Christians on this board.

so my simple question, i’m also open to debate about this issue, how prevalent is the idea that God sends people to hell out of no fault of their own? Is it just a few radical groups in Christianity or is it so wide spread that only Catholics and a handful of people believe it to be false.

simple answer is I don’t know and I can’t answer for all non-Catholic Christians.

longer answer…I don’t think it’s as widespread as you may think.

I have seen many struggle with this notion as their friends and family who die that have rejected Christ (which is still a judgment call of the grieving) are not in heaven or in some grave danger of being in hell. Some have found solace in the Catholic teachings…which I think is wonderful.

Those who have never been exposed to the “radical” group called Christians…again I don’t know. Radical meaning Christianity is the only religion (that I know of) that is NOT based on self-salvation.

 

[jburg6]

In response to the OP’s original question, let me answer from my own non-denominational point of view. This view is probably shared by many others who are non-Catholic, although I can’t speak for them.

My belief is that everyone deserves hell- everyone. This is due to original sin. However, because of God’s grace and mercy, he has given most people the opportunity to accept Jesus as Savior while here on earth. Those that accept him will go to heaven, and those that reject him (or refuse to accept him, which in essence is a rejection) will go to hell.

The reason I say that he has given “most” people the opportunity on earth is because there are groups of select individuals who are not given this opportunity on earth. This would include aborted babies; infants who die; very young children who die before they are old enough or mentally mature enough to understand what Jesus did for them; mentally retarded people who don’t have the mental facilities to understand what Jesus did for them; people living in remote villages who have never had the opportunity to hear the word; etc.

I don’t believe that the above individuals will automatically go to hell. God’s mercy extends to all people- not just those who are mentally capable of making a decision while on earth. I don’t know for certain if they will go to some type of temporary realm when they die, or exactly what will happen. I don’t think the Bible is very clear on this. However, I feel that they will be given the opportunity to accept or reject Jesus after death. We all deserve death, but Jesus will give everyone an opportunity to accept or reject him. He died for all persons- not just some.