I believe Hell is real and a possibility for any of us

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crenfro

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Hello.

Keep running into people lately these days who are quite pleased with themselves, including myself, at times, and when they do wrong it is usually something very small … at least according to them. But if it’s not, it’s excused just as easily.

At work the other day this person laughed and said “well, I fornicate all the time, I guess I’m going to hell.” She also said things like “I don’t care what the Catholic Church says, I’m going to have a Ouija Board at home if I want and use it. I don’t see anything wrong with being superstitious, etc.” “If I want to live with my boyfriend I will.” She thought it all funny.

I am in a bad place lately with being sick and family troubles, and right now I don’t see hope for people who like doing wrong, who could care less about God, and who just want to do what they want when they want to - and push others around.

Don’t understand these days how all of us can be so smug and self-righteous. It is so sad, wasteful and terrifying.

Just felt the need to say this. I think it’s part of reality.
 
Yes, I used to work with people who would joke about going to Hell all the time. I found it very upsetting. We can pray for them.
 
crenfro said:
Hello.

Keep running into people lately these days who are quite pleased with themselves, including myself, at times, and when they do wrong it is usually something very small … at least according to them. But if it’s not, it’s excused just as easily.

At work the other day this person laughed and said “well, I fornicate all the time, I guess I’m going to hell.” She also said things like “I don’t care what the Catholic Church says, I’m going to have a Ouija Board at home if I want and use it. I don’t see anything wrong with being superstitious, etc.” “If I want to live with my boyfriend I will.” She thought it all funny.

I am in a bad place lately with being sick and family troubles, and right now I don’t see hope for people who like doing wrong, who could care less about God, and who just want to do what they want when they want to - and push others around.

Don’t understand these days how all of us can be so smug and self-righteous. It is so sad, wasteful and terrifying.

Just felt the need to say this. I think it’s part of reality.
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What I try to personally do is stay close to the Lord.

What we can do is pray for others, and if we are suffering in some way, we can offer it as redemptive suffering for others, too. That is what I do with the suffering that I experience–I unite it with what our Lord experienced on the cross for us.

I feel bad about what I see happening in the world, too. I pray about it.

God bless you.
 
crenfro said:
Hello.

Keep running into people lately these days who are quite pleased with themselves, including myself, at times, and when they do wrong it is usually something very small … at least according to them. But if it’s not, it’s excused just as easily.

At work the other day this person laughed and said “well, I fornicate all the time, I guess I’m going to hell.” She also said things like “I don’t care what the Catholic Church says, I’m going to have a Ouija Board at home if I want and use it. I don’t see anything wrong with being superstitious, etc.” “If I want to live with my boyfriend I will.” She thought it all funny.

I am in a bad place lately with being sick and family troubles, and right now I don’t see hope for people who like doing wrong, who could care less about God, and who just want to do what they want when they want to - and push others around.

Don’t understand these days how all of us can be so smug and self-righteous. It is so sad, wasteful and terrifying.

Just felt the need to say this. I think it’s part of reality.
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Well said. Now to get the old sermons on this neglected topic going again… 🙂
 
I believe you are right. And We need to pray alot for those who are lost and for ourselves that we may be kept strong in our faith.
The thing about sin is, it often happens without instant repercussions. We are not struck by lightening, the sea doesn’t swallow us, etc. It’s extremely easy to go about life doing what pleases us. And the world is screaming at us to “Go, Go , Go!!!” Sin is glorified in our society. But, we are called to look at the bigger picture. Everything on earth is temporary.
We are given free will. We can choose to live a life that pleases our Lord or not. He is always merciful to sinners who come to Him seeking forgiveness.
It seems that people flippantly joke about hell because they are trying to excuse their behaviour and don’t understand the permanence and true gravity of hell.
St. Sister Faustina kept diary entries in which Christ revealed to her many things in the last four years of her life On the subject of hell, she said that most of the souls in hell, did not believe that hell existed.
 
Sometimes my mind needs to be washed out with soap. There were times before I came back to the church, that I had the morals of an alley cat. I don’t think it’s funny at all. There is no doubt in my mind at all that had I not come back to the church I would be going to hell. I still worry about it.

I pray the Lord gives us credit for trying our best to mend our ways.
 
I believe I’m going to Hell too. I’ve felt that way most of my life, but not for the reasons your friends do. It’s not that I deliberately thumb my nose at the Church or its teachings or live a lifestyle inconsistent with how a “good Catholic” should live. I try my best, but for as long as I can remember I have always felt that God has my number; that He has singled me out and has already made up His mind that when I die I’m going directly to the Hot Place.

Sorry to ramble off topic. :o

As for the OP, the best you can hope to do is pray for them and hope they come around. Preaching or lecturing to them will just drive them away farther. They are not going to change unless they want to change.
 
The good book says the path to heaven is narrow and the gates to hell wide.

You can read Revelation and see that population wise it is the many who fight against God. So if the Bible is to be believable, then the state of affairs you describe must be true o.O

The redeeming factor is that any of these individuals can turn around and enter the narrower path if they choose to 🙂
 
This reminds me of a story a dear priest we know tells. Here’s a bit of a transcript of the story, since I happen to have an audio recording of it. Perhaps it’ll be of interest. 🙂

Father’s words:

One of the most frightening things that I’ve ever come across in my whole life happened to me some years ago. I was sitting in the confessional, and this man presented himself and said that he was a militant homosexual, a sodomist, as well as a molester of children. And he said to me that God designed him this way, and that he had absolutely no control over it. God made him this way!

I kept saying to him, “no! no! no! Jesus Christ is Lord! He is Lord over every foul and pestilent spirit that can ever attack the heart of a human being.” I said to him, “for instance, I have a murderous spirit. But, by God’s grace, I have never murdered anybody.” But he kept insisting that God designed him and made him this way.

Well, this went on for a long time and, naturally enough, I couldn’t give him absolution. He came back week after week after week and, on the seventh week, something extraordinary happened. In the confession room, he reached out, grabbed me by the beard, and pounded me on the floor. And while he held me down on the floor, he said to me, “you’re right. You’re right about everything you’ve said, that Jesus is Lord, even over the homosexual spirit.”

And then he said, “Judgment has already been passed on this world, and the judgment in question is this, that the light came into the world, and men preferred the darkness because their deeds were evil.” And then he said, “I prefer evil.” Now that’s what frightens me most. I think that many people know their deeds are evil, but they are choosing the darkness.
 
This reminds me of a story a dear priest we know tells. Here’s a bit of a transcript of the story, since I happen to have an audio recording of it. Perhaps it’ll be of interest. 🙂

Father’s words:

One of the most frightening things that I’ve ever come across in my whole life happened to me some years ago. I was sitting in the confessional, and this man presented himself and said that he was a militant homosexual, a sodomist, as well as a molester of children. And he said to me that God designed him this way, and that he had absolutely no control over it. God made him this way!

I kept saying to him, “no! no! no! Jesus Christ is Lord! He is Lord over every foul and pestilent spirit that can ever attack the heart of a human being.” I said to him, “for instance, I have a murderous spirit. But, by God’s grace, I have never murdered anybody.” But he kept insisting that God designed him and made him this way.

Well, this went on for a long time and, naturally enough, I couldn’t give him absolution. He came back week after week after week and, on the seventh week, something extraordinary happened. In the confession room, he reached out, grabbed me by the beard, and pounded me on the floor. And while he held me down on the floor, he said to me, “you’re right. You’re right about everything you’ve said, that Jesus is Lord, even over the homosexual spirit.”

And then he said, “Judgment has already been passed on this world, and the judgment in question is this, that the light came into the world, and men preferred the darkness because their deeds were evil.” And then he said, “I prefer evil.” Now that’s what frightens me most. I think that many people know their deeds are evil, but they are choosing the darkness.
 
i know people who joke about hell, too, but the joke will be on them when they end up there. Seriously, I do pray for them, but I feel many are a lost cause.

As someone said, we need to stay close to Christ. Put him first in our lives and have a close personal relationship with him. These people who fall into sin don’t influence me, but I’m sure they influence others, so they do need prayers.
 
Lost_Sheep said:
I believe I’m going to Hell too. I’ve felt that way most of my life, but not for the reasons your friends do. It’s not that I deliberately thumb my nose at the Church or its teachings or live a lifestyle inconsistent with how a “good Catholic” should live. I try my best, but for as long as I can remember I have always felt that God has my number; that He has singled me out and has already made up His mind that when I die I’m going directly to the Hot Place.

Sorry to ramble off topic. :o

As for the OP, the best you can hope to do is pray for them and hope they come around. Preaching or lecturing to them will just drive them away farther. They are not going to change unless they want to change.
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Oh, Lost Sheep, I know you can’t help how you feel, but God doesn’t predestine anyone to hell. If you can, pray for the grace of God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and allow you to hope. I really feel bad for you. I’ve always felt the opposite, that I was meant for heaven. I don’t feel I’m special in any way. In fact, I’m not, and I’ve sinned like everyone else. I just trust in God’s love and mercy. Nevertheless, I try to stay vigilant, knowing that any one of us could send ourselves to hell. And that is key, we send ourselves to hell, God doesn’t.
 
Reminds me of that song by the Grateful Dead, “I may be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I’m enjoying the ride,” which sums up the reveling in hedonism that some folks wear like a badge of honor. One glimmer of hope is, perhaps, that as long as hell remains even in the back of one’s mind, it shows that the conscious has not been completely dulled. There is always hope for a future repentance and conversion, right up the very moment of death. Of course, that this should happen sooner rather than later is always preferable.
 
Lost_Sheep said:
I believe I’m going to Hell too. I’ve felt that way most of my life, but not for the reasons your friends do. It’s not that I deliberately thumb my nose at the Church or its teachings or live a lifestyle inconsistent with how a “good Catholic” should live. I try my best, but for as long as I can remember I have always felt that God has my number; that He has singled me out and has already made up His mind that when I die I’m going directly to the Hot Place.

Sorry to ramble off topic. :o

As for the OP, the best you can hope to do is pray for them and hope they come around. Preaching or lecturing to them will just drive them away farther. They are not going to change unless they want to change.
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God hasn’t singled you out for hell. You know that Jesus died for everyone’s sins & doesn’t want anyone to be lost.
Just follow the10 Commandments, Beatitudes, try not to sin & when you do, go to confession, and ask Jesus to help you. He will not abandon you !
 
I think a lot of people misunderstand that hell is an actual reality and hence that’s where the jokes arise from.
 
christofirst said:
Reminds me of that song by the Grateful Dead, “I may be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I’m enjoying the ride,” which sums up the reveling in hedonism that some folks wear like a badge of honor. One glimmer of hope is, perhaps, that as long as hell remains even in the back of one’s mind, it shows that the conscious has not been completely dulled. There is always hope for a future repentance and conversion, right up the very moment of death. Of course, that this should happen sooner rather than later is always preferable.
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I also think alot of people use this to just mock the more scrupulous. They may be well meaning people but as some lapse kind of catholics said to me (who now attend random protestant churches) they left the Catholic Church because the one they grew up in gave the very negative you can do nothing right impression and probably going to hell… alot of people then also lump all christians togethet (ie: westboro baptist church types) and therefore feel that these extremes are the sentiment. People who may be well meaning then believe the joke of “I’m having a blast going to hell” is a comment on those they view as on a pedestal, the hypocrites etc… they don’t believe they are actually hellbound, but rather are so in the eyes of those they disagree with.

Heck, many on this forum that I have read their theological stance probably think I am a highway to hell kind of guy… I could see making the joke as a way of putting off those who would put me down.

Inwoukd say it is a 50/50ish kind of thing, 50% may be kind of choosing evil but 50% are just bucking against judgemental humans.

You know in relearning the Church one of my early internet results was catechism.cc which looks rather official, but is some guy’s personal version of the cathechism. He is rather puritan minded, in that I can’t say he has anything “immoral” but has a more rules and different stricter interpretations of the CCC… I nearly took up the screw ot mentality reading that… luckily I like to verify resources and actually this site itself had the info of its inaccuracies. But if I were convinced that guy’s site was the Church’s way… I would for sure mock that way.
 
Yes many walk around thinking they don’t need God in there lives and can do as they please. Just keep praying.
 
We seem to have a weird dichotomy in today’s society. There are those that joke about Hell in that they are dismissive about it being a motivator to lead more holy lives, but there are also those that assume since they are a good person that they are also saved. The latter group often operates from the thought that hell is simply unpopulated.

It seems to be fairly rare to find people that recognize that we are all deserving of hell, but it is through cooperating with the grace of Christ that we are given the opportunity of the beatific vision. We should all recognize that Hell is not just a reality, but what we deserve. It is only out of love that God is willing to look past the offenses once we repent. None of us deserve or are guaranteed heaven. I often tell my older kids that I hope for heaven, but fully accept that if I end up in hell it is from my own choices.

Our only path to God is through returning the love of the Lord despite the fact that we do not merit it. It is heart wrenching that people freely embrace offending God, for false ideals of pleasure or corrupted ideas of equality and freedom.
 
christofirst said:
Reminds me of that song by the Grateful Dead, “I may be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I’m enjoying the ride,” which sums up the reveling in hedonism that some folks wear like a badge of honor. One glimmer of hope is, perhaps, that as long as hell remains even in the back of one’s mind, it shows that the conscious has not been completely dulled. There is always hope for a future repentance and conversion, right up the very moment of death. Of course, that this should happen sooner rather than later is always preferable.
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I also recall Billy Joel’s song, “Only the Good Die Young”, where he says “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.”

One question. You mentioned the conscious not being completely dulled, do you mean conscience or conscious?
 
Lost_Sheep said:
I believe I’m going to Hell too. I’ve felt that way most of my life, but not for the reasons your friends do. It’s not that I deliberately thumb my nose at the Church or its teachings or live a lifestyle inconsistent with how a “good Catholic” should live. I try my best, but for as long as I can remember I have always felt that God has my number; that He has singled me out and has already made up His mind that when I die I’m going directly to the Hot Place.

Sorry to ramble off topic. :o

As for the OP, the best you can hope to do is pray for them and hope they come around. Preaching or lecturing to them will just drive them away farther. They are not going to change unless they want to change.
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Don’t go by feelings. Go by the teachings of the Church. The Church teaches that God wishes all to be saved. All, which includes you and me. This is why God gave us the Church so we won’t be orphans, being blown here and there by our capricious and unreliable feelings.
 
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