If you knew you were going to hell

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Ted_in_Charlott

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Why should you care what you do on Earth? Why would anything be out of bounds?

(And assume for a minute you are absolutely sure and guaranteed and resigned to the fact you are going to hell)
 
If I absolutely knew there was no hope for me and without a doubt I was going to hell http://bestsmileys.com/crying/2.gif. . .

I wouldn’t change a thing. I would still try to lead a good life. I would still pray. I would still try not to sin. I would still frequent the Sacraments.

Why?

I’ve already contributed enough sin for our Lord to atone for in His Passion and Death. I do not, and would not, want to add to it.
 
Why care about anyone? Why not just take out as much on as many as you can as quick as you can?
 
You’re right - there would be no incentive to not be selfish and prideful in all things, which is the root of all sin. That’s why it’s inconceivable that God doesn’t have a hand in our lives. God has given us the gift of conscience, whether we want to acknowledge it’s from him or not.

Read the first few chapters of CS Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity. He deals with this very question quite thoroughly and convincingly…
 
Dave said:
You’re right - there would be no incentive to not be selfish and prideful in all things, which is the root of all sin. That’s why it’s inconceivable that God doesn’t have a hand in our lives. God has given us the gift of conscience, whether we want to acknowledge it’s from him or not.

Read the first few chapters of CS Lewis’ book, Mere Christianity. He deals with this very question quite thoroughly and convincingly…
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I agree with Dave, also, I do believe there are people who live like this, sad to say. I mean, selfish, prideful, only doing what will benefit “me”.
 
Ted_in_Charlott said:
Why care about anyone? Why not just take out as much on as many as you can as quick as you can?
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well, there are levels of hell, and the more severe your sins, the deeper into hell you go, so if i could help it, i wouldn’t try and do anything more to make myself suffer more in hell.

but…i really hope no one actually believes they are going to hell no matter what, because there is nothing that displeases God more than to doubt in His mercy,
like for example, someone who sins alot, but hopes in Gods mercy, might have a better chance at going to heaven then someone who sins only alittle, but doubts Gods mercy.
 
Ted_in_Charlott said:
(And assume for a minute you are absolutely sure and guaranteed and resigned to the fact you are going to hell)
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If you were guaranteed according to the rules of your hypothetical, then I guess yes, it wouldn’t matter what you did. Of course this hypothetical is contradictory to the truth, but according to your system you are correct.
 
Ted_in_Charlott said:
Why should you care what you do on Earth? Why would anything be out of bounds?

(And assume for a minute you are absolutely sure and guaranteed and resigned to the fact you are going to hell)
Click to expand...
It is not possible to be “absolutely sure, guaranteed, and resigned to the fact that you are going to hell” because repentance and forgiveness are always open to every person.

Your question is nonsensical and unanswerable.
 
Difficult to answer…if one knew one was going to hell, presumably one would know that there were a hell, and also a heaven…soooo…if one knew about them both, why would one not want to repent and change the course of assumed or predicted doom?

Interesting thought, though.

It would presume that one didn’t care about going to hell, no?

I guess if I were to be doomed to hell with no hope of redemption, I’d probably be inclined to live a selfish life and get whatever I could out of it before it ended. But it’s very difficult to put myself into that mindset.
 
Please cite something authoritative by the Catholic Church on the multiple levels of Hell. I thought that was fiction of Milton. Thank you
 
So I need to read fiction to get my answers? What about Church teachings? What if my conscience is absolutely seared (or never had one due to mental illness) to nothing? What if I don’t care whether you or anyone else lives or suffers?
 
1ke said:
It is not possible to be “absolutely sure, guaranteed, and resigned to the fact that you are going to hell” because repentance and forgiveness are always open to every person.

Your question is nonsensical and unanswerable.
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Then don’t participate, I would hate to waste your time.
 
here’s a very interesting story from Don Bosco, i’m sure some of you already know it,

todayscatholicworld.com/bosco_hell.htm

there’s another story on hell i wanted to post, but i can’t find the link 😑

i think the problem with some(or alot) of people who don’t care about going to hell is they don’t know what it will be like,
but if you want an example of it, just think of the worst possible pain you could go threw…and you won’t even be close,
there really is no imagining what hell will really be like, but what’s for sure is, it’s more painful than any human mind could imagine, and it lasts forever without a moment of rest.
every kind of torture you can think of and more, both mental pains and physical (well…in the spiritual sense…not really physical)
 
St. Francis de Sales was once convinced he was going to hell, because he fell prey to the scruples of Calvinism. This thought tortured him night and day, until one day he fell before the Blessed Sacrament and said: “Lord, if I cannot love you in the next life, then at least let me find consolation in loving you now.”

Immediately his cloud of depression lifted, and he never thought about going to hell again.

Neither should you.

Gemma Rose gave the best answer when she said she would still pray, try not to sin, and lead a good life. Like St. Francis de Sales, the life she is living is based on her love of God, and nothing else. There lies the difference between the soul who loves God for God’s sake, and the soul who still has much to learn about love.

That said, there is absolutely no way you can be guaranteed that you are going to hell. What is your real point in presenting such a hypothetical?
  • Westy
 
Ted_in_Charlott said:
Please cite something authoritative by the Catholic Church on the multiple levels of Hell. I thought that was fiction of Milton. Thank you
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in the book of Revalations there is something about a place in hell reserved for the devil and his angels.
 
Wow thinking about that really brings up internal human selfishness as there would be no reason to not sin. Naturally as a catholic I’d still try to live as moral as i can because it is my personality and nature and it’d be odd not doing so. Also because I’d hope and pray that God would change his mind but thats also a natural human reaction to evade punishment.

My first thought was freedom in a sense that you could be promiscuous without worry and indulge in human desires like sex, gambling, drugs, alcohol, and other fun things many people in today’s society do everywhere I turn but I refuse because of my faith. My reason for doing that would be like “have fun now since you’ll be miserable for eternity, enjoy it while it lasts” sorta thing.

It’s hard to say, I do know it would be much much tougher to live as a catholic.

However I don’t think I’d go as far as doing outright evil acts like murder as it’s just not me.
 
GemmaRose said:
If I absolutely knew there was no hope for me and without a doubt I was going to hell http://bestsmileys.com/crying/2.gif. . .

I wouldn’t change a thing. I would still try to lead a good life. I would still pray. I would still try not to sin. I would still frequent the Sacraments.

Why?

I’ve already contributed enough sin for our Lord to atone for in His Passion and Death. I do not, and would not, want to add to it.
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👍 That would mean we had only this life in which to love God 🙂 - therefore, we should love & serve Him as much as He gives us grace to do so. Which is what is required of us anyway.​

 
Ted_in_Charlott said:
Why care about anyone? Why not just take out as much on as many as you can as quick as you can?
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The answer to the question - or part of it - is that we are called by Christ to love one another. That idea’s not confined to Christians, but it’s part of Christianity: as is belief in a Hell - & the motive for such love is distinctively Christian. If we accept there is a Hell, it seems illogical to reject the requirement of Christ that we should love one another. Why should we think of Hell at all, if we don’t think of the very sort of behaviour that makes going to Hell impossible ? The two things, the threat of Hell & love of one another, come to us from the same Christ. Besides: the times we are tempted to despair are when hope is most necessary 🙂​

Fatalism & determinism are totally anti-Christian - so one cannot know for sure one is going to Hell anyway. But why believe there is a Hell, on the testimony of Christ, while adopting an anti-Christian notion such as fatalism ? Christ is the Saviour from fatalism & determinism - that is one of the reasons Christianity appealed to people in the Mediterranean world. He rules; chance, destiny, or the stars don’t: He does so for He “has ascended above the heavens”; & as St. Paul says.

Even if we were not Christians, it would still be unnatural to harm others; even reason alone can make this clear: for we & they have the same nature, so that just as we are human, so are they, & should be treated humanely; just as we would hope for from them. It’s illogical, as well as nihilistic & selfish, for us to harm others because we despair of salvation; despair & doing wrong to others, will make our damnation certain; so to harm them is silly. 🙂 It is no fault of others that we are (we suppose) going to Hell - which is why it is so illogical to wrong them. 😦

The idea that only I matter, & that everything in creation centres on me, me, me, is a debased bit of modern egotism. The pagan philosophers knew better than that: Socrates had no Paradise to hope for, & neither did Epicurus or a host of others: but their lack of hope did not become a reason, or an excuse, for maltreating others. So how can we behave worse than they did ?

So there are lots of reasons to care for others. Hope that helps.
 
Ted_in_Charlott said:
Why should you care what you do on Earth? Why would anything be out of bounds?

(And assume for a minute you are absolutely sure and guaranteed and resigned to the fact you are going to hell)
Click to expand...
It’s am incoherent question representing an impossible situation. If you know you are headed for hell, you should strive for heaven.

However, even if you’re going to hell, you should still do good, because it’s the right thing to do. Christianity stresses the rewards of going good, but that whole Enlightenment, “good for good’s sake” is in there too.
 
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