Is Hell Empty?

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HabemusFrancis

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I just wanted to do a quick survey, of how many people buy into the idea that “Hell is a possibility, but there are no souls in it right now?”

Although I have struggled to understand certain church teachings, I never have really doubted that Hell is real and souls in fact do go there and are there right now:(.

The notion of Hell being real but unpopulate seems somewhat silly to me. It would mean that there would be no great urgency/need to turn to God, and would somewaht cheapen Jesus’ great sufferings and sacrifice as well, if the chances of humans going to Hell was statistically nil.

Also, if indeed noone has been to Hell…that means likely no one ever would. However unworthily you live your life, you will likely not go to Hell because… well… there is always someone worse… and if they were not damned why you?🤷

The idea that people are in Hell as we speak gives me no great joy, and I wish the opposite were true. I know it’s not church dogma to say that anyone is in Hell, but to think otherwise… welll… just seems like wishful thinking.
 
I have heard two separate theologies, both from Catholic religious.
  1. Hell is real and the fires of hell burn.
  2. Hell is a mental state… You think yourself into hell, this side of death or the other, no difference.
The first is what I was taught growing up…
But the second sounds like with good mental counseling you could get out of Hell.

So, where is Hitler?
 
It’s human nature to rate and rank ourselves, and thus excuse our faults as ‘not like that guy’. So as to align ourselves with the good guys.

It’s tough to realize that all humans in hell simply made similar decisions regarding a relationship with God - to not love Him.

Yes I think there is a Hell and it is very real and very easy to get inside. I think it is a trick of the devil to blind people to the reality of eternal separation from God.

I do think it makes sense though that rather than a fiery place of community, It is solitary confinement for eternity.
 
Hell is a dogma. And the souls there are there for all eternity.

Read Father Schouppe’s classic “The Dogma of Hell”. That should dispel this “empty Hell theory” nonsense.
 
I hope and pray that Hell is empty. I pray for the dead and in hopes that people will die in a state of grace. I want everyone to be with God.

But mostly I focus on not getting there. I think speculating too much on Hell is not good for one’s spiritual health. I’d rather keep my eyes on God.
 
R_H_Benson said:
Hell is a dogma. And the souls there are there for all eternity.

Read Father Schouppe’s classic “The Dogma of Hell”. That should dispel this “empty Hell theory” nonsense.
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Funny you should mention Father Schouppe. I am currently reading “Purgatory explained.”

If F. Shouppe is right Purgatory does not sound like much fun at all :eek:!

Still, it’s hardly the end of the world if you end up there unlike Hell 😦

It almost reads a like a collection of “Holy” but spooky stories, where the soul of a deceased comes back from beyond the grave, asking for prayers. Unlike most “ghost stories” these ones always have a happy ending !👍
 
One of the most frightening descriptions of hell I ever heard was this:

Imagine you are on a high narrow ledge. Below, the dark abyss. Just a hair’s breath away…bliss, heaven. But if you lean too far you fall into the abyss, lost in flame forever.
But you LONG for that which you cannot ever attain.
Sounds horrific to me.

Yeah. Hell is real.
It’s int he Bible, most horrifically, in Revelation. Eternal flames. :eek:
 
Yes, there is a hell! This is my own personal belief, I think we will be surprised by some of the souls (people) who are in hell. On the other side, we will be surprised by who made it into heaven also.
 
The whole “Hell existing but just empty” seems so much sillier to me than “Hell doesn’t exist.”

I believe Hell exists, but saying that “there is no Hell, and thus no afterlife” seems more sensible, and at least less intellectually dishonest than saying “the ultimate penalty exists, but not one of the 11 billion or so souls who have existed since human history have been rotten enough to merit it.”

For the record I firmly believe you can be a “rotten, awful person” and not have criminal or violent tendencies.

Still, even if Hell is easy to get to, one has to be pretty far gone to get there. I think… to be judged for hell, one has to be unrepentent, unsorrowful for the sins one commits. I think even great sinners can make it to heaven (even after a long purgatory) if they are truly sad/ashamed of what they’ve done, and ask god for forgiveness… Or even make an honest attempt to amend their lives/relations with other people… but who am I to judge:shrug:
 
What Im about to say is entering the real of pseudoscience ( Bigfoot/UFOs/Loch Ness Monster) but I have read the work of several exorcists who say that sometime they come across damned souls inhabiting the bodies of the possessed (including Judas Iscariot!)

This little passage of encountering the soul of Judas Iscariot is one of the more distressing things I’ve read:
“Who are you then?”
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“I am Judas.”
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“What, Judas! Are you Judas Iscariot, the former Apostle?”
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Thereupon followed a horrible, woefully prolonged: “Y-e-s, I am the one.” This was howled in the deepest bass voice. It set the whole room a-quivering so that out of pure fright and horror the pastor and some of the nuns ran out. Then followed a disgusting exhibition of spitting and vomiting as if Judas were intending to spit at his Lord and Master with all his might, or as if he had in mind to unloose his inner waste and filth upon Him.
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Finally Judas was asked: “What business have you here?”
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“To bring her to despair, so that she will commit suicide and hang herself! She must get the rope, she must go to hell!”
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“Is it then a fact that everyone that commits suicide goes to hell?”
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“Rather not.”
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“Why not?”
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“Ha, we devils are the ones that urge them to commit suicide, to hang themselves, just as I did myself.”
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“Do you not regret that you have committed such a despicable deed?”
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A terrible curse followed: “Let me alone. Don’t bother me with your fake god. It was my own fault.” Then he kept on raving in a terrible manner.
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Of course, we only have the exorcists hearsay to rely upon… who can say:shrug:
 
I’d say there’s almost no chance that Hell is empty. God will never deny mercy to a repentant soul, but so many people seem to die completely unrepentant for their sins. While it’s certainly possible that God may offer them one last chance as death takes them, there’s no evidence for it, so it’s not something we should assume happens. When i see the likes of Hitler or Stalin, or serial killers like Gacey, I have little to no doubt that Hell has at least a few non-demonic inhabitants.
 
I’m sure that there are people in Hell, Michigan, because the place has a post office. 🙂

As to the other one, I am content to leave it up to God.

ICXC NIKA
 
GEddie said:
I’m sure that there are people in Hell, Michigan, because the place has a post office. 🙂

As to the other one, I am content to leave it up to God.

ICXC NIKA
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:rotfl:

On a more serious note, both Scripture and Tradition affirm a non-empty Hell, which is a real place rather than a “state”. How many are there (besides the demons) is a wide-open question that even Christ told us not to be preoccupied with; rather, our focus should be on avoiding it! 🙂
 
ffg said:
It’s human nature to rate and rank ourselves, and thus excuse our faults as ‘not like that guy’. So as to align ourselves with the good guys.

It’s tough to realize that all humans in hell simply made similar decisions regarding a relationship with God - to not love Him.

Yes I think there is a Hell and it is very real and very easy to get inside. I think it is a trick of the devil to blind people to the reality of eternal separation from God.

I do think it makes sense though that rather than a fiery place of community, It is solitary confinement for eternity.
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I believe that Hell is a real place. However, I have no idea if anyone is there or not. Only He knows for sure.

As for being like the good guys, etc., I’m not sure that is what is to be strived for. I could be totally off base, but I think that one day when I pass on or when Jesus returns (whichever comes first), I (and others) will be standing before Him. When having to answer for my life, personally, I don’t think saying, “At least I wasn’t like [fill in names here].” I highly doubt that He is going to want to hear things like that.

Just like when we go to Confession, we are not to try to make excuses for our sins or compare ourselves to someone else, etc. I think the same may apply here. Of course, no one knows for sure until we are in that position (passed on and/or the Second Coming of Jesus).
 
Some saints have been shown hell. It’s described as being more horrifying than words can describe.

Have you ever held your great-great grandmothers priceless gift from her husband, and dropped it. The feeling you get before it hits the floor is the feeling you remain in for eternity when in hell. :eek:
 
HabemusFrancis said:
I just wanted to do a quick survey, of how many people buy into the idea that “Hell is a possibility, but there are no souls in it right now?”

Although I have struggled to understand certain church teachings, I never have really doubted that Hell is real and souls in fact do go there and are there right now:(.

The notion of Hell being real but unpopulate seems somewhat silly to me. It would mean that there would be no great urgency/need to turn to God, and would somewaht cheapen Jesus’ great sufferings and sacrifice as well, if the chances of humans going to Hell was statistically nil.

Also, if indeed noone has been to Hell…that means likely no one ever would. However unworthily you live your life, you will likely not go to Hell because… well… there is always someone worse… and if they were not damned why you?🤷

The idea that people are in Hell as we speak gives me no great joy, and I wish the opposite were true. I know it’s not church dogma to say that anyone is in Hell, but to think otherwise… welll… just seems like wishful thinking.
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Fr Gabriel Amorthe, retired head exorcist of the Vatican believes that hell is nearly entirely empty now, because all those souls who belong in hell are up on the earth reaking havoc, tempting people, and causing problems.

St. John Bosco had a vision where he was shown souls falling into hell like snowflakes, and Our Lady told him, “97% of souls go to Hell.”
 
ffg said:
. . . I do think it makes sense though that rather than a fiery place of community, It is solitary confinement for eternity.
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I imagine it’s not empty but has a population of one. What is suffering but a descent into some sort of hell. There’s someone there feeling like I do in myself. Me, lost in ignorance and sin. It’s actually, nothing we haven’t or cannot surrender to Christ, who taking it all upon Himself, dies and rises up again with us, newly made, one with God. I don’t know much about it other than it is real.
 
As has been pointed out, Hell exists. Also as has been pointed out, we don’t know how many are currently there.

I still remember one of my high school religion teachers saying this about the topic with respect to different denominations takes on the subject of hell:

"They are all saying the same thing, but wording it differently. One says, 'There ain’t no hell. ’ Go down a block and the next preacher says, 'the hell there ain’t. ’ " That, of course got a laugh from the class.

Blessings,
Stephie
 
Will or won’t I be a snotty little snot or not, well I will just have to wait and find out. Hell is, as one could say, hell. If someone in hell says this or that and those who are not in hell cannot find resolve but to once again illiminate it all together, well such is the vestiges of hell.

Whether hell is a singular solitary existence forever bowing to its own loneliness, walking in endless steams of unanswerable want and need, doomed to this terrible fate forever or the fullblown fiery depths of the unimaginable torments and horror of the very pit of hell itself, and just as any of you don’t so much as confer a truthful rendition of the truth of this, wonder on hell even as hell wanders on as hell must.

Hell does though have a spiritual side. One, if given in the spirit of God, produces in the embodiment of hell, all that would pertain to the sweet relief of hells unrelenting solitude. Half of hell is better than the whole of hell. Hell is very grateful for this, even if it is not given in his own spirit of himself as hell would wish.

Not a good thought either way one looks at it.
 
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