I was talking to a friend the other night who raised an interesting question for which I could not give him a satisfactory answer. He asked whether an evil act committed in time deserved *eternal *damnation in hell. That is, does the punishment seem to fit the crime?
What say you all?
It’s at times like this, when we need to have a strong theology of God as well as a philosophy. This means that I must speak about other theological concepts such a “
Theodicy”, in order for us to have a full understanding of why God would allow an eternity of hell. So unfortunately for you, this is going to be a very long post. But that shouldn’t bother you if you are trully in search of understanding.
I am currently trying to write a book about God. Here’s the sort version of what I might write in my book.
Perfection & Hell.
First we must understand that God is perfection—we must presuppose it in order to understand God. We must also seek to know all of Gods attributes. This is because there are certain possibilities and impossibilities that result from Gods very nature of being. For example; if perfection is the foundation of all reality, then any thing that does exist only exists in relation to perfection. Sharing is a perfection. Therefore we exist only because God is sharing his nature. Also, one must recognise that perfection is the eternal root all good; and therefore is the greatest good that can be attained. This means that our eternal joy, happiness and love are wholly dependent on the fulfilling virtues of perfection.
By acknowledging these facts, we are presented with a philosophical problem.
The problem with this is that, since Perfection is Existence, Perfection is utterly intolerant of any imperfection what’s so ever existing in Gods being. This would seem to sabotage, so to speak, any system of creation that involved the existence of imperfect people. But there is a way out for us. God can permit imperfection, but only if the potential for a great good can ultimately come from it.
For example; God will permit ignorance if it motivates at least some of us to learn.
God will permit pain, if it motivates the stubborn heart to cry out to the mercy of God.
God will permit suffering if it inspires at least some victims or spectators to form a moral conscience.
God will permit greed and all types of selfishness if it succeeds in causing repulse in those who are the victims of such behaviour.
God will permit theft and spite, if by doing so, victims learn the golden rule.
God will permit the existence of victims, if by being one; people see the error of sin.
Because in this way, man has freely come to the knowledge of such error, and thus those minds that are susceptible to change will become aware of the notion of perfection and may choose to preach righteous, and thus create a lasting respect and love for the virtues of brotherhood unity and charity; promoting spiritual growth in the hearts of men and women. This in turn opens a door for the love of God to reveal itself to certain individuals or groups through purely natural means as well as supernatural.
Who can say that they know and love good, who have not themselves been victims, spectators and doers of evil?
God will permit a seemingly hostile but paradoxically beautiful universe that evolves through natural causes, if in the end such a universe inspires at least some to the knowledge and desire of perfection and the glory of God.
God will permit death and a sense of mortality if it inspires some to see the value of life.
God will permit doubt and mystery if it inspires men to freely encounter God through faith. God will permit wilful ignorance and denial if it protects their dignity as free acting agents.
So long as there is the potential for growth, then through humanities suffering, some of us are naturally and supernaturally able to see through our selfishness and lies, and in this way, perhaps some, moved by the love of good, will attempt to convert the oppressor and the ignorant by revealing to them the reality of good (God). In turn, we learn the great virtue of loving our enemies and valuing their humanity as much as our own; bringing us one step closer to Gods perfection and saving grace.
In other words God will allow evil if he can use it against itself.
Looking back at the problem hell, in respect of creation, any person that is created must be granted the same dignity as the person of God, which is the immortality of the soul and the freedom to choose. Man is granted immortality, because perfection is necessarily immortal, since perfection lacks nothing and is therefore with out beginning or end. Since God is perfection, if God creates you, this is fundamentally the same as God offering you the opportunity to participate in Gods perfection—Gods existence. To share, is a perfect act. At first, this would seem to infer that anything that ultimately chooses imperfection, should in principle cease to be, rather then be tormented. This would certainly have the illusion of a great good. But if humanity has the freedom to choose, then they must also have the dignity of fulfilling that choice. Remember what I said about Gods intolerance to imperfection? Hence: the existence of hell.
To be continued…
