Is it hard or easy to get to hell?

[bilop]

I don’t understand this.

Without God, we would know that Hitler was wrong and evil, would we not?

How?

Maybe Hitler’s morals were right for him.

Maybe he was born with the natural inclination to become a dictator and murder people. In any case, if there is no God, who cares if those people lived or died? It’s no different from a wolf killing a sheep.

God Bless

 

[coda]

I will go to hell then. I live by high morals and I am kind and considerate. I will live my life as a homosexual but let me tell you this - I did not chose to be homosexual. It was natural to me. I would have rather be straight but not now. I’m gay and I’m proud of it.

Why should I be punished for something that is natural to me and something that I did not have a hand in?

Other than being homosexual, I am a good human being. If homosexuality is so wrong then why does Jesus Christ not even mention it?

Why was Christ punished for something He did not do??
It’s all in HOW we choose to carry our own crosses…

 

[06convert]

Maher, it’s not our job to send you to hell for doing something we believe to be sinful. Homosexuality in itself is not sinful, but acting on your feelings, is what we are taught is sinful.

If you are an atheist, why are you concered with going to hell? Do you believe in hell?

Other than being homosexual, I am a good human being.

You say other than being homosexual you are good. Are you saying that homosexuality is something that isn’t good?

If homosexuality is so wrong then why does Jesus Christ not even mention it?

Well he didn’t come out and say homosexuality is wrong did he? But did he say it was ok? Here is the difference. When Jesus was on earth teaching he took teachings from the Old Testament that weren’t very clear and clarified them for us. He redefined the 10 commandments. His teachings in the New Testament superceded any conflicting Old Testament teachings(ie. eating Pork).

He didn’t clarify or redefine teachings that were already spelled out plain as day. Homosexuality is one of these teachings. Although Jesus didn’t say anything specifically about it, same sex relations are spelled out all through the Bible as being wrong. Jesus didn’t negate those teachings, so they are withheld.

 

[06convert]

I guess we are getting off topic. Maybe we should continue the homosexual discussion in another thread, or maybe create a new one?

 

[Junebug999]

DEFINTELY another thread. Maher should have started a different thread, and I should not have responded to him, but just responded to the OP about the original post.

We really don’t want to disrupt the threads this much – it just gets too difficult to keep up with different topics.

 

[Maher]

DEFINTELY another thread. Maher should have started a different thread, and I should not have responded to him, but just responded to the OP about the original post.

We really don’t want to disrupt the threads this much – it just gets too difficult to keep up with different topics.

Apologies. That’s the end of my discussion on this. Sorry for taking this thread on a different tangent.

I realise that by replying, I am making it worse. Sorry.

 

[M0nkey]

I’ll tell you a story I heard on the radio once,

Guy walks out of a bar completely drunk at night. Hardly finding his way around decides to take a shortcut right through a cemetery. While lumbering and stumbling around in the cemetery there is a hole that’s been opened for next day’s funeral and he falls in it. Badly bruised he decides he wants to get out and tries, but the hole is too big and he curls up in a corner to sleep and waits for the next day when they come and bail him out. About an hour later his friend comes out the same bar. Drunk and stumbling decides to take the short route and falls in the same hole. While he’s trying to get out he hears a squirmy voice coming out of the dark corner saying, “You can’t get out.” Quickly, he gathers strength and climbs out of the hole and runs without ever looking back.

Moral of the story: when you are afraid of ending up in hell you do everything possible to make sure you it doesn’t happen. When you believe that you can’t possibly go to hell, you become complacent, and take a nap while still in the hole. Fear is a good motivator.

 

[paul_c]

I don’t understand this.

Without God, we would know that Hitler was wrong and evil, would we not?

The point being made is that God is the source of all good and therefore provides a reference point for morality. If there is no God, who provides the reference point for what is good and what is evil? What is your measure of what is important. If it is personal power, than Hitler’s morality was pretty good and Mother Teresa’s was really low.

 

[expectthebest]

Not really. In order to achieve salvation through “invincible ignornace” the person must:

1. Truly have never heard the Truth of Jesus and the Church proclaimed (very hard in the modern Western world)
2. Lived a moral life despite not knowing Jesus, i.e. they must follow the Natural Law that all men know in their hearts (no killing, cheating, lying, stealing, adultering, etc.).

I would say it is very easy to go to Hell. All one must do is to do as one wishes, rather than to do as God wishes for us.

God Bless

By this definition, a protestant can never make it to Heaven since he has heard the Gospel and taken the wrong choice. But, what if that protestant truely believes in his heart that he is following the right faith and that the Catholic Faith is wrong. What then? Will God judge his heart?

 

[paul_c]

I am not surprised that the majority of respondents think that hell is hard to get to, meaning that Heaven is easy to get into. It fits into the modern view of “I’m okay, you’r okay”. But is it the truth?

Let’s consider a few things about the Catholic view of salvation.

The first step to salvation is to be cleansed of original sin through baptism to gain sanctifying grace. There are about 1.2B catholics, 600M Protestants and 300M orthodox Christians that that might fit this criteria out of 6B+ people on earth so only 1/3 might even be eligible.

Now, to stay in a state of Grace you either need to never commit a mortal sin or else be cleased from that sin through a valid sacrament of reconciliation. (A contrite confession, repentence, and appropriate penance). Since less than 1/3 of Catholics even bother going to weekly mass, what percentage do you think participate in the sacrament of reconciliation or don’t need its benefits? Even if its the same 1/3 and that this applies to Protestants and the Orthodox as well, you are down to the 10% range that might be heaven eligible. Its really easy to see how the number could be much lower if the Catholic church’s teachings on salvation are true.

We can pray that God is easy on us as a whole, but any individual should strive to stay in the state of Grace because that is what we are told we need to be rewarded with eternal life. Remember, Satan wants us all to believe we have been saved because then we will become complacent and not do what needs to be done to demonstrate our love of God and neighbor.

 

[Extempore]

Hard I would imagine, since it doesn’t exist. Kind of hard to get into a place if it’s imaginary, don’t ya think?

• Bisexual, Catholic & Atheist

Well, alrighty then.

Anyhow, in answer to the original post, yes, it is easy to go to Hell. Recall one of the visions the children of Fatima had in 1917 of Hell and the souls that were “falling like snowflakes” into Hell.

We choose Hell by unrepentantly committing mortal sin. I know its not exactly the most politically correct opinion to have these days, but there you have it.

 

[thistle]

I will go to hell then. I live by high morals and I am kind and considerate. I will live my life as a homosexual but let me tell you this - I did not chose to be homosexual. It was natural to me. I would have rather be straight but not now. I’m gay and I’m proud of it.

Why should I be punished for something that is natural to me and something that I did not have a hand in?

Other than being homosexual, I am a good human being. If homosexuality is so wrong then why does Jesus Christ not even mention it?

By definition an active homosexual does not live by high morals so to say you are unrepentent and additionally you reject God all shows you do not try to live a good life.
By the way, there is NO gay gene. Being homosexual is NOT natural.

 

[Extempore]

Why should I be punished for something that is natural to me and something that I did not have a hand in?

We are born with a sinful nature, therefore, all sinful things are “natural” to us. Lying, stealing, adultery, and any other sin you can think of all come “naturally” to us. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t reject them, however.

Just because something seems “natural” doesn’t make it right.

Other than being homosexual, I am a good human being. If homosexuality is so wrong then why does Jesus Christ not even mention it?

Well, Jesus is God and seeing how God responded to the rampant homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah seems pretty clear-cut to me.

Also, as far as I know, Jesus also failed to mention embezzlement, bribery and a vast number of other behaviors that Christians recognize as sinful.

 

[LilyM]

In answer to the original posts (since the thread seems to have gone quite a bit off topic) - it is true that the more we know the higher the standard to which we are held. It is also true that the more we know the more graces and other help we have to help us adhere to that standard.

A Catholic may be bound to more things than a non-Catholic, but at the same time we have valid sacraments, indulgences and the Real Presence as greater helps toward sanctity.

 

[bilop]

By this definition, a protestant can never make it to Heaven since he has heard the Gospel and taken the wrong choice. But, what if that protestant truely believes in his heart that he is following the right faith and that the Catholic Faith is wrong. What then? Will God judge his heart?

No, because the Protestant accepts Christ, albeit imperfectly.

He could achieve salvation by avoiding mortal sin, or by achieving perfect contrition.

His road is much harder than the Catholic or the Orthodox, b/c he lacks the Sacraments for grace and forgiveness, but he has a chance because he accepts Jesus as Lord and savior.

God Bless

 

[Junebug999]

By this definition, a protestant can never make it to Heaven since he has heard the Gospel and taken the wrong choice. But, what if that protestant truely believes in his heart that he is following the right faith and that the Catholic Faith is wrong. What then? Will God judge his heart?

Our Priest recently explained the CC is limited to giving its Sacraments for the hope of heaven…God and his mercy are not limited. My belief of Truth of Christ and the authority of HIS CC established on earth is my hope of salvation. I have faith, I am working on being holy, when I commit sin I REPENT, which is turning away from the sin and obtain absolution through His CC. Therefore I have abundant Hope in Christ that he will raise me up on the last day.

 

[Junebug999]

Remember, Satan wants us all to believe we have been saved because then we will become complacent and not do what needs to be done to demonstrate our love of God and neighbor.

YUP – Satan doesn’t care if we go to Hell because of our unbelief, or our false belief, or our belief, but lack of cooperation in God’s mercy

 

[expectthebest]

Our Priest recently explained the CC is limited to giving its Sacraments for the hope of heaven…God and his mercy are not limited. My belief of Truth of Christ and the authority of HIS CC established on earth is my hope of salvation. I have faith, I am working on being holy, when I commit sin I REPENT, which is turning away from the sin and obtain absolution through His CC. Therefore I have abundant Hope in Christ that he will raise me up on the last day.

What if you try to repent but are not able to make a perfect act of contrition. Then you are hit by a bus on the way to confession. Doesn’t Church teaching say you have no hope in that case?

 

[rpp]

What if you try to repent but are not able to make a perfect act of contrition. Then you are hit by a bus on the way to confession. Doesn’t Church teaching say you have no hope in that case?

No, the Church DOES NOT say there is no hope in this case. In fact, the Church says exactly the opposite.

 

[Crimson_Seraph]

Hell is so easy to get into to, all you have to do is nothing. Just sit right back, and wait to die.