Is Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven?

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Is Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven?

Here is an article that claims that Jeffrey Dahmer, the admitted homosexual, who abducted, raped, tortured, murdered and cannibalized many young innocent victims, became a “born-again” Christian while in prison…

Does this mean that “born again” and other Protestant Christians believe that Jeffrey Dahmer is in heaven?

Are his victims in heaven with him?

Is it possible that some of his victims are not in heaven and he is?

Do you agree with this Martin Luther quote? -

“No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day.”
“Let Your Sins Be Strong: A Letter from Luther to Melanchthon”.– c.1521)

I believe that we are judged by our “works”, good and bad. I also believe that a virtuous life does have merit. I do not believe that there exists an automatic “Get out of Hell” card.

I believe in God’s infinite mercy and I believe that anything is possible in God; however, I also believe that bad people go to Hell. Jeffrey Dahmer is a bad person so doesn’t that mean that he is in Hell?

Additionally, I have read that Jeffrey Dahmer was involved in the Occult, or satanic worship, wouldn’t this behavior, fall under, “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”, the un-forgivable sin?

I do not believe that Jeffery Dahmer is in heaven, what do you think?
 
Jimmy_B said:
Is Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven?

Here is an article that claims that Jeffrey Dahmer, the admitted homosexual, who abducted, raped, tortured, murdered and cannibalized many young innocent victims, became a “born-again” Christian while in prison…

Does this mean that “born again” and other Protestant Christians believe that Jeffrey Dahmer is in heaven?

Are his victims in heaven with him?

Is it possible that some of his victims are not in heaven and he is?

Do you agree with this Martin Luther quote? -

“No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day.”
“Let Your Sins Be Strong: A Letter from Luther to Melanchthon”.– c.1521)

I believe that we are judged by our “works”, good and bad. I also believe that a virtuous life does have merit. I do not believe that there exists an automatic “Get out of Hell” card.

I believe in God’s infinite mercy and I believe that anything is possible in God; however, I also believe that bad people go to Hell. Jeffrey Dahmer is a bad person so doesn’t that mean that he is in Hell?

Additionally, I have read that Jeffrey Dahmer was involved in the Occult, or satanic worship, wouldn’t this behavior, fall under, “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”, the un-forgivable sin?

I do not believe that Jeffery Dahmer is in heaven, what do you think?
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I think that I am glad that it is up to God who gets into heaven and who does not. Only God can know the condition of one’s soul at the moment of death.

Annie
 
Jimmy B said:
Additionally, I have read that Jeffrey Dahmer was involved in the Occult, or satanic worship, wouldn’t this behavior, fall under, “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”, the un-forgivable sin?
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No, that is not the unforgivable sin.
 
Jimmy_B said:
Is Jeffrey Dahmer in Heaven?

Here is an article that claims that Jeffrey Dahmer, the admitted homosexual, who abducted, raped, tortured, murdered and cannibalized many young innocent victims, became a “born-again” Christian while in prison…

Does this mean that “born again” and other Protestant Christians believe that Jeffrey Dahmer is in heaven?

Are his victims in heaven with him?

Is it possible that some of his victims are not in heaven and he is?

Do you agree with this Martin Luther quote? -

“No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day.”
“Let Your Sins Be Strong: A Letter from Luther to Melanchthon”.– c.1521)

I believe that we are judged by our “works”, good and bad. I also believe that a virtuous life does have merit. I do not believe that there exists an automatic “Get out of Hell” card.

I believe in God’s infinite mercy and I believe that anything is possible in God; however, I also believe that bad people go to Hell. Jeffrey Dahmer is a bad person so doesn’t that mean that he is in Hell?

Additionally, I have read that Jeffrey Dahmer was involved in the Occult, or satanic worship, wouldn’t this behavior, fall under, “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”, the un-forgivable sin?

I do not believe that Jeffery Dahmer is in heaven, what do you think?
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In reality, only he knows what his relationship with God was. Did he confess his sins? Did he repent? Did he ask for forgiveness? I don’t know. I would imagine that IF he was on his way to heaven, he would be in purgatory, like so many of us. We simply cannot and will not know his personal state.

The Martin Luther quote mirrors what the apostle Paul spoke about throughout his letters, particularly, “where sin abounds, grace abounds even more”. He goes on to say that we should not go on sinning, but he is trying to convey that it doesn’t really matter what we have done in our lives to warrant hell. It’s about our repentance, our turning away from sin, asking for forgiveness and relying on the mercy of God that makes us right before Him.

Peace…

MW
 
I have no idea if Jeff “the Chef” Dahmer made it to Heaven.

This, of course, is something we cannot know.

We must recall that both God’s mercy and His justice are infinite.
 
At best, he is in Purgatory.

It’s more likely (realistically) that he didn’t make it that far.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that, by a one-in-a-million miracle, he died with perfect contrition, and ascended directly into Heaven.
 
The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and the hired laborers (Matthew 20:1-16) comes to mind here. We can only pray that he and especially his victims make it to heaven.
 
I will go with both “possible” and “unlikely”. The thing about him becoming ‘born again’ in the evangelical sense is true, but there is no way to know how sincere or insincere he was in that, or what the state of his soul was at the moment of his death.
 
Like Ted Bundy, Dahlmer may be saved.

But if so, and like Bundy, its highly likely he is in Purgatotory

For a L-O-N-G time
 
Annie_B said:
I think that I am glad that it is up to God who gets into heaven and who does not. Only God can know the condition of one’s soul at the moment of death.

Annie
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Thank you Annie and I agree.

I am aware of what the Catholic Church teaches regarding forgiveness.

A General comment -

I know, as a Catholic that we are to confess any mortal sins to a Catholic priest (if able)…

Jeffery Dahmer was an adult living in modern America, so it is reasonable to believe that he knew that, there was a Catholic Church. It is also reasonable to believe that during his lifetime that he heard and thereby became aware of Catholic truths.

Moreover, I believe that it is reasonable to believe that most adults living in modern America, know that Catholics must confess their sins to a Catholic priests…a Catholic truth.

Jeffrey Dahmer did not convert to Catholicism, nor did he confess his mortal sins to a Catholic priest before his death.

Not attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is a mortal sin.

Catholics, regardless of how virtuous their life may have been, prior to committing any mortal sin, need go to confession (if able) before their death?

The Catholic Church teaches that we are judged by our “works”, good and bad.

Catholics, who miss one Mass, on a Holy Day (when able to go) might not go to heaven if they do not confess this mortal sin to a Catholic priest (if able.)

Catholics believe that we are judge by all of our “works”, good and evil. Catholics do not believe in “once saved always saved”. Catholics do not believe in predestination…

“I personally, do not believe that evil people go to heaven…but only God knows.”

This belief is not contrary to Catholic teachings.

I personally believe that, based on Catholic teachings that it is highly unlikely that Jeffrey Dahmer went to Heaven. I personally think that Jeffery Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, Adolf Hitler and other horrible people like them, are all in Hell and I find this belief comforting.

We are not required to assume that someone has been forgiven. However, we are told what types of sin are considered; mortal sins and we are required to avoid those sins.

Why would it be ok to form an opinion regarding a person who is still alive; as being evil and to use that opinion to avoid that person but not ok to believe that people who have committed horrific sins, were evil at the moment of their death?

I find it Ironic that people will come to the “defense” of people like Jeffrey Dahmer and imply that it is somehow wrong to form any opinion about him…Yet, some of these same people will assert that people who do not share their same religious beliefs, will go to hell if they don’t convert.

If Jeffrey Dahmer was still alive, it would be irresponsible to say to a child that, what he (Jeffrey Dahmer) did was wrong but… that does not mean that he is going to Hell.

All religions teach… that if you do this…or fail to do that… you will go to Hell. Yet, when the person who has done those things, dies, some tell people, it is possible that he is in heaven and that it is wrong to judge that person.

Where is the incentive to live a virtuous life? The Jeffrey Dahmers of this world, should be held up as an example of how, not to live our lives, just as they would have been in ancient times.

There is nothing wrong with identifying evil.

Your thoughts?

Peace 🙂
 
Jimmy_B said:
Not attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is a mortal sin.
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Only if the person knows that he is supposed to go to mass, knows that it is gravely sinful not to go, is able to go, but decides not to go anyway.

I would think that most non-Catholics do not fulfill all of these pre-requisites.

God bless,
Paul
 
I personally believe that Mother Teresa and Dahmer ARE NOT in the same place. I believe Dahmer is in hell with the other killers (Thou shalt not kill). But…I am not God.
 
Jimmy,

Whether someone is presently alive or dead doesn’t matter. If they didn’t repent, then the odds of them ending up in heaven are slim according to most religions. My personal view is unorthodox, so I won’t share it.

But, I think you are missing the point of those of us who say we simply cannot know. It’s not that we don’t think some people deserve to go to hell. It’s irrelevant what we think about their soul. Because the Lord Jesus is the only one who has the authority to exercise judgment (as proclaimed in the Apostles Creed), we are not at liberty to make that judgment.

We have to remember that all sin is an offense to God our Father. Pointing out the sins of others doesn’t make us any better in the eyes of God. Personally, I don’t spend my time thinking about who is in hell or who is in heaven. I concern myself with my own status with the Father. My own sins are enough to contemplate and seek forgiveness for.

Peace…

MW
 
Jimmy_B said:
Jeffrey Dahmer is a bad person so doesn’t that mean that he is in Hell?
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We’re all bad - as in, we ALL fall short of the glory of God. Without Jesus’ ransom on the cross and God’s grace and mercy poured out to us even when we don’t deserve it, nobody would make it to heaven.

If Jeffrey Dahmer, as dispicable as his actions were, is in heaven, it’s not because of who he was, but because of who God is. That should be of great comfort to us all.
 
I think you are seeing people attempting to apply this CCC passage (I bolded the part I mean):
**1861 **Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.
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yellowbird said:
I’m bad.

You’re bad.

We’re all bad - as in, we ALL fall short of the glory of God. Without Jesus’ ransom on the cross and God’s grace and mercy poured out to us even when we don’t deserve it, nobody would make it to heaven.

If Jeffrey Dahmer, as dispicable as his actions were, is in heaven, it’s not because of who he was, but because of who God is.
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If that thought comforts you, then any murderer will go to heaven according to our Lord. That isn’t comforting to me…knowing I could go out and kill someone knowing I’d be in heaven? :confused:
 
Mystic_Warrior said:
Personally, I don’t spend my time thinking about who is in hell or who is in heaven. I concern myself with my own status with the Father. My own sins are enough to contemplate and seek forgiveness for.

Peace…

MW
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👍
 
Why do you speculate on where this or that person is? That is something only God can know, or be the judge of.

And I’m not Catholic, Muslim or Protestant, I’m Jewish, for the record.
 
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