tripp(name removed by moderator)rincezz:
Well then I suppose this is one of the contradictions that I disliked about Christianity. As I said, if God loves unconditionally, he wouldn’t send anyone to eternal suffering. Even if someone “turned their back on him”, the key word is unconditional. That’s why I said purgatory makes more sense. People are punished for what they did and then may go to heaven.
And if you are referring to me, no I didn’t choose to go to hell because I don’t believe in it. I can’t go somewhere I don’t believe exists. And I didn’t turn my back on anyone. I am choosing to worship my creator(s) in a different form. That is all.
A father loves his son unconditionally. Because of that he will correct and even punish him. As an unconditional lover I love him no matter what he does. Same as God. God requires you to say you are sorry for what you have done, and he forgives you.
If you make it to Purgatory you are assured of Heaven. And yes you can go somewhere you don’t believe in. The world is not a fantasy land of make believe, where I can just delete a notion and it disappears. Truth exists.
As far as Hell goes here is what the Catechism says about it:
**1035 **The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.” The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
[1036](javascript
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The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."618
Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where "men will weep and gnash their teeth."619
[1037](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/1037.htm’) God predestines no one to go to hell;620 for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance”:621
Father, accept this offering
from your whole family.
Grant us your peace in this life,
save us from final damnation,
and count us among those you have chosen.
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. "
) So even if a person believes poppycock, they still have a right to respect, which does not entail putting what they might believe on a par with Catholic truth.
