Question about Hell

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gradtheologian

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Is anyone in hell? Should we hope that everyone gets saved in the end?
 
We have good reason to believe that there are souls in Hell.
 
gradtheologian said:
Is anyone in hell? Should we hope that everyone gets saved in the end?
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The Catholic Church does not teach that anyone is definitively in Hell, although it does teach that the truth of Hell (and hence, the possibility for one to “end up there”) is true.
 
Well, I do not wan to go there to count them all.

Scripture does speak about a Great White Throne Judgement where all those in Hell will come forth for the formal sentencing ( they will be both fallen angels and humans). Then they will be thrown into theLake of Fire. This is called the second death. We, who are in Heaven, actually take a part in this final sentencing.

We have been promised that there will no tears in heaven. No sadness. Any of our loved ones who will go to hell God will protect us from any anguish we would have had about them. The anguish is for the here and now, for there are folks we all love who we may harbour the fear that they will not enter into heaven.

Which is more than enough reason for prayer.
 
Sacred Scripture plainly teaches that many persons are sent to Hell. We cannot hold that Hell is empty, as this would be contrary to Tradition and Scripture.
 
In Matthew 25 when Jesus speaks of the sheep (who did His will) and goats (who disobeyed) that those who did His will go to eternal life and those who didn’t go to eternal punishment. Pretty decisive that there are those who go to hell.

There are plenty of other references to hell too.
 
Ron_Conte said:
Sacred Scripture plainly teaches that many persons are sent to Hell. We cannot hold that Hell is empty, as this would be contrary to Tradition and Scripture.
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Where does the Catholic Church teach that? Thanks.
 
diggerdomer said:
Where does the Catholic Church teach that? Thanks.
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It doesn’t diggerdomer. You are correct. We are required to believe in the existence of hell. Yet we are unable to judge as to whether or not any particular soul is in hell. It is our Christian duty to pray that all are saved – even though we know that it is possible, even extremely likely, that all will not respond to the call of the Gospel.

Blessings,
 
David_Zampino said:
It doesn’t diggerdomer. You are correct. We are required to believe in the existence of hell. Yet we are unable to judge as to whether or not any particular soul is in hell. It is our Christian duty to pray that all are saved – even though we know that it is possible, even extremely likely, that all will not respond to the call of the Gospel.

Blessings,
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It is true the Church makes no distinction as to what specific souls go to hell, but the Church authoritatively does teach that souls go to hell, namely those who die in a state of mortal sin:CCC#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.”
 
MarcoPolo said:
It is true the Church makes no distinction as to what specific souls go to hell, but the Church authoritatively does teach that souls go to hell, namely those who die in a state of mortal sin:CCC#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.”
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Not quite…“those who die in a state of mortal sin…” may be zero or more than zero. Only God knows.
 
While you can get a lot of answers on the nature of hell by reading the Catechism, I still think one of the greatest conceptions of Hell was written by Dante.

Anthony Esolen is professor of English at Providence College and senior editor of Touchstone magazine. He has translated Dante’s Divine Comedy for Modern Library. Anthony Esolen has published many scholarly articles and essays, including several on Renaissance literature. A graduate of Princeton and the University of North Carolina, Esolen is proficient in Latin, Italian, Anglo-Saxon, French, German and Greek. As you know, I am on an eternal read of the Divine Comedy and it is one of my favorite topics for posts. This essay is a splendid read and I don’t think you can find a better piece that correlates the Christian faith to Dante’s work. The Christian faith is rooted in a narrative, the narrative of the Gospels. You can also find it in Dante’s creation.

A summary of Prof Esolen’s reflection on Dante and the Freedom of Heaven and Hell is here:

payingattentiontothesky.com/2009/07/31/the-freedom-of-heaven-the-freedom-of-hell/

dj
 
gradtheologian said:
Is anyone in hell? Should we hope that everyone gets saved in the end?
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If God desires that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4) then we can and should desire that as well. But we must also accept God’s revelation that hell exists and that it is possible to end up there.

We don’t know if anyone is in hell. Judas is a possibility, since Jesus himself said that it would have been better if he had never been born. Such a statement is hard to reconcile with him being in heaven, but at the same time we cannot draw any definitive conclusion from it.
 
diggerdomer said:
Not quite…“those who die in a state of mortal sin…” may be zero or more than zero. Only God knows.
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I read it differently. The text does not seem to suggest a qualification that “those who die in mortal sin” may be zero. This would also be consistent with Church-approved apparitions (such as Fatima) in which damned souls are described (not identified), no?
 
MarcoPolo said:
I read it differently. The text does not seem to suggest a qualification that “those who die in mortal sin” may be zero. This would also be consistent with Church-approved apparitions (such as Fatima) in which damned souls are described (not identified), no?
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I understand how one could read it that way. I just don’t think the Church, in this passage is saying definitively that there are such souls. I don’t see how the Church could say definitively that someone dies in mortal sin, that’s only known by God.

Whatever approval the Church gives to apparitions does not mean that any attendant visions or messages imparted are doctrine.
 
diggerdomer said:
I understand how one could read it that way. I just don’t think the Church, in this passage is saying definitively that there are such souls. I don’t see how the Church could say definitively that someone dies in mortal sin, that’s only known by God.

Whatever approval the Church gives to apparitions does not mean that any attendant visions or messages imparted are doctrine.
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Of course only God knows.
But there’s evidence enough that God has on occasion revealed the identities of damned souls, in private revelation.
Also in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats Christ is pretty definite that there are, or will be, goats.
Likewise in the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, Our Lord describes the rich man as being in hell.
I don’t see how He could use such stories, even as teaching tools, if nobody ever goes to hell.
 
BillP said:
We don’t know for sure that anyone in in hell. But we do know for sure that our actions could take us there.

Of course! we should hope that everyone gets saved. Why wouldn’t we? Why would anyone want someone someone to be in hell?
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What about people like Hitler, Jack the Ripper, etc?
 
Firstly we do know that the devil and his angels are there. And we know, from scripture, that SOME people will indeed, at the last judgement, be condemned to join them.

‘Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will be saved’. Clearly shows that some - even among those to profess to follow Christ, let alone among those who don’t - will NOT be saved. No doubtski aboutski.
 
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