The message I sent my theology teacher

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I wrote an email to my teacher and did not get a response back so I will post it and maybe I can get help here.
This is what I wrote to my teacher:

The Catholic church teaches that mortal sins (if not confessed before you die) will send you to hell. They make however, the three stipulations, that the sin must be a grave matter, that one must know it’s a grave matter, and that it must be committed with full consent. So by this logic, and by what I’ve read, I’ve seen that once you learn something is a mortal sin, anytime you do it from then on it becomes a mortal sin, and thus sends you to hell. So it seems, the issue for Catholics is their knowledge. Many things would be intuitively a grave sin, such as killing or theft. There are many other things the church holds just as grave that would not be as intuitive, examples that come to my mind being things like missing church, masturbation, birth control, pre-martial sexual activity, etc. For example, a boy in India who was raised Hindu would have no knowledge that masturbation is wrong. Similarly, people living in rural China under the one-child law would not know that they are sinning when they use birth control. Yet, as a Catholic I know these things, and so, if I commit the same sins, I am sending myself to hell. So my question is, can ignorance save your salvation? If it cannot, then it would seem that there are a lot of people going to hell. It does not seem like a very loving God who would condemn the vast majority of His children. On the other hand, if ignorance does save you, then being a good Catholic is a bad thing, because once you know the truth, you must live up to it or face damnation. In that case, it would seem almost cruel to convert people, knowing that you are only increasing their chances of mortal sin. It would seem, almost, that Catholicism sends people to hell and ignorance saves. Is this correct? I am not saying this to try to argue with you… I just want to be as knowledgeable as possible. Ever since I’ve learned in your class that the Church says you can go to hell for what I used to consider pretty minor things…I have started to question the authority of the church. I mean going church is all good but if I miss it willingly than I will burn in hell…? From what I have been taught in class about hell is that hell is the worst feeling ever for all eternity and there is 0% chance of getting out… The worst feeling ever would be burning constantly without dying. Is this what I would be condemned to? It seems that if what has been said is true than a bunch of people are going to hell… It’s just confusing. Especially with so many people violating the 6 Precepts:
To go to Mass and refrain from servile work on Sundays and holy days
To go to Confession at least once a year (traditionally done during Lent)
To receive the Eucharist at least once a year, during the Easter Season.
To observe the days of fasting and abstinence
To help to provide for the needs of the Church according to one’s abilities and station in life
To obey the marriage laws of the Church
I have always been told that if you live a mostly good life you will go to heaven… And what about atheists and agnostics who provide for their community and do good work all throughout their lifetime.? Do they really go to hell? Some people seem more lenient. Does that grant them a definite ticket to heaven because of there beliefs?
P.S. Feel free to respond… I am curious. And if you could please answer as many questions as possible I would be very grateful…
From an anonymous student
 
orange93 said:
Yes, unless you confess your sorrow for the act of your mortal sins, you will be judged harshly by Jesus.

No, the issue with Catholics is that we are ruled by a God of mercy WHO gives us many 2nd chances to turn our lives around. WHO died for us so that we could live in heaven with HIM. We simply have to chose to do HIS will.

God gives us all the ability to discern HIM. HE will save whom HE will save. Only God has the capability to “know our hearts”, whether they are American or Indian, so only God will know the salvation of souls.

True ignorance will be judged accordingly by God. Only HE knows the hearts of all men. Only HE will determined who is worthy of eternal life. However, do not rest in the reliance of your ignorance. Pursue the full knowledge and all the knowledge you can about God, so that you can continue to stay on the straight an narrow road.

In 1917 the Virgin Mary told the children of Fatima Portugal that souls are falling into hell like snow flakes in a storm, and most of them are there because of sins of the flesh. Our culture protects pornography, which leads so many into mortal sin. You must struggle continuously to avoid the sins of the flesh in our current culture.

Do not judge God. HIS ways are so far above ours that we will never know HIM. Do not worry about what HE does or does not do to others. Keep your focus on HIM for the benefit of your own soul and recognize that you are indeed “a son” of God through baptism and HE wants you in heaven. Live like you also want to be in heaven.

On the other hand, if ignorance does save you, then being a good Catholic is a bad thing, Is this correct?
This is both incorrect and foolish. Jesus has told us, that HE is the way, the truth and the light, - not ignorance. You are working very hard to create an example from which you can continue in sin and rest in ignorance and burn in hell as an outcome.

You misunderstand. The Church does not send people to hell. People send themselves by ignoring the teaching of the Church, which is the teaching of God. God send’s HIS Holy Spouse the Virgin Mary to teach us that sins of the flesh are condeming us to hell. That is not the Church, that is directly from God. The Church will teach us the truth, it is up to us ( YOU) to chose to live the truth or live for your own pleasures of the flesh.

.I have started to question the authority of the church.
RESPONSE:
Your questioning the authority of the Church over the teaching of what it TRUE is an attack from satan and the evil spirits. If you cannot distinguish the truth from the lies, you are in a very serious state. I suggest you go to the parish priest and ask him for guidance. I would suggest the Rosary and weekly confessions - as needed. I would suggest sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament at least once a week. I would suggest attending more than Sunday Mass. Go on Saturday as well, and during the week if possible. You are setting yourself up to leave the church over what is true.

You do not understand what Mass is. Please get a CD on the Mass. Get a book on the Mass. Understand what you are walking away from.

You must embrace CONFESSION. You are so focused on the punishment, that you are completly overlooking HIS mercy. Does God want everyone in hell? NO. HE wants everyone in heaven, but HE is not going to have a bunch of holy robots doing HIS bidding. HE wants SAINTS who chose to do HIS bidding. Study confession and learn of its life giving salvation and ability to keep you (and ME) out of hell. What a wonderful gift God gave us in confession. It proves HE wants us to live with HIM, not with satan. Make the confessional your friend. Do not fear it, embrace it. Jesus awaits you, go to HIM and tell HIM your sins - through the priest, and feel HIM the burden from you.

Mostly good is what satan wants you to have as your goal. You need to work for perfection. Will you achieve it? NO, because we have so many burdens, but can you still work for it, YES.

God has set very clear guidelines for salvation. They are available for all peoples throughout the world, including good atheists and agnostics. You are learning them in your studies. Everyone has to make a personal decision to have a personal relationship with Jesus and say “Yes, LORD I chose YOU to be my LORD and SAVIOR”. LORD - meaning you will obey HIM in all things, and SAVIOR - meaning you will place all your hope for salvation in HIM and no other, especially yourself for being “good”.

NOTE:
You are consumed with the fear of hell and are viewing it through the lens of “earthly fairness”, such as you are familiar with in games and sports as to what is fair and what is not. God is not fair. HE is GOD. HE is absolute, but above all HE is mercy as HE sent HIS son to die for you, that you may chose to accept Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR. Yes, be concerned for the actions of others in prayer, but not in defense of your own actions. Do not say, I can do such-and-such because I see this “good” person doing the same. If you have learned that such-and-such is sin, avoid it and pray for the person you know to be doing it.
Begin a simple prayer. Begin saying this prayer as many times as you can in a day. It is ok if you stop, but every time you have free time, start again. “JESUS, HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER”. Repeat that over, and over and over. Quietly. In your head. In your thoughts. Over and over. This is the beginning of your starting a personal relationship with Jesus. You are calling on HIM, and asking HIM for the mercy for which HE suffered so terribly and died for you, and you are humbly identifing yourself as a sinner. HE already knows your a sinner, but in your saying it, HE knows you are approaching HIM with humility, which leads to many graces.

From an anonymous student
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When God reveals the truth about the Catholic Church to a soul, that soul has hit the spiritual jackpot, so to speak. It’s such a profound gift that cannot be comprehended in full. Being Catholic, the soul has all the spiritual tools – sacraments – in which to attain eternal life. Just think of all the millions of souls who don’t know about these tools!

I’ll take the hope of eternal salvation by way of truth and sacrament over ingnorance – there’s no question about it.

As for precepts and laws, think of them as gifts, not burdens. Yes, you must go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. This precept is not a burden, but a profound gift! Church teachings will lead you to authentic human happiness and freedom and the greatest hope of salvation. Remember, we were given the spirit of courage!

It’s all about Christ. Imagine Him a bloody mess on the cross – would you go to Him and say, I’d prefer ignorance over truth.

Now that I think about it, Catholics should dance around like King David just knowing how fortunate we are – this is the jackpot of jackpots.
 
orange93 said:
I wrote an email to my teacher and did not get a response back so I will post it and maybe I can get help here.
This is what I wrote to my teacher:

The Catholic church teaches that mortal sins (if not confessed before you die) will send you to hell. They make however, the three stipulations, that the sin must be a grave matter, that one must know it’s a grave matter, and that it must be committed with full consent. So by this logic, and by what I’ve read, I’ve seen that once you learn something is a mortal sin, anytime you do it from then on it becomes a mortal sin, and thus sends you to hell. So it seems, the issue for Catholics is their knowledge. Many things would be intuitively a grave sin, such as killing or theft. There are many other things the church holds just as grave that would not be as intuitive, examples that come to my mind being things like missing church, masturbation, birth control, pre-martial sexual activity, etc. For example, a boy in India who was raised Hindu would have no knowledge that masturbation is wrong. Similarly, people living in rural China under the one-child law would not know that they are sinning when they use birth control. Yet, as a Catholic I know these things, and so, if I commit the same sins, I am sending myself to hell. So my question is, can ignorance save your salvation? If it cannot, then it would seem that there are a lot of people going to hell. It does not seem like a very loving God who would condemn the vast majority of His children. On the other hand, if ignorance does save you, then being a good Catholic is a bad thing, because once you know the truth, you must live up to it or face damnation. In that case, it would seem almost cruel to convert people, knowing that you are only increasing their chances of mortal sin. It would seem, almost, that Catholicism sends people to hell and ignorance saves. Is this correct? I am not saying this to try to argue with you… I just want to be as knowledgeable as possible. Ever since I’ve learned in your class that the Church says you can go to hell for what I used to consider pretty minor things…I have started to question the authority of the church. I mean going church is all good but if I miss it willingly than I will burn in hell…? From what I have been taught in class about hell is that hell is the worst feeling ever for all eternity and there is 0% chance of getting out… The worst feeling ever would be burning constantly without dying. Is this what I would be condemned to? It seems that if what has been said is true than a bunch of people are going to hell… It’s just confusing. Especially with so many people violating the 6 Precepts:
To go to Mass and refrain from servile work on Sundays and holy days
To go to Confession at least once a year (traditionally done during Lent)
To receive the Eucharist at least once a year, during the Easter Season.
To observe the days of fasting and abstinence
To help to provide for the needs of the Church according to one’s abilities and station in life
To obey the marriage laws of the Church
I have always been told that if you live a mostly good life you will go to heaven… And what about atheists and agnostics who provide for their community and do good work all throughout their lifetime.? Do they really go to hell? Some people seem more lenient. Does that grant them a definite ticket to heaven because of there beliefs?
P.S. Feel free to respond… I am curious. And if you could please answer as many questions as possible I would be very grateful…
From an anonymous student
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No, ignorance cannot save you. Fortunately, God can.
 
Thank you both for your responses. Can’t you understand though, that its really hard to follow God when there are so many differing opinions about him? So many differing opinions about religion and faith? About right and wrong? About proper fear of the lord? I once considered atheism. And that is where I developed profound respect for them. I never saw this as un-noble since I used to consider being one. It was partly because of what I saw happening in the world and partly because of a movie I saw. All around me people want to trick me or show me the way. I have a few friends who are agnostics. I like them, and believe through what I see that they are good people. I’m just saying that if I was God, which I cannot and never will be (I understand), I would let them in.

On the other hand:
I have been scared out of my mind about hell. I think I may be obsessive compulsive though(I’m not sure). I have a few “sins” that I really have trouble with. They might be considered mortal but i never considered them to be until 4 or 5 months ago. I don’t want to feel eternal pain(burning).
 
I’m only 16 and these thoughts (not about hell) have been happening since I was 12 or 13.
 
orange93 said:
I
The Catholic church teaches that mortal sins (if not confessed before you die) will send you to hell.
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missing adjective
the correct teaching is that an unrepented mortal sin will send you to hell.
that is a sin that meets all the conditions you correctly state, but for which you are not contrite, have no intention of confession, and for which you are not sorry and would do again in a heartbeat because you place your own will above God’s, an attitude you cling to even at the moment of death.

Please state the question correctly, and the answer will be more evident.
 
orange93 said:
For example, a boy in India who was raised Hindu would have no knowledge that masturbation is wrong.
Click to expand...
Actually, brahmacharya, or sexual abstinence, is an essential part of the spiritual training of teenagers in India. And Gandhi rejected birth-control for similar reasons. So many Catholic teachings on sex are also recognized by other spiritual cultures.
 
(part 1 of 4)
The Catholic church teaches that mortal sins (if not confessed before you die) will send you to hell.
Click to expand...
well, that depends, someone who dies before confession, who intended to confess as soon as possible, and were truly sorry and wanted to repent, they would still be forgiven, because God knew their intentions and their heart,
God is not a mechanical creature that only does things one way without consideration of the circumstances, He is all knowing, all loving, and all Fair,
we of course cannot presume upon His mercy and decide for ourselves that we don’t have to go to confession or follow all His commandments because “God loves me and wouldn’t condemn me”, because the truth of it is, God does not condemn anyone, we condemn ourselves by what we choose in this life, and to put it as simply as possible, in this life we only choose between two things - love, and hate.
They make however, the three stipulations, that the sin must be a grave matter, that one must know it’s a grave matter, and that it must be committed with full consent. So by this logic, and by what I’ve read, I’ve seen that once you learn something is a mortal sin, anytime you do it from then on it becomes a mortal sin, and thus sends you to hell.
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if all three conditions must apply, then you don’t necessarily commit a mortal sin each time you commit what you know to be a mortal sin, for example, some people commit certain sins out of habit, in which case they are not always fully aware of what they are doing,
what makes a sin most displeasing to God is when we commit it knowingly, knowing it offends God, and don’t care. but those who do not want to sin, and fall from weakness, do not displease God as much, although they still displease Him, but not for the same reasons as with someone who does it without any care at all.
but what does that mean? it means one person may have no hope in their current state because they have no intention of repenting(which can very well change), but the other person has very much hope, because they do love God and do want to be good and they have every intention of repenting.
So it seems, the issue for Catholics is their knowledge. Many things would be intuitively a grave sin, such as killing or theft. There are many other things the church holds just as grave that would not be as intuitive, examples that come to my mind being things like missing church, masturbation, birth control, pre-martial sexual activity, etc. For example, a boy in India who was raised Hindu would have no knowledge that masturbation is wrong. Similarly, people living in rural China under the one-child law would not know that they are sinning when they use birth control. Yet, as a Catholic I know these things, and so, if I commit the same sins, I am sending myself to hell. So my question is, can ignorance save your salvation? If it cannot, then it would seem that there are a lot of people going to hell.
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ignorance can save, but not if it’s ignorance through your own fault(such as those who refuse to learn their sins so they don’t have to know if they are committing mortal sins)
but it can also be mortally sinful on our part if we fail to admonish or instruct the baptized on their sins when we have the opportunity to do so,
and we also have an obligation to learn all of our sins and work at overcoming them,

it might seem like a very hard or impossible thing to overcome all our mortal sins and to have no attachment to our venial ones, but the truth of the matter is, overcoming sin is not hard, and that might make you laugh, but this is what i mean - the reason we sin in the first place is not because of sin but because of ourselves,
it is our inordinate self love and our lack of discipline that makes us weak,
we sin because we do not have control over our will, you can never force someone to sin, if you did then the sin would not be on them but on you,

God never asks anything beyond what we are capable of, so to say that most people go to hell just because they know their sins is really not true, people go to hell because they knowingly and willingly choose themselves over God, which is a direct act of the will, and which is never forced on you,

to really overcome yourself, which in turn gives you the strength to overcome your sins, you first need prayer, because by that you are seeking Gods helps first and foremost and trusting in Him to strengthen you and not trusting in yourself, who up till now have been weak and hopeless.
you also need the sacraments, which are mainly confession and communion, and which you should partake in often, like at the least, confession every month, and communion every week,
mortification is also very necessary in overcoming yourself, it is the practice of self denial, saying to yourself No in things that you desire which are not sinful, so that when you are faced with temptation, you can much more easily say no.
here are a few articles on mortification to help you better understand it -
gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=13047443
gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=12961409
catholicapologetics.info/morality/general/mortification.htm
 
(part 2 of 4)

another essential part of gaining control over yourself is spiritual reading, which is really just as important as prayer, because it not only teaches you what being a good Catholic is, but how to be a good catholic also.
it’s just important to make sure you are reading good catholic books, here are a couple of publishers which i personally trust very much - www.tanbooks.com and www.fraternitypublications.com

anyone can be a saint, read the stories of the saints, the holiness they achieved is possible for any of us, all it takes is the will to do it, wanting to do it and seeking it out relentlessly,
once you can control yourself to a certain point, avoiding sin becomes very easy,
we just need to take the advice that the church gives us, it works, i am a personal witness to that.
It does not seem like a very loving God who would condemn the vast majority of His children.
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and when Jesus died for us so that we could enter into heaven and so that our sins could be forgiven, that was not love? after the first sin of man, and before the Passion of Our Lord, no one could enter into heaven,
of course that doesn’t mean they went to hell, there were very many souls waiting in limbo, who Jesus released after His death.

as i said before, God does not condemn people to hell, we condemn ourselves to hell,
and it’s not a matter of whether God loves us or not, because we know He does,
it is instead a matter of whether or not we love God,

and to understand that, you would really have to understand what love really is,

love is not an emotion first of all, emotions can come from it, but love itself is in the will, and we can love someone despite how we feel, so if you can love someone whether you are happy or angry with them, then that tells you that love is not an emotion.

so love is to will good to someone, or to want to please someone,
there are 2 types of love, love of concupiscence, and love of benevolence,
love of concupiscence is when we love others for our own sake, because they are useful or pleasant to us,
and then love of benevolence is a selfless love, which is for someone elses sake for their own good or to please them.

now, to understand how God loves us we must understand what a selfish love is driven from,
selfish love comes from loving someone simply because of what they can give to you or do for you, or because of how they make you feel,
but we can know that God does not love us this way simply because He does not need anything from us,
God is already perfect, there is nothing we can give Him that would make Him more perfect, and there is nothing we can take away, God is perfect with or without us,
and on the contrary, we are the ones who cannot live without Him, everything we have and everything we need is from Him, without Him we are nothing, and He knows that better then we ever will,
so, knowing that God does not need us, then we know that His love for us is not a selfish love,
and if it is not a selfish love, then it can only be the second kind of love, which is love for our sake.

we know that God loves us because of all He has done for us, and not just what He has given to us that we wanted, but also what He has done for us just for our own good, whether we wanted it or not,
to suffer willingly is good, we have many opportunities for that, and being charitable to others is good, we have an abundance of opportunities for that as well,
the world may be suffering, but that’s mostly because we are not being as charitable as we can,
and admonishing sinners and instructing the ignorant is also charitable, because sinning is not only bad when we are aware of it, it is bad because of how it effects us, the reason the world is so terrible right now is because people are sinning freely without even knowing it, and that is building up, our sin does have an effect on our neighbor even if they are not aware of it, because it’s not just physical, it is spiritual,

but anyways, before i get off subject, lets look at some of the things God has done for us,
of course we know He lived and died for us, He took on not just our sins, but the guilt of all those sins…have you ever felt so guilty about something that you couldn’t even look at yourself?
Jesus felt that worse then anyone, He felt the guilt of all the sins ever committed, even the ones unrepentant, can you imagine how that would feel? He felt that during His entire passion, and even just a small percentage of that guilt would be enough to drive anyone to suicide…so what kept Him going? why did He still go through with it?..because He loved us…
and then lets look at what God does for us in our current lives,
when a parent disciplines their child, do they do it because they are angry, or because they want to teach their children? of course some parents do it out of anger, but a good parent does it for the childs good,
and that is what God does for us,
although God is never the cause of pain or suffering, but if He sees that good will come from it, then He allows it,
now you might ask, what good could possibly come from suffering? well, we can see how much good Our Lords passion did,
but not just that, when we suffer willingly, we actually learn to love, because those who suffer can have more compassion for others who also suffer,
and if you think about it, that is also how we can learn to love Jesus, because He suffered so much, and having compassion on Him, we can love Him more.
another good thing that comes from suffering is the chance to be cleaned of our sins, when we offer up our sufferings, that takes away the stain of sin on our soul, which we would otherwise have to pay for in purgatory…
 
(Part 3 of 4)
On the other hand, if ignorance does save you, then being a good Catholic is a bad thing, because once you know the truth, you must live up to it or face damnation. In that case, it would seem almost cruel to convert people, knowing that you are only increasing their chances of mortal sin. It would seem, almost, that Catholicism sends people to hell and ignorance saves. Is this correct?
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what do you consider a good catholic to be exactly? knowledge does not make you a good catholic,
a good catholic is someone who practices all the virtues, is obedient to the church, keeps all of God’s commandments, and is just an overall devout person,
or to sum it up, a good catholic is someone who loves God above all else, and when you have that, then the rest follows.

the better a catholic you become, the less your chances of sinning are, because a good catholic is not in what you know, it’s in what you do, the catholic faith is a way of life, you live it, it’s not just a title or a set of beliefs,

so no that is not correct, the only way knowing your sins will send you to hell is if you have no intention of overcoming them, and if someone is so careless that they wouldn’t want to overcome their sins, then they were not any better off before they knew their sins either…and could just as likely go to hell.
I am not saying this to try to argue with you… I just want to be as knowledgeable as possible. Ever since I’ve learned in your class that the Church says you can go to hell for what I used to consider pretty minor things…I have started to question the authority of the church.
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to question is a good thing, but to make decisions before you get an answer is a very dangerous thing(not that you are),
if you want to know about the authority of the church, there are many books and articles on it that explain it very well,
here are a few to start you off if you are interested -
catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/authorope.htm#CHAPTER_I
catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/protestantism/rock.htm
catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/protestantism/infan.htm

when asking questions, just keep this in mind - anything and everything you want to know regarding your faith and morals, you can find a good and satisfactory answer on if you just look for it with prayer and patience.

but just be careful and make sure that your first priority is your interior life, and not your knowledge or understanding, because when you first take care of yourself, then God can use you as a channel to help others,
but if you worry to much about what you know and understand, then that can actually make things harder for you in the long run,
the reason being, when you have something like a great deal of knowledge, you are going to react to that knowledge with what you have, and so if you have pride you will react with pride, whereas if you had practiced the virtue of humility before hand, then that knowledge would not have been such a great danger to you.
I mean going church is all good but if I miss it willingly than I will burn in hell…?
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if you miss mass willingly, then your problem is not your knowledge, it’s your lack of love and caring and obedience, it’s not what you have, it’s what you don’t have.
going to mass on Sunday was made obligatory because of what was already obligatory before that, God commanded that we keep the Sabbath holy, and there are specific ways in which God wants us to do that, which can all be found in the mass,
and just to name a few - we are required to make a sacrifice(which is the un-bloody sacrifice of Our Lord) we are to multiply our usual prayers, we are to sing numerous hymns, we are to make alms givings, we are to study the word of God…and a number of other things, which can all be found in the mass…of course that does not mean we stop there, the rest of the day should still be spent in giving glory to God, but the external actions of the day can be found in the mass, whereas the rest of the day is well spent if we just stay away from servile labor…although we can do more, but we are not obligated to do more

to put it simply, the church made mass an obligatory thing on Sunday for our own good, because otherwise, can you think of any other way you could fulfill all those things?
From what I have been taught in class about hell is that hell is the worst feeling ever for all eternity and there is 0% chance of getting out… The worst feeling ever would be burning constantly without dying. Is this what I would be condemned to?
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the truth of it is, even the pain of hell is Gods mercy, because the pains of hell are not the worst thing, they are actually a distraction from something else, the worst thing about hell is the separation form God, knowing that you will never see Him, never love Him, never be with Him for all eternity…that is the worst thing…and those in hell know that even better then anyone on earth ever could, because they have seen Him, and even though they chose hell, they still know what they have lost.
 
(part 4 of 4)
It seems that if what has been said is true than a bunch of people are going to hell… It’s just confusing. Especially with so many people violating the 6 Precepts:
To go to Mass and refrain from servile work on Sundays and holy days
To go to Confession at least once a year (traditionally done during Lent)
To receive the Eucharist at least once a year, during the Easter Season.
To observe the days of fasting and abstinence
To help to provide for the needs of the Church according to one’s abilities and station in life
To obey the marriage laws of the Church.
I have always been told that if you live a mostly good life you will go to heaven… And what about atheists and agnostics who provide for their community and do good work all throughout their lifetime.? Do they really go to hell? Some people seem more lenient. Does that grant them a definite ticket to heaven because of there beliefs?
Click to expand...
there is not just heaven and hell, limbo is a dogma as well, it is a happy place where the unbaptized go who do not deserve hell, but cannot get into heaven,

the thing of it is, we do not know for sure who goes to hell, and even if someone dies with a mortal sin on their soul, it would actually be a sin for us to say “they have gone to hell for sure!”
we do not know all the factors or circumstances in someones life that may save them, such as mental issues, or the prayers of someone for them,

just try and keep this in mind - God is all fair, and the only thing that makes His ways of love seem unfair, are the opinions and ideas of our corrupt society, they seek comfort from the world and pleasure from the body, and yet are as miserable as ever,
God knows what will make us good and happy, and we can see that very clearly from the saints, whereas society is depressed and short tempered and selfish…who should we take our P’s and Q’s from?

knowing our sins is not a death sentence, it is a freedom, the only thing that is a death sentence for us is refusing to love God, to truly and sincerely love God with all our being and without reserve is true freedom and the key to perfection.
we are weak to sin because we are slaves to our passions, but if, by the grace of God, we can get control of ourselves, then that is true freedom, our passions enslave us, because they prompt us to sin whether we want to or not, but being good is something we only do if we want to! *that *is freedom.

i think you would really like these -
youtube.com/user/AFaithfulServant#g/c/291A7A1EB7543269
audiosancto.org/

that’s Fulton J. Sheen(the Thomas Aquinas of our time :] )
and sermons from priests of the FSSP,
both very good and very informative, i think you will like them alot.

ok well that’s all, hope this helps :> take care.
 
Limbo is NOT a dogma, it is a theological theory that the Church neither supports or condemns.
 
Marc_Anthony said:
Limbo is NOT a dogma, it is a theological theory that the Church neither supports or condemns.
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alright, maybe so, i didn’t look into it much, but in my book of catholic dogmas(nihil obstat, imprimatur) it says that when Christ descended into “hell”, that was limbo, and that is where He released the souls into heaven,
that of course could not have been the actual hell, because no one who enters hell can escape it.
if it is not a dogma then shame on me, but i simply read it,
perhaps they are saying that limbo was a definite place, but only until after Jesus released the souls from it,
of course we do not know for sure then if limbo exists, but we are free to believe it, and to me it makes sense,
because not everyone can get into heaven, and yet not all deserve hell, so it only makes sense there must be a place of eternal happiness for those who are good but not baptized.
 
Right now, you’re allowed to believe in Limbo. But the place you’re referring to that your book called Limbo, where the unbaptized went before Jesus got them out, is something I always heard described as the bosom of Abraham.
 
No, knowledge is not the only issue.

“Full consent” is another requirement. As Paul tells us, sometimes we seem to do evil even when we will the good. The weakness of our flesh prevents us from doing what we intend. Think of addiction, some eating issues, even habits, as particular examples, though this is not limited to them. Actions committed under the influence of strong emotion are another example. This is one reason why fasting and abstinence with prayer are practiced - to help us bring the body and mind more under our control.

Even with knowledge, a superficial knowing that something is sinful may not mean we really understand it’s gravity or consequences - that is especially true with children, for example, who may be capable of understanding right and wrong, but not with the same depth as an adult.

As for being better off ignorant. Well, I don’t think so. Remember first that a person who has heard God’s message has the advantage of the special means of grace that he has given - baptism, the Eucharist, and so on. These can only be good and helpful. And what is more, that people has a kind of hope that he may not have had before, which is an important thing in a psychological sense. People respond, sometimes quite dramatically, to the idea of God’s profound love for them.

But if you think you might suffer from OCD, go and talk to your priest, and also your doctor. It would also be important that your confessor know about this. And remember what we Anglicans call the Comfortable Words in our Eucharistic liturgy:
COME unto me all that labour and are heavy laden, and 1 will refresh you.
St Matthew 11. 28.
God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
St John 3. 16.
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This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
1 Timothy 1. 15.

If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins.
1 St John 2. 1, 2.
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Marc_Anthony said:
Right now, you’re allowed to believe in Limbo. But the place you’re referring to that your book called Limbo, where the unbaptized went before Jesus got them out, is something I always heard described as the bosom of Abraham.
Click to expand...
That was the Limbus Patrum, the fringes of hell.

The Limbus Infantum is a theory that became popular in Catholic circles (and definitely taught, even if not made a dogma) because the alternative is much much worse.

When Pope John Paul II says through his catechism “As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God …” he is saying nothing definite. Very classic ambiguity.

The formal position of the church, following blessed Augustine, is that the unbaptized children go to hell. Later Catholic thinkers thought that this was pretty harsh, and postulated a resting place less severe and punishing (Limbus Infantum) for those who through no fault of their own died as innocent children without a baptism. That was the only reason the doctrine/theory of Limbo was invented. When following traditional Catholic belief, if one does not wish to believe in Limbo, one can only believe in hell for unbaptized infants.

When the infant victims of circumstance were mostly stillbirths (many of which were to children of non-Christians anyway) commitment to such a place seemed a tolerable injustice. But now we have the scourge of hundreds of millions of abortions, and the nightmare world that not only are these children being brutally murdered but they are ultimately denied the heavenly vision. It just seems too much, even for a Pope, and we wish that God would not be so unforgiving and unjust. If God is love (as is usually supposed), this seems contrary to His nature.

However, without Limbo (Limbus Infantum) the traditional church teaching reverts to regular hell for unbaptized infants, not heaven. Their situation goes from bad to worse. The CCC does not want to say this, it’s a pretty harsh prospect, so it says " … the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God … ".

Which is true. In the end we are all at the mercy of God.
 
I think the Church is close to ruling against Limbo but only because God, in his mercy, is not limited to the sacraments and can most definitely let children who are unbaptized be with him in Heaven.
 
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