Why doesn't God just not create the bad people to keep them from going to hell

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originally posted by Bradski
…if you say that he does bear responsibility, well it doesn’t take a Rhodes scholar to see where that could lead.
I guess it would lead to saying that the man shouldn’t have been created with arms to use that chainsaw, otherwise God would be guilty of murder. Or maybe the man should be created blind.
All kinds of options.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
 
Because they would be the last ones to believe it even if they went there. They would say it was some kind of weird party, or it was a bad dream, or it was a figment of their imagination, but never would they acknowledge it for what it really is.

Just like the miracle of Fatima. And I am not referring to the miracle of the sun, but rather to the miracle of the mud. It rained almost all night and into the morning. The ground was muck. The people were soaked. After the sun did it’s dance in space, the people and the ground were dry.

And unless everyone carried an electric blowdrier with batteries charged, there was no way that could have happened. Oh but the skeptics found ways to deny the whole thing. So what good did that miraculous event do the skeptics?

So what good would it do perform another miracle and show them the horrible suffering awaiting those who laugh at hell. They would just shake it off as another fluke to be explained away later by science even tho science dosen’t have an answer.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
There seem to be conflicting views on hell. St. Faustina, speaking about the tortures of hell said: “the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it, a terrible suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God’s anger”.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said: “God has not a different mood for those who go to hell, and those who go to heaven. The difference is in us not in Him.”
One speaks of God’s anger and the other says God does not have a different mood. These statements seem contradictory.
 
There seem to be conflicting views on hell. St. Faustina, speaking about the tortures of hell said: “the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it, a terrible suffering, since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God’s anger”.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said: “God has not a different mood for those who go to hell, and those who go to heaven. The difference is in us not in Him.”
One speaks of God’s anger and the other says God does not have a different mood. These statements seem contradictory.
Not a problem.

God does not change because he is the same now, the same in the past, and the same in the future. For he is simple and God said, “I am who am”. He does not live in time but eternity. And being simple he does not go from one act to another act as we do, but is one pure act (which is a mystery).

And when God is described as being angry, he is being described anthropormorphicly, to emphasize, in terms we understand, about man’s indiscretions.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
 
Meet Joe. Joe is in hell. He hates it. He ended up there by rejecting God’s grace (and doing lots of other bad stuff). He did all that by making choices of his free will. There were his choices alone. God didn’t influence his choices and in fact gave Joe all the opportunities he needed to avoid going to hell.
I know I havent been a part of this conversation, but was reading over some of these posts and felt like commenting…

I think its more than likely, if joe had lived the type of life he did to get to hell, God was NOT a big part of his life while alive, so that leads me to believe hell is not necessarily the horrible place of torture its said to be…if someone lived their entire life without God in it, Im fairly sure they would be content in an afterlife without God in it.

However, I believe there have been people who end up in hell that DO regret it, BUT I believe they can call out and ask God for salvation, even after death. The main point is, right when we were created, we are IMMORTAL beings, so our souls never die, if Gods teachings are accurate, they would apply to our immortal nature, not our earthly mortal part…IMO, its kind of odd why God would create immortal beings and then say, oh, but you only have a very short time (earthly lives) to make up your mind about what you believe and what you want to do, that doesnt make sense to me, its more likely everything he said in the bible and all his teachings were intended for our immortal souls, everything is immortal, including our free will, so we can change, even after death.
 
What you are trying to do here is indict God for giving anyone the freedom to choose hell.

God **knows **where we will end up, but **he does not pre-ordain us **to where we will end up.

Do you get the difference? :confused:
This is not addressed to me but I DO get the difference and that is why God came up with a Plan even before creation itself since God “knew” that some would never repent this side of breath.

I, personally, do NOT believe that God asked us to be more merciful and more forgiving than God.
 
I know I havent been a part of this conversation, but was reading over some of these posts and felt like commenting…

I think its more than likely, if joe had lived the type of life he did to get to hell, God was NOT a big part of his life while alive, so that leads me to believe hell is not necessarily the horrible place of torture its said to be…if someone lived their entire life without God in it, Im fairly sure they would be content in an afterlife without God in it.

However, I believe there have been people who end up in hell that DO regret it, BUT I believe they can call out and ask God for salvation, even after death. The main point is, right when we were created, we are IMMORTAL beings, so our souls never die, if Gods teachings are accurate, they would apply to our immortal nature, not our earthly mortal part…IMO, its kind of odd why God would create immortal beings and then say, oh, but you only have a very short time (earthly lives) to make up your mind about what you believe and what you want to do, that doesnt make sense to me, its more likely everything he said in the bible and all his teachings were intended for our immortal souls, everything is immortal, including our free will, so we can change, even after death.
CCC 1035 “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.”

In Theology For Beginners by Sheed, “Approach it with profound mystery - the mystery not of God’s cruelty but of man’s power to hate God. I do not mean that in most sinners hatred of God is primary or that sin begins with it. Sin begins with a perverted love of self. But love of self can grow monstrous, a sort of idolization of self, crowding out the love of all else and capable of turning into hatred of God. That may occur in this life or at death; to self-love grown monstrous, God will seem hateful once he is seen as the rival to the adored self.” P. 166

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
 
But what the manufacturer isn’t responsible for is the damage done through the misuse of their product. A chainsaw is manufactured for cutting wood; if it’s used by a murderer to kill someone, it’s not the manufacturers fault. Or if you mix ammonia with bleach, it is not the fault of those who supply either product if you die as a result. The intended product works just fine; it’s the foolish use of the product that gets people into trouble. Similarly, God’s design of man is faultless. We’re the ones who chose, through free will (which is morally neutral and can be used either for good or for evil), to walk away from God and good, and so spoil the product (our human nature). It’s God’s work to redeem this product,and He has done so, if we will individually appropriate this redemption.
You wrote, “Similarly, God’s design of man is faultless.”

I don’t look at God as a “designer” at all.

As far as “God’s design of man is faultless”, how can you possibly say this?

The "so-called ‘design of man’ " is far from perfect but it was not meant to be perfect not in any sense of the definition of “material perfection”.

Where we are now in the “process of creation”, so to speak, is NOT the end all and do all of creation.

I would say that God’s reasons for doing things the way that God has done and is continuing to do them is faultless but that none of us can see the “big picture”, so to speak.

I would say that God’s Plan which God has had since before creation is faultless but none of us are privy to all of the details or just how all of the details fit together.

God Is, to put it mildly, a “little bigger” than us and even tho many of us seem to have God, all figured out, none of us do.

You also wrote, “It’s God’s work to redeem this product,and He has done so, if we will individually appropriate this redemption.”

Who knows, maybe since God created us all and condemned us all, (isn’t this what the Church teaches?) than God will also save us all with God’s Mercy (INFINITE MERCY FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD) showered upon ALL and truly be the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.

Have you ever thought that those who “appropriate this redemption” just might be called to die for those who do not “appropriate this redemption” thru Jesus’s invitation to “Come follow Me”?
 
Sorry, which bits were you not sure about? I want tot make sure we’re on the same page.

Doubt is an uncomfortable position, but certainty is ridiculous: Voltaire.

You might note that the quote is applicable to both of us…
The bits in blue. 👍

Was Voltaire certain that “certainty is ridiculous”? 😃

I doubt it.
 
Those two short sentences I’m not sure about. The rest, yes. 👍
If you went to hell for less than a nanosecond you would be sure of it.
It may well be that Joe hates hell, but it may also be that Joe hates God more than he hates hell, and would rather be as far away from God as he can get. That is implicit in the behavior of sinners of all types. They just don’t love God, and might not miss him, even in hell.
Just how do you know “That is implicit in the behavior of sinners of all types.”?

Could be that “Joe” would rather, the “Consuming Fire of Love Who Is God”, be caressing him rather than burning him.
We don’t know. I certainly don’t know and eschatology is a rather vague science … except for the part about bliss and suffering.
I could be wrong but I would say that eschatology is NOT “a rather vague science”, I would say that eschatology is not a science at all, vague or otherwise.
And that is why, if you’re not infallibly certain of atheism, you shouldn’t be betting the farm against God. 😉
I could be wrong here too but I think that “some” atheists don’t necessarily not believe in God but that they don’t believe in the “conception of God” that many have presented to them.
 
Not a problem.

God does not change because he is the same now, the same in the past, and the same in the future. For he is simple and God said, “I am who am”. He does not live in time but eternity. And being simple he does not go from one act to another act as we do, but is one pure act (which is a mystery).

And when God is described as being angry, he is being described anthropormorphicly, to emphasize, in terms we understand, about man’s indiscretions.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
If one believes that the Incarnation is true than wouldn’t that one also believe that God very much did live in time?

If one believes that Jesus is TRULY PRESENT in the Eucharist, wouldn’t that also mean that Jesus, in a way that we might not understand, truly does live in time in most, is not all, of the tabernacles of the world?

If one believes that the Eucharist really is Jesus, wouldn’t that one believe that Jesus lives within us?

If one believes that Jesus was telling the truth about sending the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t that one also believe that somehow the Holy Spirit is, indeed, somehow living in time?

And if God the Father wishes to be in both time and eternity, who are we to tell God the Father that He can not be Omnipresent in both time and eternity?
 
If one believes that the Incarnation is true than wouldn’t that one also believe that God very much did live in time?

If one believes that Jesus is TRULY PRESENT in the Eucharist, wouldn’t that also mean that Jesus, in a way that we might not understand, truly does live in time in most, is not all, of the tabernacles of the world?

If one believes that the Eucharist really is Jesus, wouldn’t that one believe that Jesus lives within us?

If one believes that Jesus was telling the truth about sending the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t that one also believe that somehow the Holy Spirit is, indeed, somehow living in time?

And if God the Father wishes to be in both time and eternity, who are we to tell God the Father that He can not be Omnipresent in both time and eternity?
Exactly. Again, these time arguments are being used in an attempt to explain away so rather horrific behavior on the part of the Christian god. As a young Catholic I was taught that omnipresence meant that God was in all places at all times in human terms.
Time is irrelevant to God…not something that restricts Him or His options.
 
Exactly. Again, these time arguments are being used in an attempt to explain away so rather horrific behavior on the part of the Christian god. As a young Catholic I was taught that omnipresence meant that God was in all places at all times in human terms.
Time is irrelevant to God…not something that restricts Him or His options.
Time is not irrelevant to God because He created it. No one here has said that God is limited or restricted by time.

Where yours and Tom’s comments don’t follow is that when you speak about God’s omnipresence neither Him nor you are distinguishing between the mode of His presence. His presence in heaven is NOT the same as His presence veiled under the Eucharistic species.
 
Time is not irrelevant to God because He created it. No one here has said that God is limited or restricted by time.

Where yours and Tom’s comments don’t follow is that when you speak about God’s omnipresence neither Him nor you are distinguishing between the mode of His presence. His presence in heaven is NOT the same as His presence veiled under the Eucharistic species.
No, Tom and I just know what the term omnipresence means.
That God is not subject to spatial limitations follows from His infinite simplicity; and that He is truly present in every place or thing — that He is omnipresent or ubiquitous — follows from the fact that He is the cause and ground of all reality. According to our finite manner of thinking we conceive this presence of God in things spatial as being primarily a presence of power and operation — immediate Divine efficiency being required to sustain created beings in existence and to enable them to act; but, as every kind of Divine action ad extra is really identical with the Divine nature or essence, it follows that God is really present everywhere in creation not merely per virtuten et operationem, but per essentiam. In other words God Himself, or the Divine nature, is in immediate contact with, or immanent in, every creature — conserving it in being and enabling it to act.
newadvent.org/cathen/06612a.htm#IIB

Catholic source…not my words.
 
If one believes that the Incarnation is true than wouldn’t that one also believe that God very much did live in time?

If one believes that Jesus is TRULY PRESENT in the Eucharist, wouldn’t that also mean that Jesus, in a way that we might not understand, truly does live in time in most, is not all, of the tabernacles of the world?

If one believes that the Eucharist really is Jesus, wouldn’t that one believe that Jesus lives within us?

If one believes that Jesus was telling the truth about sending the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t that one also believe that somehow the Holy Spirit is, indeed, somehow living in time?

And if God the Father wishes to be in both time and eternity, who are we to tell God the Father that He can not be Omnipresent in both time and eternity?
I don’t see the connection between these questions and my answer. I would be happy to clarify if you would tell me the connection.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
 
No, Tom and I just know what the term omnipresence means.

newadvent.org/cathen/06612a.htm#IIB

Catholic source…not my words.
I have repeated your citation of the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Omnipresence with the part in blue which you excluded since not to do so would suggest the Catholic Church might be espousing a heretical form of pantheism. 😉

That God is not subject to spatial limitations follows from His infinite simplicity; and that He is truly present in every place or thing — that He is omnipresent or ubiquitous — follows from the fact that He is the cause and ground of all reality. According to our finite manner of thinking we conceive this presence of God in things spatial as being primarily a presence of power and operation — immediate Divine efficiency being required to sustain created beings in existence and to enable them to act; but, as every kind of Divine action ad extra is really identical with the Divine nature or essence, it follows that God is really present everywhere in creation not merely per virtuten et operationem, but per essentiam. In other words God Himself, or the Divine nature, is in immediate contact with, or immanent in, every creature — conserving it in being and enabling it to act.** But while insisting on this truth we must, if we would avoid contradiction, reject every form of the pantheistic hypothesis. While emphasizing Divine immanence we must not overlook Divine transcendence.**
 
I have repeated your citation of the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Omnipresence with the part in blue which you excluded since not to do so would suggest the Catholic Church might be espousing a heretical form of pantheism. 😉

That God is not subject to spatial limitations follows from His infinite simplicity; and that He is truly present in every place or thing — that He is omnipresent or ubiquitous — follows from the fact that He is the cause and ground of all reality. According to our finite manner of thinking we conceive this presence of God in things spatial as being primarily a presence of power and operation — immediate Divine efficiency being required to sustain created beings in existence and to enable them to act; but, as every kind of Divine action ad extra is really identical with the Divine nature or essence, it follows that God is really present everywhere in creation not merely per virtuten et operationem, but per essentiam. In other words God Himself, or the Divine nature, is in immediate contact with, or immanent in, every creature — conserving it in being and enabling it to act.** But while insisting on this truth we must, if we would avoid contradiction, reject every form of the pantheistic hypothesis. While emphasizing Divine immanence we must not overlook Divine transcendence.**
Thank you, Charles.
 
I have repeated your citation of the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Omnipresence with the part in blue which you excluded since not to do so would suggest the Catholic Church might be espousing a heretical form of pantheism. 😉

That God is not subject to spatial limitations follows from His infinite simplicity; and that He is truly present in every place or thing — that He is omnipresent or ubiquitous — follows from the fact that He is the cause and ground of all reality. According to our finite manner of thinking we conceive this presence of God in things spatial as being primarily a presence of power and operation — immediate Divine efficiency being required to sustain created beings in existence and to enable them to act; but, as every kind of Divine action ad extra is really identical with the Divine nature or essence, it follows that God is really present everywhere in creation not merely per virtuten et operationem, but per essentiam. In other words God Himself, or the Divine nature, is in immediate contact with, or immanent in, every creature — conserving it in being and enabling it to act.** But while insisting on this truth we must, if we would avoid contradiction, reject every form of the pantheistic hypothesis. While emphasizing Divine immanence we must not overlook Divine transcendence.**
I left it out intentionally for the reason mentioned…that’s an entirely different and very complex issue all by itself. But, thank you none-the-less.
 
I left it out intentionally for the reason mentioned…that’s an entirely different and very complex issue all by itself. But, thank you none-the-less.
It’s not “entirely different” at all. God is both Immanent and Transcendent. If omnipresence was meant as you seem to be implying it’d be suggesting that God is substantially present in a rock or a tree as He is in eternity which is absurd.

Left it out intentionally, indeed.
 
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