Why is everyone obsessed with Hell?

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The count would be approximately 30 verses with the kingdom of heaven, 16 verses with hell. Depending on how paragraphs and verses are divided and giving regard to the synoptic gospel repetitions the count would narrow a lot.

However we can agree that our Lord made serious emphasis on both heaven and hell, He also empowered His apostles to write even more detail for us to know and understand.

We are responsible for all the instructions our Lord entrusted to us not just the select few that pleases us.
 
It’s in our nature to sin nearly everyday so obviously people are going to ask about the sins they have committed unfortunately not everyone has a family of there own or works with helping people so it’s getting harder and harder to show love to people.

If you can’t love people how are you supposed to love a invisible God on earth !
 
I personally side with Group 2.

As for Fatima; I personally believe and try to live out what I know of Fatima: Daily Rosary and the reparations for sin. At some point, I’d like to do the First Fridays devotion. Another reason I pray the Rosary is one of the 15 Promises is the predestination promise. More promises is the receiving signal graces and the intercession of the entire celestial court.
 
I one time prayed God: “Lord, how do I know you? “ and I received a personal revelation of great power and I no longer worry about the nature of God. That’s firmly settled for me. I focus on living a virtuous life.
 
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There’s always people to love. Even if it’s just smiling and being friendly to the McDonalds server. There are days when the only people I talk to are working the convenience store counter. I try to be nice to them.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
So, what I’m getting from this is that people are obsessed with Hell because a lot of people have some fear or thought that they personally might end up there.
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Is it reasonable to think that one will certainly not end up there?
 
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If one places all one’s trust in God, and does one’s best on earth, and tries to love God and neighbor daily, then it seems reasonable to me.

Why would it be unreasonable? We don’t believe in that Jonathan Edwards “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” stuff.
 
Amen, Tis. I don’t know how the faith tradition, Calvinistic Congregationalism; ever got to be popular. Except maybe the crowd who believed they were among the predestined Elect
 
Brendan_64 said:
Is it reasonable to think that one will certainly not end up there?
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That depends. If by certainly you mean a person thinks there is absolutely no way for he/she to avoid ending up in heaven, then no, I don’t think for most Catholics this is reasonable, because our will is yet changeable in this world and humans are self-deceptive. But if you mean a Catholic can be assured and happy, confidently looking forward to heaven, then yes that is indeed reasonable.
 
I have wondered this as well. I would hope that people are Catholic because they have faith and truly believe rather than fear of hell in case there was one.
 
Michael16 said:
I don’t know how the faith tradition, Calvinistic Congregationalism; ever got to be popular. Except maybe the crowd who believed they were among the predestined Elect
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The strict and preaching fire and brimstone stereotype tends to mask the reality many Calvinists are joyful in following the Lord and their desire to live holier lives. I don’t encounter scrupulosity like here. There’s some of relief in knowing that things are in the hands of God. And also if the judgement is condemnation, we deserve it. There’s nothing we can do about it. I’m more concerned about others than my own fate. Weird? I know.
 
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No need to apologize. I wasn’t offended at all. Nothing you wrote was even close to being offensive.

I waver back and forth between Calvinist and non-Calvinist views.
 
Because there are instances where Calvinistic positions explain things well and other times they don’t. Same with the Lutheran and Arminian ones. I’d place myself somewhere in the middle among the three.
 
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If the Church is obsessed with Hell, it’s because the man at its Head was ‘obsessed’ with it first.

If Hell exists, shouldn’t human beings be warned of it? And who would give the warning, except the faith-body formed by He who created it?

Is Smokey the Bear ‘obsessed’ with forest fires, or is he just doing his job???

Personally, given the sort of wrongdoing members of the Church have gotten involved in over the generations, we could use a weebit more ‘obsession’ with Hell!

ICXC NIKA.
 
@Tis_Bearself,

I hope I can answer your question. Forgive me for any false assumptions I will come to.

Catholic Answers Forums is by far the largest Catholic Church approved forum on the internet. In this digital age, people (including myself) want instant answers. They cannot wait a day or so to talk to a priest, or to email one. They want instant answers. It seems that many Catholics who have problems about “whether this is a sin” (scrupulosity) or “am I in mortal sin” come here because they want instantaneous answers. I would say that a large portion of these threads are about people asking if they are damned to hell or if they might go there. It is a scrupulosity problem. Speaking as someone who suffers from very severe scrupulosity, I can say that I have made the mistake of asking such questions here as well.

Aside from scrupulosity, just think about it. Hell is eternal torment away from God, it will be the same forever. It will be constant torture, extreme physical and mental anguish and there will be no refuge. It is for all eternity, a long time. No refuge. The thing is, if someone commits a mortal sin, then they deserve to go there. I think that if one knows that they need commit only one such sin, and then they will go to hell if they cannot get to confession, it is scary.

Hell is eternal and everlasting torment. The ultimate punishment. I dread the idea of it, but I know that if I end up there, I will deserve it. This is why people worry so much. Because of the everlasting torturous punishment.
 
I agree with you that the forum is a magnet for many scrupulous posters who are up at 2 am thinking they might be going to hell for something they did two days ago that they couldn’t get to confession yet for.

Setting that aside, it seems to me to be unproductive for anybody who doesn’t have scruples to focus on Hell rather than focusing on loving God and on how he loves you in return.
 
I understand that. I just think that we cannot really blame people for worrying. I know that if I was in the future to leave the Church, even if I was so foolish and ignorant as it think I was doing the right thing, then I would almost certainly end up in hell, and I would deserve it. We cannot see the future. That is what worries most people, that in the future they might commit a mortal sin and either be unrepentant or not able to get to confession. I do not like this attitude, but it certainly exists.

I think it is much better to focus on the love of God. At Mass, especially when I serve as an altar server, I think to myself that I would be crazy to ever want to sin, even commit venial sins. And yet it still happens. Hell isn’t an unreasonable fear. But I think that focusing on the goodness of God, the love of Our Lord, and the extra-ordinary Church he has given us as an instrument of salvation is much better than worrying about hell.

Unfortunately I still fall into this trap, as do many. But I always think to myself that no matter the situation, if I keep my eyes set firmly in the direction of Christ, then I will never have any reason to worry.
 
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