Will non Christians go to hell?

[CheesusPowerKid]

Just my thoughts on this…Everyone believes that everyone else is going to Hell. People believe Catholics are going to hell, people believe Protestants are going to hell, people believe Jews are going to Hell, Mormons (sp.?), Muslims, etc…it goes on and on and on…and in the end it will never matter because it’s GOD who does the chosing and not us. We will never have a clue what God sees and how He decides, so who are we to judge others on earth…the only thing we can do is stick firm to the personal faiths that we have chosen as truth, try to to bring others to Christ’s salvation to the best of our ability, and in the end pray that God knows what He’s doing with the souls of man. That’s it. I just don’t think it’s our place to judge like that when we really know absolutely nothing…leave it to God.

 

[Coder]

It may be that a thread like this (referring to original premise) presents Catholicism to non-Christians in a way that seems to threaten. A thread like this may even repel others from Catholicism. We should all be seeking to follow Jesus and presenting the faith in a way that shows we are serious about it. When Christians faithfully and patiently show love then we may lead others to Jesus.

As Christians I don’t believe it is our call to waste time speculating about the fate of others. Rather it is our call to show love and stand firm and be busy praying and doing good work. Speculation such as this itself is an extravagance and does not represent a Catholic attitude and approach to evangelization.

Matters of eternal destiny such as hell are gravely serious and should be presented in a sensitive manner.

For example, if we are concerned about the salvation of others then instead of:

“Will non Christians go to hell”

We should ask:

“How can I live my life so as the show the love of Jesus and attract people to Him so that they may also share in His life?”

If we do not take this approach then it may well be our own salvation we should be concerned about.

Remember Jesus teaches us about attitude and maybe that those we shouldn’t think “they have it made” and others are “condemned”. We have faith in our salvation but this is an open, loving, “trembling” (St. Paul) faith that works to follow Jesus and lead others rather then speculate about the fate of others.

 

[Coder]

Further…

Yes, the Catechism teaches about the necessity of faith in Jesus and that is the Church that safeguards and communicates the faith. However, the Church does not lead its introduction of Jesus to others as what could be perceived as a somewhat harsh/hostile approach. We teach others about the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation. If people are not open to this then yes, they are responsible.

As people learn more or inquire about the faith then they will become more aware of that Jesus did indeed teach that those who do not believe will be condemned by their own choice.

However, it is up to us Christians to show what Christianity means by how we live.

At the same time, I think that Catholic clergy today should not hesitate to warn those who call themselves Catholic about the reality of hell and the importance of being serious (and joyful) about our faith. This includes obeying the Magisterium.