ViaCrucis
Confessional Lutheran
- Oct 2, 2011
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are you saying that if we don't discuss what is meant by hell, that the question is meaningless?
hell obviously doesn't exist, and neither does heaven. However, in the context of the question, hell and heaven exist. Hell is not nice, heaven is nice. That's all that is needed for the question to stand.
Your response to my point indicated certain presuppositions concerning the nature of Hell, which is precisely why I believe having a conception of Hell is necessary for this particular discussion.
Your supposition is found in the basic though of "God allows some to go to Hell", thus presenting it as argument against universal mercy. Namely, that Hell is something we go to, a terrible place of something-or-other. If, on the other hand, Hell is a state or condition of a person then the amount of mercy extended, however freely, changes things.
Following my example of children making poor choices, you could certainly lobotomize your child to keep them from self-destroying themselves; but that's not particularly merciful. On the other hand, however, you provide a place to live for them, feed them, care for them, love them and protect them, that is kind and merciful--even if they despise you for it.
If Hell is just that, the over-abundance of God's loving kindness, in which those in His midst retract angrily and grumblingly against such kindness how is that not merciful? God could certainly prevent such people from existing--but is that a better option? God could simply destroy them, but again, that doesn't seem particularly good or merciful. God could lobotomize them (so to speak) such that their rational personhood is destroyed, but again, this doesn't seem like a particularly fantastic option. Now on the other hand, God can continue to love people forever, embracing them in His divine mercy and kindness, and for some this is experienced as Hell, that hardly seems unmerciful.
Again, this is precisely why I thought spending some time on the concept of Hell was crucial to the conversation.
-CryptoLutheran
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