According to Anglicanism, is Universalism heretical?

[Iosias]

Does the Anglican communion have an official stance on universal reconciliation?

Nope, there will be some who are universalists and others who are not.

 

[FireDragon76]

If this is the case, it seems that Hell would only be justified if the individual understands the consequence of their decision. In fact, I think the action itself may be of secondary importance to how the actor sees his or her action.

Everyone deserves Hell who sins, because the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death but also spiritual death, darkening of the mind and heart, and so on. Therefore, Hell is justified, even if people are ignorant of how they get there. I'm no Calvinist but the idea of being born into a depraved state is nothing new to the Christian tradition- we're all born bound to Hell, which is why we need a Savior, because we do not have the power to save ourselves

 

[MKJ]

If this is the case, it seems that Hell would only be justified if the individual understands the consequence of their decision. In fact, I think the action itself may be of secondary importance to how the actor sees his or her action. For example, the man who eats a 10 cent piece of candy without paying for it, convinced that it is wrong, may be more in the wrong than a person who fornicates believing it is perfectly okay to do so. I still wonder, however, if our wrong choices merit eternal suffering. I honestly think George MacDonald's view of Hell as a temporary state one stays in until they are purged makes the most sense since eternal suffering seems pointless.

Probably.

But I think you are thinking too legalistically.

It is not - you do this, so I give you that.

If a person consistently chooses their own truth over Gods, then they will be allowed to live out that choice in the afterlife too.

Many people have thought that at the judgement, we will have an opportunity of sorts to make that decision again without the baggage we may have in this life. Things like not really understanding clearly, or weaknesses of the flesh.

That is within orthodoxy.

But if we believe in free will, we have to believe that when that happens, people may indeed choose their own truth over Gods. Hell is just what living in our own reality instead of Gods means. It is not a punishment in the way we usually mean it.

I would also like to say - I think this way of thinking about Hell and salvation - as if were an economic or legal transaction - is probably one of the worst things the Roman tradition has given us, and of course they passed it on to the Protestants who souped it up even more in some cases.

I think it leads to all kinds of misunderstandings about sin and how to deal with it.

 

[INeedGrace]

I am having a similar discussion over in TAW, and I thought I would bring my questions here as well:

1. As you understand it, what is free will?

2. Under your definition of free will, is it actually possible to freely choose Hell?

I ask because I am at a point in my understanding where the idea of freely choosing Hell doesn't make any sense to me. It seems that anytime a human being chooses to experience pain and suffering it is for a worthy end (which doesn't apply to Hell), or because they are mentally ill. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Good points.

And what does it say of people who "choose" heaven? Are they wiser? Smarter? More virtuous? Is there a certain something about a saved person, some innate quality that the unsaved don't have?

The arrogance of saying that one "chose God."

 

[INeedGrace]

Everyone deserves Hell who sins, because the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death but also spiritual death, darkening of the mind and heart, and so on. Therefore, Hell is justified, even if people are ignorant of how they get there. I'm no Calvinist but the idea of being born into a depraved state is nothing new to the Christian tradition- we're all born bound to Hell, which is why we need a Savior, because we do not have the power to save ourselves

So why does God allow humans to keep on populating this earth, for thousands of years? Does he want more people to be born so hell can have many more residents?