Should and why do good people that are non believers go to hell?

[South Bound]

Why do good non believers go to hell? If your a good person why should you be subjected to torment when you never really did anything wrong. What If you were the nicest most helpful person in the world would you still go to hell? Idk I don't think it's fair to be honest. Sure they messed up but maybe they were brought up differently or something you know.

Because they're sinners like the rest of us.

 

[John 1:1 GodCZU]

Why do good non believers go to hell? If your a good person why should you be subjected to torment when you never really did anything wrong. What If you were the nicest most helpful person in the world would you still go to hell? Idk I don't think it's fair to be honest. Sure they messed up but maybe they were brought up differently or something you know.

Good people don't go to Hell.

"God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1Samuel 16:7).

 

[Dr.J0sh]

Good people don't go to Hell.

"God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1Samuel 16:7).

There are so many differing opinions on here... I am not sure who is right or wrong man...

 

[Dr.J0sh]

Because they're sinners like the rest of us.

Yeah but they don't deserve to be punished for it. Some are actually much much better than some Christians yet they go to hell and the others don't?

 

[Dr.J0sh]

Finite sinful mortals cannot really comprehend God's ways and God's standards. What we can be sure about is that every human being has at least one opportunity to turn to the true and living God, regardless of their background. Please note what is stated in Jn 1:3-10: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not... That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

I direct your attention to verse 9, which is God's Truth, not man's fiction. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. In plain English it means that Jesus provides an opportunity to EVERY MAN to come to the Light. We may not fully understand the how and when of this, but God will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

I don't know if EVERY single person has an opportunity to be saved. An example being a baby or child passing away before they could even think. Or those born in isolation or third world country's. There are more but you understand. I'd like to hope they don't go to he'll although I ain't god nor a Christian as of yet.

 

[oi_antz]

There are so many differing opinions on here... I am not sure who is right or wrong man...

Hey Josh, do you reckon that any person actually does know? Who and why?

 

[Dr.J0sh]

Hey Josh, do you reckon that any person actually does know? Who and why?

Prolly not maybe Jesus but he is dead so no one else I guess... What do I do do I just take something and hope it right idk??

 

[oi_antz]

Prolly not maybe Jesus but he is dead so no one else I guess... What do I do do I just take something and hope it right idk??

I would agree that Jesus should know, because He is the one who sorts the sheep from the goats. I don't agree that He is dead. Do you know the criteria by which He will do the sorting?

 

[hedrick]

I don't know if EVERY single person has an opportunity to be saved. An example being a baby or child passing away before they could even think. Or those born in isolation or third world country's. There are more but you understand. I'd like to hope they don't go to he'll although I ain't god nor a Christian as of yet.

Many of the groups that insist on all non-Christian going to hell make an exception for infants. Calvinism is one example of this.

While conservative Protestants don’t officially make an except for unreached people, surveys suggest that most Christians do make such an exception.

I point out again that there is a theological danger to saying that all good people end up in heaven. No one can be good enough to earn salvation. I think Jesus teaches that God loves us because we are his children, not because we’re “good.” Hence for me if someone is damned it's more because they refuse to be one of his children than because someone weighs their good and bad deeds. However Christ clearly does expect his followers to obey him, and does teach that God will judge what we do.

Please remember that most Christians are more accepting of other faiths than you’d gather from CF. From a Pew survey (http://www.pewforum.org/2008/06/01/u-s-religious-landscape-survey-religious-beliefs-and-practices/)

“Most Americans agree with the statement that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life. Among those who are affiliated with a religious tradition, seven-in-ten say many religions can lead to eternal life. This view is shared by a majority of adherents in nearly all religious traditions, including more than half of members of evangelical Protestant churches (57%). Only among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon groups (57%) and Jehovah’s Witnesses (80%), which together comprise roughly 2.4% of the U.S. adult population, do majorities say that their own religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life.

“Most Americans also have a non-dogmatic approach when it comes to interpreting the tenets of their own religion. For instance, more than two-thirds of adults affiliated with a religious tradition agree that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their faith, a pattern that occurs in nearly all traditions. The exceptions are Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 54% and 77% of whom, respectively, say there is only one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion.”

 

[South Bound]

Yeah but they don't deserve to be punished for it. Some are actually much much better than some Christians yet they go to hell and the others don't?

Actually, they do. You seem to be under the impression that because somebody does something good, that negates all the bad they've done. That's not how it works. Christians and non-Christians are all sinners. So saying a non-Christian should be a free pass to sin because he's "better than Christians" is like saying you're the tallest midget in the circus.

Whether you think people who break God's laws should be punished or not is irrelevant. God will punish those who break His laws.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Actually, they do. You seem to be under the impression that because somebody does something good, that negates all the bad they've done. That's not how it works. Christians and non-Christians are all sinners. So saying a non-Christian should be a free pass to sin because he's "better than Christians" is like saying you're the tallest midget in the circus.

Whether you think people who break God's laws should be punished or not is irrelevant. God will punish those who break His laws.

Exactly. I often see arguments from those who reject Hell on some level based upon this absurd notion of "not deserving" and this notion accuses God of being unfair and not being able to send people to Hell and be justified in doing so. The problem with this argument is that those who promote it tend to be unable to defend anyone deserving to be in heaven and forces God to allow undeserving people admittance there. Heaven is essentially God's party and rejecting an invitation doesn't get you in. The invitation REQUIRES faith to accept it and after one dies I believe all will know for sure who God is and once that happens one cannot have "faith" truly in God then because one no longer "needs" faith when facts are there instead. I guess you could say it is like giving someone a test and asking them if they would rather swap scores with Jesus and then people who fail the test see the answers to the questions and want to go back and copy the right ones or say.... wait, I want Jesus' score after they see he got 100%.

 

[aiki]

You know, Dr.J0sh, you're trying to assess the answers you're getting from a position of ignorance. How do you know which response is faithfully representing the Christian religion to you and which is not? It seems you're either going to have to throw up your hands in frustration and assume that the lack of consensus among Christians in this thread means there is no one right answer about this aspect of their beliefs, and/or just pick a point of view from those that have been offered to you that most appeals to you. I would urge you, though, not to do either of these things but to get a Bible of your own and start reading it. Find out what the source document of the Christian religion has to say in answer to your question. That's the simplest, most direct route to the right answer.

Selah.

 

[seashale76]

Why do good non believers go to hell? If your a good person why should you be subjected to torment when you never really did anything wrong. What If you were the nicest most helpful person in the world would you still go to hell? Idk I don't think it's fair to be honest. Sure they messed up but maybe they were brought up differently or something you know.

What's heaven and what's hell?
Hebrews 12:29 says that God is a consuming fire.

God is the light of heaven and the fire of hell. God doesn't change for anyone. It's how we decide to relate to Him that makes the difference. Salvation (theosis) is becoming by grace what God is by nature- not becoming God in essence but participating in His energies. Simply put, if one is participating in God's energies, that is heaven, but if one is not, then that is hell. Think of the story of the three youths in the fiery furnace- they were able to walk around in the fire without being burned, while others couldn't even get near the fire without perishing.

CF used to have a wiki type thing that no longer exists, but this was on it:
'The Orthodox teaching is that Heaven and Hell are the same "place", standing in front of God. The Judgment is individual perception, determined by one's relationship to God. This perception will determine whether or not one experiences it as paradise (Heaven) or agony (Hell) eternally.'

Here is a quote from an old Wikipedia article on the topic (that doesn't seem to be around anymore) that I thought explained it pretty well:
"For many ancient Christians, Hell was the same "place" as Heaven: living in the presence of God and directly experiencing God's love. Whether this was experienced as pleasure or torment depended on one's disposition towards God. St. Isaac of Syria wrote in Mystic Treatises: "... those who find themselves in Hell will be chastised by the scourge of love. How cruel and bitter this torment of love will be! For those who understand that they have sinned against love, undergo greater suffering than those produced by the most fearful tortures. The sorrow which takes hold of the heart, which has sinned against love, is more piercing than any other pain. It is not right to say that the sinners in Hell are deprived of the love of God ... But love acts in two ways, as suffering of the reproved, and as joy in the blessed!" This ancient view is still the doctrine of the Eastern Orthodox Church."

 

[TheQuietRiot]

You know, Dr.J0sh, you're trying to assess the answers you're getting from a position of ignorance. How do you know which response is faithfully representing the Christian religion to you and which is not? It seems you're either going to have to throw up your hands in frustration and assume that the lack of consensus among Christians in this thread means there is no one right answer about this aspect of their beliefs, and/or just pick a point of view from those that have been offered to you that most appeals to you. I would urge you, though, not to do either of these things but to get a Bible of your own and start reading it. Find out what the source document of the Christian religion has to say in answer to your question. That's the simplest, most direct route to the right answer.

Selah.

Clearly not, as the numerous different Christians posting on this thread have sometimes wildly different views on Hell/Heaven and the requirements to go to such places.

And guess what? They all use the Bible as their source.

There is a good reason why there is thousands of denominations of Christianity.

 

[oi_antz]

There is a good reason why there is thousands of denominations of Christianity.

I reckon it is probably always caused by people that think for their own interests, instead of thinking for God and others, and loving the truth.

 

[RDKirk]

Clearly not, as the numerous different Christians posting on this thread have sometimes wildly different views on Hell/Heaven and the requirements to go to such places.

And guess what? They all use the Bible as their source.

There is a good reason why there is thousands of denominations of Christianity.

As Paul explains in Romans 14, there are debatable issues and there are non-debatable issues, and we should not split up over the debatable issues. Most of those denominational splits are over issues that are actually debatable.

 

[SinnerInTheHands]

Yeah but they don't deserve to be punished for it. Some are actually much much better than some Christians yet they go to hell and the others don't?

Let's say this again: morality and works do not equate to salvation. Faith in Christ and Grace are the reasons for salvation.

Also, yeah, they do deserve to be punished for sin, just as we all do. Salvation isn't about justice, it's about mercy.

 

[TheQuietRiot]

Let's say this again: morality and works do not equate to salvation. Faith in Christ and Grace are the reasons for salvation.

Also, yeah, they do deserve to be punished for sin, just as we all do. Salvation isn't about justice, it's about mercy.

So a mass murdering child molesting rapist can go to heaven if he repents and truly has faith in Christ?

But the tribesman living in remote rainforest who has never heard of Christ burns in hell?

 

[SinnerInTheHands]

So a mass murdering child molesting rapist can go to heaven if he repents and truly has faith in Christ?

But the tribesman living in remote rainforest who has never heard of Christ burns in hell?

Yep. We don't discriminate. Forgiveness entails, well, forgiveness.

 

[TheQuietRiot]

Yep. We don't discriminate.

Except against the tribesman of course.

Is it his fault he was born and lived with no knowledge of Christ?