flautist said:
Shouldn't we also look at translations and the original languages when it comes to universalism, too, and how there was no place of eternal punishment in the doctrines of the early churches? Why should we look at the original languages and take translations into consideration for this but not for the doctrine of hell?
Great point, Flautist, we should look at other translations and the original languages when considering a subject as controversial as this.
By and large, though, most will not do this. They will simply drone in with the party line.
If your presupposition is wrong, your findings are going to be slanted.
For instance, let's say that I believed in a flat earth. I could go to the Bible and pull out the verses that talk about the sky being a dome over the earth, about the earth having corners, about Jesus going to the top of a high mountain in order to see all the kingdoms of the world, and I could come away saying, "Yep, flat earth." The Bible says it, I believe it, end of story. But I would be flat wrong.
Some do a very similar thing with the subject of hell (hades, Gehenna, Tartarus). They
assume that hell, as taught by the traditional church, is the literal truth and then go looking for Jesus' teachings which support that view.
So they come up with this presupposition that we all live on a "flat earth" and are sailing all of our ships for the edge, doomed to fall into oblivion and hell unless we turn around. This is their paradigm and the lense that they see the entire subject of salvation through. Then they begin arguing over whether God has predestined some ships to sail over the edge and other ships to turn around, or whether we have the free will to choose to turn our ships around. They will call each other heretic over this assinine argument and label anyone who believes that the earth is round a heretic also.
It is difficult to reason, either from the scriptures or from common sense, with such folks because they have been taught that thinking about what they believe is wrong. God said it, I must blindly trust it. I believe it, not because it makes sense and is worthy of belief, but because, if I don't, my ship goes over the edge and I go straight to hell.
You can get folks to believe and do almost anything if you threaten them with unending torture. And this is exactly what many believe that God does -- threatens everyone with everlasting torment. If God is love, then His perfect love can cast out all fear. Fear has to do with punishment and those who fear God in this manner can never truly love Him. They respect Him for His power. They hold Him in awe for His might. But they can never truly come to rest in His love because His love is seen as conditional.
truegrace