Will the Sentinelese go to Hell?

[ZephyrWiccan]

While this is a moral/theological dilema I'm not trying to trap anyone, just trying to understand Christian theology in this respect - it's something I was never taught in my years as a Christian, and the topic was mostly avoided in any conversations I had with fellow memebrs of my church.

A little background on the Sentinelese. They live on North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archepeligo. They have steadfastly resisted any contact with the outside world for.....60,000 years or so. Anyone who approaches usually ends up as a pin cushion for their arrows. Obviously no missionaries have made it there alive.

According to Christian theology are they headed for hell after death?

 

[aiki]

While this is a moral/theological dilema I'm not trying to trap anyone, just trying to understand Christian theology in this respect - it's something I was never taught in my years as a Christian, and the topic was mostly avoided in any conversations I had with fellow memebrs of my church.

A little background on the Sentinelese. They live on North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archepeligo. They have steadfastly resisted any contact with the outside world for.....60,000 years or so. Anyone who approaches usually ends up as a pin cushion for their arrows. Obviously no missionaries have made it there alive.

According to Christian theology are they headed for hell after death?

Probably. The Bible teaches that every person has some knowledge of God given to them both through what He has created and as a fundamental internal awareness that they suppress in favor of serving themselves.

Romans 1:19-21
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

The Bible also seems to teach that God will hold those with a greater specific knowledge of Himself under correspondingly greater judgment than those who had no access to the gospel.

Luke 12:47-48
47 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few...

Peace.

 

[razeontherock]

Waitaminnit! Romans 2 gives a more positive spin on this that kinda refutes the US Church's notion of having an exclusive Country Club:

"when outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm it's truth by obedience.They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes His final decision ..."

It would seem that the Wiccan's tagline of wind and rain is myopic re: what Christianity IS. All judgment is given to the Son. So this one is easy: "we don't know!" Seriously.

I would expect that such murderous hostility is far more God's concern than the "believior." It would also be interesting to research the land mass in question to see if this is a purely hypothetical question (LOL)

 

[ebia]

While this is a moral/theological dilema I'm not trying to trap anyone, just trying to understand Christian theology in this respect - it's something I was never taught in my years as a Christian, and the topic was mostly avoided in any conversations I had with fellow memebrs of my church.

A little background on the Sentinelese. They live on North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archepeligo. They have steadfastly resisted any contact with the outside world for.....60,000 years or so. Anyone who approaches usually ends up as a pin cushion for their arrows. Obviously no missionaries have made it there alive.

According to Christian theology are they headed for hell after death?

Good Christian theology is not about "going to heaven or hell after death", but about God putting his world to rights in and through his people (Israel/the Church). That will include raising them to new life in the world-put-right when that finally comes to its conclusion. Ultimately, anyone who insists on excluding themselves from being part of that world-put-right indefinitely excludes themselves but God will heal and include all who are willing to be healed and included.

Giving a straight yes/no answer to your question doesn't work, because it is framed in completely the wrong way - salvation is first and formost a corporate, whole world, thing and only then individual, its a future thing not a when you die thing, ...

And bible isn't centred around giving a systematic analysis of who is in and who is out so we can answer academic questions about somebody else's fate, but of giving us the story of what God is doing to put the world right along with a personal call to get involved.

 

[ZephyrWiccan]

Waitaminnit! Romans 2 gives a more positive spin on this that kinda refutes the US Church's notion of having an exclusive Country Club:

"when outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm it's truth by obedience.They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes His final decision ..."

It would seem that the Wiccan's tagline of wind and rain is myopic re: what Christianity IS. All judgment is given to the Son. So this one is easy: "we don't know!" Seriously.

I would expect that such murderous hostility is far more God's concern than the "believior." It would also be interesting to research the land mass in question to see if this is a purely hypothetical question (LOL)

Thank you for your honest opinion.

And no, it's not hypothetical. These people really do exist, and the most anyone has been able to do is offer peace offerings several tiems to get them to do anything but shoot arrows. No one knows their language, and they are hostile to anyone that invades their island.

 

[ZephyrWiccan]

Probably. The Bible teaches that every person has some knowledge of God given to them both through what He has created and as a fundamental internal awareness that they suppress in favor of serving themselves.

Romans 1:19-21
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

The Bible also seems to teach that God will hold those with a greater specific knowledge of Himself under correspondingly greater judgment than those who had no access to the gospel.

Luke 12:47-48
47 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few...

Peace.

Ironic way to end that post given it's content.

So, would you support, then, since they are probably going to hell, contacting them with missionaries, etc.?

 

[aiki]

Ironic way to end that post given it's content.

Oh? I don't think so. I guess it depends on your perspective.

So, would you support, then, since they are probably going to hell, contacting them with missionaries, etc.?

Romans 10:13-15
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Peace.

 

[brinny]

While this is a moral/theological dilema I'm not trying to trap anyone, just trying to understand Christian theology in this respect - it's something I was never taught in my years as a Christian, and the topic was mostly avoided in any conversations I had with fellow memebrs of my church.

A little background on the Sentinelese. They live on North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archepeligo. They have steadfastly resisted any contact with the outside world for.....60,000 years or so. Anyone who approaches usually ends up as a pin cushion for their arrows. Obviously no missionaries have made it there alive.

According to Christian theology are they headed for hell after death?

1. In your years as a Christian, what did the in-dwelling Holy Spirit teach you?

2. Yes, the Sentinelese will go to hell.

It is written that even the heavens declare God's glory. It is also written there is no excuse. Surely you read this in God's Word during your years as a Christian?

Take a listen to this video. Perhaps some of it will refresh your memory of a holy God:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKwy...E627C278E&playnext_from=PL&index=0&playnext=1

 

[Hog Red]

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I'll stick with God's own statement about whomever you want to fill in the blank with.

 

[drich0150]

According to Christian theology are they headed for hell after death?

According to the strictest interpretation of Scripture, we are bound from making that determination. Christians do not decide who Goes to Heaven or Hell, it is Jesus who makes that decision. Hebrews 4:

12For the word (As in John 1:1) of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The Word is another name for Jesus, and it is to Him all things will be laid out, and it is to Him we all must give an account. Not to other Christians beliefs, or non-believing speculators. The one thing you can be assured of is that you and everyone else will indeed be judged righteously on every signal aspect of our time spent here. Nothing will be hidden, misrepresented or forgotten.

 

[razeontherock]

Some truly great points being made here!

But I've gotta give another waitaminnit!

The one thing you can be assured of is that you and everyone else will indeed be judged righteously on every signal aspect of our time spent here. Nothing will be hidden, misrepresented or forgotten.[/COLOR]

My sin will be both hidden and mis-represented, as God the Father will see only Christ's blood. Let's not dash the seeker's hopes, eh?

 

[drich0150]

Some truly great points being made here!

But I've gotta give another waitaminnit!



My sin will be both hidden and mis-represented, as God the Father will see only Christ's blood. Let's not dash the seeker's hopes, eh?

The seekers hopes have the opportunity to be reinforced if the seeker truly seeks a fair and righteous judgment. If the seeker on the other hand seeks a loop hole to avoid responsibility themselves or others,then yes i could see some disappoint on the horizon for them.
Truthfully if the OP is looking for a fair judgment for those who do not know God, then how much more fair can a judgment be if every thought, every intention, and subsequent action will be judged be a righteous God?

No matter the intentions of the OP the truth was represented in my statement.



As the writer of Hebrews can atest:

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Again, this would indicate that all will be laid out before the Lord, And Nothing Will Be Misrepresented, Or Hidden. Even your sins (As a Believer). Your sins will be forgiven, and you will be found faultless before the Lord, but do not fool yourself or others into believing that you can hide or "Mis-repersent" your sins before God. That is Not a scripturally backed belief, even if it is one that gives someone, much "Hope."

 

[ebia]

What did they do wrong to deserve to go to hell?

"Hell" is not just an arbitrary punisment. Its a (sometimes unhelpful) label for whatever the alternative to being part of the Kingdom of God is.

If the Kingdom of God is refused, then (by definition) one has put oneself outside of that.

 

[brinny]

But they never refused the Kingdom of God. They were unaware of it.

It is written that even the heavens declare God's glory. There is no excuse.

 

[aiki]

What did they do wrong to deserve to go to hell?

I suppose one could ask what have they done to deserve to dwell with God in heaven? In its most fundamental sense, hell is complete separation from God. The utter separation from Him that hell imposes upon people, however, begins, to a lesser degree, before any of them sets foot there. In spite of what can be seen of God in what He has made, the Sentenilese, and many other people in areas of the world where the gospel is known, refuse to acknowledge their Maker. In spite of the many evidences of God's existence and the revelation of His character that these evidences provide, in spite of a deep, quiet, almost unconscious, awareness that God is, these people persist in living as separate from God as possible. They will have nothing to do with Him, but instead turn to worship of what He has made, or to worship of themselves. Thus, those who find themselves in hell merely find themselves in the final stage of a process of separation from their Maker that they began before they died. They are simply receiving in death what they chose in life.

In another equally fundamental sense, hell is punishment. It is intended to mete out the wrath of a perfectly holy God upon unrepentant sinners. No human, except Christ, has lived a perfectly righteous life. All of us contravene the dictates of our God-given conscience to serve ourselves in some way. We tell lies to avoid embarrassment or to hide our selfishness, we indulge to excess, we are cruel, or uncaring, or lazy, or cowardly, or too eager to be thought well of, or vain. We seek power, and pleasure and will often step on the next guy to get it. And we do all these things knowing on some level that we ought not to do them. Our conscience - if it is not too often violated - pricks us with guilt and shame when we act in contradiction to our God-given sense of right and wrong. Nonetheless, all of us have ignored our conscience, all of us have sinned. As the Bible declares, "There is none righteous, no, not one." (Ro. 3:10) Consequently, our Holy Maker, if He is to be truly holy, must judge our sin. And in God's perfect judgment, our sin, which is always ultimately against Him, is so vile, so wretched, and so great that only an eternity in hell is an appropriate punishment for it.

Selah.

 

[Mobiosity]

What no one has pointed out is that their language is not understood outside of their society. We have no idea what God has taught them. He may have sent Jesus specifically to them.

 

[aiki]

What no one has pointed out is that their language is not understood outside of their society. We have no idea what God has taught them. He may have sent Jesus specifically to them.

I don't think they'd be shooting arrows at strangers if He had.

Selah.

 

[Lukaris]

I think we should not judge these people considering the fate that often falls on people who live in isolation when they encounter outsiders. I doubt we know the details of their history; whether they had been previously invaded or had suffered a plague from outside contact etc. Whether this situation is true or not such questions should be considered.

 

[silence_dogood]

While this is a moral/theological dilema I'm not trying to trap anyone, just trying to understand Christian theology in this respect - it's something I was never taught in my years..., and the topic was mostly avoided in any conversations I had with fellow memebrs of my church.

A little background on the Sentinelese. They live on North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archepeligo. They have steadfastly resisted any contact with the outside world for.....60,000 years or so. Anyone who approaches usually ends up as a pin cushion for their arrows. Obviously no missionaries have made it there alive.

According to Christian theology are they headed for hell after death?

Yes.

 

[Mobiosity]

I don't think they'd be shooting arrows at strangers if He had.

Selah.

He came to us and we're killing and stealing at an alarming rate. Why should they be different?