On Hell and Forgiveness

[Catholic_Lady]

LFC, like I said, no one knows exactly how it is like. So I hope people can keep in mind that what I am about to say is my opinion only. I could very well be completely wrong, and I'm not presenting this as any sort of Church doctrine. These are my thoughts only:

I believe Heaven and Hell are more comparable to states of being, not physical places.

The blissfiulness of Heaven doesnt come from being in a tropical paradise with lots of good people, pleasures, and fun things to do, etc. It comes from being completely fulfilled due to accepting, and thus experiencing, love and goodness to its absolute fullest.  So you are blissful because you are in a state where you have rejected all evil. There is no selfishness, no pride, no envy, no greed within you. You have fully rejected those things, and fully embraced love and goodness. In doing so, you are liberated and left feeling completely fulfilled. Think of it as the blissful euphoric feeling of being in love.  

Hell, on the other hand, is the opposite. The person isn't being burned and tortured in a dark cave with little demons running around with pitch forks. Rather, your misery comes from your own decision to reject goodness and love. Maybe out of pride. Maybe out of lack of remorse for the wrongs you have done. Maybe out of bitterness of some sort. Maybe you have a sense of entitlement - thinking that you deserve to experience eternal happiness even while being selfish... rather than being humble and remorseful. Basically, you are caught in your own negative sentiments and your own darkness. It is miserable, because when you are not in this life anymore, the only thing you take with you to the next is your soul. So you don't have distractions. If your soul is in a dark state, that is the only thing you will have and the only thing you will feel, and it is awful. That is what I believe Hell is like.

Thanks, CL.  I will definitely check out your thread, but just a few quick thoughts here. Are you implying that people in hell have the ability and opportunity to become remorseful at some point, and rejoin god?  Is there biblical support for that?  If not, then I see a clear moral issue, and direct contradiction to god’s supposedly forgiving and all-loving nature.  I can’t think of a justification for keeping someone you supposedly love a prisoner with their pain, or eternally denying them love in return because of finite rejection.

Again, just my opinion here, but as far as people "changing", I think thats where Purgatory comes in. The difference between Hell and Purgatory is that the former consists of people who don't even want to change. They are already a hopeless case. Purgatory is kind of that middle point where you are not quite there yet but working towards it. We do believe Hell is permanent, so maybe that means the people who reach that point are so far gone to where it is truly hopeless?

I appreciate that you admit you don’t have all the answers, but what I don’t understand is how you can feel so trusting and confident in something that you admittedly know so little about?  That’s not meant to be insulting, btw.  I’m genuinely curious.

Well, I am trusting and confident that there is a God and that He is good. I'm not sure what the afterlife will be like or how it'll work, but I trust that whatever it is, it will be just.