Campfire Chat About Hell

[Cinjin]

I would either be quiet like you were, or say something like "Well, if you believe God is truly good and forgiving, then your husband wouldnt be punished in hell now..would he?"

I would have to assess the situation..but it is usually best not to get mixed up in fundy matter.. they can explode HORRIBLY within a matter of seconds.

Yeah ... I enjoy a good debate but everybody was drunk, including myself and I thought it better to let sleeping dogs lie.



You should've seen his face though. He was genuinely surprised when she reconfirmed it when he followed up my question with the same.

Seems odd to me, especially since they've been married at least 5 years. I couldn't be married to someone who actually believed I was going to go to a make believe place of eternal torment upon my death. Weird.

[Minimalist]

This is why divorce lawyers make a good living.

[tackattack]

I think you missed the point tack. This isn't just theist vs. atheist, this is a married couple who have vowed to love each other no matter what. Even with those vows, it didn't stop her from using her religion to condemn her husband to hell. Regardless of how serious she was or not, it is not something you should ever say to a spouse. If my wife ever told me I was going to hell, there would be serious reprocussions. It's arrogant enough to tell people they're going to hell because they don't believe the same thing you do, but to say that to the person you've married is unacceptable and should raise some serious issues to the forefront of their relationship. If level heads had prevailed, she would have never said that in the first place.

I understand that. My wife and I constantly help each other work through our issues. When it comes to issues of sin or salvation, we're both very understanding, but we're also very frank. We both to vows to each other, but we also took them to God. For 10 wonderful years we've both managed to put God above ourselves most of the time and then each other's needs above our own. Telling someone they're going to hell because they don't believe what you do is arrogant, yes I'll grant you that. Helping someone work on their flaws, especially when they've asked you to, isn't arrogant it's good communication. From the outside it might seem like condemnation, but I could very well have said the same thing to my wife. She'd take it far differently than an outsider would though so I probably wouldn't do it in public unless it was in fun or trying to start up a conversation, though.

[RAD]

Sitting at a campfire this Memorial Day Weekend, I got caught up in the following conversation:


Woman: I'm a Christian and I believe what I believe, and I don't care what anybody else believes.

Cinjin: That's cool. I do truly appreciate that sentiment. Be religious if you want - but allow others the same privilege. (offered a salute with my beer)

Woman's Husband: She wishes we'd go back to church, but I just think it's a waste of time.

Woman: Well, I think it would be a good idea. (She chuckles) Whatever, I guess I'll be the only one in this relationship going to Heaven.

**awkward pause with nervous laughter from all around**

Cinjin: So wait? You really do believe your husband's going to Hell?

Woman: Well ... yeah. He believes that if you're good to people you go to Heaven - and I think that's just not right.




Since I wanted to keep the atmosphere pleasant I didn't tell them that I think they're both painfully misguided and that the idea of Heaven and Hell is as stupid as Santa's Workshop at the North Pole and Captain Hook's Never-Never Land.

The conversation continued for a bit, but I wonder ... What would your response be to that woman's last remark if you were married to her?

She doesn't know that. A thief went to paradise on his dying day merely for recognizing Jesus as Lord. Imputed righteousness (Roman's 5) and the cross mean God can save anybody he wants to, anytime. The savvy Christian has the least reason to assume otherwise.