Your family in Hell whilst you're in Heaven?

[Eddi]

(I’m writing this post from a Christian perspective…)

So… I believe in God and accept Christ as my Lord and Saviour and have been baptised as an adult as a public commitment to Christianity, and as a fresh start. And I live my life accordingly and value my relationship with God.

However, none of my family are religious.

This is the thing that gets me…

As I understand it, people are “saved” on account of their relationship with God

Those who are “saved” go to what we call “Heaven” after they die

Whereas those who aren’t will go to what is known as “Hell” (which is the default destination)

Both for eternity (whatever that means)

Now, here’s the thing…

Imagine I’m going to go to Heaven (which I hope I am) on account of my relationship with God (although I would never presume anything, for all I know I could be very much hell bound!)

This would mean that my family members would go to Hell on account of them being irreligious

Here’s my conundrum:

How could one enjoy Heaven knowing one’s family is suffering in Hell for all eternity?

If I go to Heaven I will insist on having my family join me there

I’d hope that this would be possible

Has this occurred to anyone else?

Do people think this would be possible?

 

[Spirit of Light]

(I’m writing this post from a Christian perspective…)

So… I believe in God and accept Christ as my Lord and Saviour and have been baptised as an adult as a public commitment to Christianity, and as a fresh start. And I live my life accordingly and value my relationship with God.

However, none of my family are religious.

This is the thing that gets me…

As I understand it, people are “saved” on account of their relationship with God

Those who are “saved” go to what we call “Heaven” after they die

Whereas those who aren’t will go to what is known as “Hell” (which is the default destination)

Both for eternity (whatever that means)

Now, here’s the thing…

Imagine I’m going to go to Heaven (which I hope I am) on account of my relationship with God (although I would never presume anything, for all I know I could be very much hell bound!)

This would mean that my family members would go to Hell on account of them being irreligious

Here’s my conundrum:

How could one enjoy Heaven knowing one’s family is suffering in Hell for all eternity?

If I go to Heaven I will insist on having my family join me there

I’d hope that this would be possible

Has this occurred to anyone else?

Do people think this would be possible?

Those souls that is your family in human form now, what indicate that they are in family with you in the next stage of life? And if their action, words and thoughts lead them somewhere else after this life is over, why do you insist on them become together with you again in heaven as you say? Are human beings in that much power over what happens in heaven that we can demand our human attachments to other human beings to follow us in to the next part of life? Are you sure you are granted a place in heaven you self? (that is not a judging of you by me, it is only a question)

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

Nothing in the Bible says saved people will go to Heaven. The wicked will be destroyed ( burned up ) in Hell. Not tortured forever.

 

[Eddi]

why do you insist on them become together with you again in heaven as you say?

Because we are members of the same family

Are you sure you are granted a place in heaven you self? (that is not a judging of you by me, it is only a question)

No, I am not sure I am granted a place there

But I very much hope I will get in

 

[LightofTruth]

(I’m writing this post from a Christian perspective…)

So… I believe in God and accept Christ as my Lord and Saviour and have been baptised as an adult as a public commitment to Christianity, and as a fresh start. And I live my life accordingly and value my relationship with God.

However, none of my family are religious.

This is the thing that gets me…

As I understand it, people are “saved” on account of their relationship with God

Those who are “saved” go to what we call “Heaven” after they die

Whereas those who aren’t will go to what is known as “Hell” (which is the default destination)

Both for eternity (whatever that means)

Now, here’s the thing…

Imagine I’m going to go to Heaven (which I hope I am) on account of my relationship with God (although I would never presume anything, for all I know I could be very much hell bound!)

This would mean that my family members would go to Hell on account of them being irreligious

Here’s my conundrum:

How could one enjoy Heaven knowing one’s family is suffering in Hell for all eternity?

If I go to Heaven I will insist on having my family join me there

I’d hope that this would be possible

Has this occurred to anyone else?

Do people think this would be possible?

When a person dies it means he is no longer alive or living. So how can a dead person, one who is not living, suffer for all eternity?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Because we are members of the same family


No, I am not sure I am granted a place there

But I very much hope I will get in

I understand we see the family differently, in my understanding when we die from human life we do not have family in the other realms, so even we have relatives on earth, those souls are not related to us outside this human realm But there are many other views and understandings than the one i hold

 

[Eddi]

When a person dies it means he is no longer alive or living. So how can a dead person, one who is not living, suffer for all eternity?

I'm concerned because I believe people have immortal souls that survive death

 

[Eddi]

I understand we see the family differently, in my understanding when we die from human life we do not have family in the other realms, so even we have relatives on earth, those souls are not related to us outside this human realm But there are many other views and understandings than the one i hold

Maybe you're right, I'd never thought of it like that before

 

[RabbiO]

@Eddi -

I’m afraid I have nothing to contribute. Your supposition comes from a particular Christian perspective which has no meaning to me as a Jew.

 

[Eddi]

@Eddi -

I’m afraid I have nothing to contribute. Your supposition comes from a particular Christian perspective which has no meaning to me as a Jew.

As a Jew, do you believe that what happens after one dies is determined by one's conduct here on Earth?

 

[RabbiO]

As a Jew, do you believe that what happens after one dies is determined by one's conduct here on Earth?

Conduct, not belief.

 

[Eddi]

Conduct, not belief.

And do you believe that family bonds carry on, into the afterlife? Or do you believe they are dissolved after bodily death?

 

[sun rise]

Conduct, not belief.

Matt 7:21 says that as well:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
So from this non-Christian who is trying to use a Christian frame-of-reference, anyone who lives a life of love to the best of his or her imperfect ability has the door opened to "the kingdom of heaven".

So anyone who on balance has lived a life of love, compassion, honesty, integrity, beauty and so forth will be fine.

Does this help?

 

[Erebus]

Here’s my conundrum:

How could one enjoy Heaven knowing one’s family is suffering in Hell for all eternity?

This is one of the major problems facing eternal Hell as a concept. It leads to several uncomfortable possibilities.

The first is that you simply wouldn't be happy in Heaven. You may have been innocent of whatever damning offense your family committed but you would still suffer eternally. Depending on precisely what you consider a damning offense to be, it's entirely possible that Heaven would be a miserable place for the majority of its inhabitants.

The second is that you would be unaware of your family's suffering. That could be because your memory of them is wiped or because you're presented with automatons that look, speak and act exactly like your family members. This would of course mean that happiness in heaven is dependent upon the deception of its inhabitants.

The third is that you would be incapable of unhappiness. No matter what your family are suffering, you're entirely unable to feel bad for them. If this is the case then it's debatable whether the thing residing in Heaven is actually you at all. A large part of what makes you who you are would have to be eradicated.

The final option is the one that I personally find the most horrifying. You would see your family's suffering as entirely deserved and just.

I don't believe in eternal Hell myself. What I do believe is that the concept is perhaps the single most dangerous and indefensible stance a religion can have on the afterlife. This is doubly true if the religion involves an omniscient, omnipotent God who is seen as entirely good. While I also take issue with annihilationism and the view that Hell is temporary,* those stances are infinitely preferable to the doctrine of eternal torment.

I don't mean to come across as unduly harsh but I do have strong feelings on this. In my opinion, it's a concept that has caused a great deal of harm over the years and is something we would be better off without.




*Particularly when the duration of one's stay and the suffering endured there are extreme. Some of the Hell concepts in certain forms of Buddhism spring to mind.

 

[Cooky]

Those souls that is your family in human form now, what indicate that they are in family with you in the next stage of life? And if their action, words and thoughts lead them somewhere else after this life is over, why do you insist on them become together with you again in heaven as you say? Are human beings in that much power over what happens in heaven that we can demand our human attachments to other human beings to follow us in to the next part of life? Are you sure you are granted a place in heaven you self? (that is not a judging of you by me, it is only a question)

Because that's what love means, Amanaki.

 

[Cooky]

Nothing in the Bible says saved people will go to Heaven. The wicked will be destroyed ( burned up ) in Hell. Not tortured forever.

Actually the bible says tortured forever.

Mark 9:48

Matthew 25:46

Revelation 20:10

 

[Cooky]

Conduct, not belief.

I believe it's *intentions* that matter solely.

 

[Terry Sampson]

How could one enjoy Heaven knowing one’s family is suffering in Hell for all eternity?

Eddi,

• Personally, I reject the notion that "getting into Heaven" requires me to believe in the existence of a Hell in that part of the world which I believe awaits us after our death in this part of the world.
• It's a rare and remarkably prescient bird who knows precisely what the weather is going to be like at the end of their migratory flight.
• IMO, these verses confirm my perspective:
  • (Deu 4:24) "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
  • (Deu 4:33) "Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived?"
  • (Deu 5:24) "You said, 'Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives."
  • (Deu 9:3) "Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire"
• "Suffering in Hell for all eternity" is nonsense.

 

[Nakosis]

(I’m writing this post from a Christian perspective…)

If I go to Heaven I will insist on having my family join me there

I’d hope that this would be possible

Has this occurred to anyone else?

Do people think this would be possible?

Assuming you have any control over what happens, but then why stop there?

Lots of ideas put forth how to deal with this. There was the idea that your loved one would suffer in purgatory only until they paid off their sin debt. After which they could join you in heaven.

There seems to be a lot of room in Christianity to adjust your belief to something you are comfortable with.

To which I'd have to ask who knows really about any of this? A lot of people with opinions. Why pick any concept of Heaven over another at this point?

If you are really into this, what I used to do was pray. Ask God for the answer/truth. I always was given an answer that made sense.

Matt 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." If you believe in the Bible.

 

[Terry Sampson]

I’m writing this post from a Christian perspective…)

Allow me to suggest that, when you write from a Christian perspective and ask a question about some thing in Christian Scripture or in purportedly Christian teaching, post your question in the Christian DIR in the future.