Does the Catholic Church teach this myth as they claim to be the Common Ancestor of the Christian faith?

Question

Myth : The Wicked Suffer in Hell

What is the origin of the myth? “Of all classical Greek philosophers, the one who has had the greatest influence on traditional views of Hell is Plato.”—Histoire des enfers (The History of Hell), by Georges Minois, page 50.

“From the middle of the 2nd century AD Christians who had some training in Greek philosophy began to feel the need to express their faith in its terms . . . The philosophy that suited them best was Platonism [the teachings of Plato].”—The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1988), Volume 25, page 890.

“The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God.”—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994 edition, page 270.

What does the Bible say? “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, . . . for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”—Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, Revised Standard Version.

The Hebrew word Sheol, which referred to the “abode of the dead,” is translated “hell” in some versions of the Bible. What does this passage reveal about the condition of the dead? Do they suffer in Sheol in order to atone for their errors? No, for they “know nothing.” That is why the patriarch Job, when suffering terribly because of a severe illness, begged God: “Protect me in hell [Hebrew, Sheol].” (Job 14:13; Douay-Rheims Version) What meaning would his request have had if Sheol was a place of eternal torment? Hell, in the Biblical sense, is simply the common grave of mankind, where all activity has ceased.

Is not this definition of hell more logical and in harmony with Scripture? What crime, however horrible, could cause a God of love to torture a person endlessly? (1 John 4:8) But if hellfire is a myth, what about heaven?

Compare these Bible verses: Psalm 146:3, 4; Acts 2:25-27; Romans 6:7, 23

FACT:

God does not punish people in hell

Appeared in The Watchtower November 1, 2009

Answer 1

way to long of a question, good lord I hope that isn't on the final.

Answer 2

Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17 - John the Baptist said the Lord will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. This unquenchable fire is the state of eternal separation from God, which the Church has called "hell" for 2,000 years. Some Protestant communities no longer acknowledge the reality of hell.



Matt. 25:41 - Jesus says, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."



Matt. 25:46 - Jesus says, "they will go away into eternal punishment" which is in reference to this eternal fire.



Mark 9:47-48 - Jesus refers to hell as where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. It lasts forever.



2 Thess. 1:6-9 - the angels will come with flaming fire and the disobedient will suffer punishment of eternal destruction. It is important to note that "destruction" does not mean "annihilation," as some Protestant denominations teach. It means eternal exclusion from the presence of God.



Jude 6-7 - the rebelling angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.



Rev. 14:11 - the worshipers of the beast suffer and the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever.



Rev. 20:10 - they're tormented in the lake of fire and brimstone day and night forever and ever.



Isaiah 33:14 - "Who of us can dwell in the everlasting fire?" This is a reference to hell which is forever.



Isaiah 66:24 - their worm shall not die and their fire shall not be quenched. We cannot fathom the pain of this eternal separation from God.



Jer. 15:14 - in my anger a fire is kindled which shall burn forever. Hell is the proper compliment to the eternal bliss of heaven.



Judith 16:17 - in the day of judgment the Lord will take vengeance on the wicked and they shall weep in pain forever. Hell is a place that sinners have prepared for themselves by rejecting God, who desires all people to be saved in His Son Jesus Christ. God sends no one to hell.

Answer 3

Ya, that's not really a Catholic teaching, that a baptist teaching. (actually it pretty much applies to ALL protestant churches.)



And it is very much true.

Daniel 12:2

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.



Isaiah 33:14

The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”



2 Thessalonians 1:9

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might

Answer 4

Jesus our Lord said "fear God who has the power to throw you into hell" nothing about fearing the watchtower.

Answer 5

That is so incoherent that I couldn't even piece together what you were trying to say.



When you make a separate point. Please make a separate paragraph. Also, try to group your paragraphs together in a way that makes sense.



Thank you.

Answer 6

Fact: The Watchtower is a publication aimed at convincing JWs that what they believe is true. It's interpretations of anything are skewed so heavily by it's bias and need to perpetuate the mythology of the Jehovah's Witness cult that sane people just ignore whatever they put in it.

Answer 7

There's little FACT in the bible.