Our "picture of Hell" is not merely "one we have inherited", it is actually one which a lot of church-goers would prefer was reality. Many church-goers are very content with the idea of a being with finite moral and intellectual capacity (humankind) being tortured for eternity on the wishes of 'Being' with no limitations on His moral and intellectual capacity: except perhaps LOVE, if that is how they envision the God who was in Jesus.
I find Hart fascinating yet at the same time I think C.S. Lewis was on to something with his argument that hell is locked from the inside and even if atheists were to go to heaven they simply wouldn't enjoy it. In my own encounters with atheists this seems to be what I find, not so much that they don't believe in God but that they want nothing to do with God. I pray that we all may get to reunite with our Lord and Savior and perhaps for some it may take more than one life to realize that's actually what they want, but I leave such matters up to God and his perfect judgement
Except this defense of hell is nowhere in the Bible. All the passages people go to to defend Hell are all ones where people are sent or thrown there against their will.
@@bman5257 I mean in the story of Lazarus there’s no indication that the rich man wants to leave, he just wants some relief. Isaac of Nineveh even argued he’ll and heaven are the same place, heaven just feels like hell to those who refuse God’s love
@@bradleymarshall5489 St. Isaac was clearly a universalist. The fact that he believed the punishment/purgation of hell was the same as Heaven (Lake of fire == River of life) doesn't negate his universalism. Also I don't understand how one can cogently can say that hell will be painful, people have free will, and yet they don't want to leave. The rich man seems like he's in agony. If you are in agony, but you don't want it to stop, do you really have free will? The way I read it, he wants out of the fire, but he can't leave.
@@bman5257 people choose agony all the time. Vices like pride (what C.S. Lewis called the anti-God state of mind) sloth (what Aquinas called a coldness to God) and resentment keep them there. Doesn’t mean it will last forever, even by its very nature is finite which was Gregory of Nyssa’s argument for universalism, but it doesn’t mean that hell is still a real place that is horrible but that people at least for a “time” choose
@@bradleymarshall5489 I would agree with you on all that. But I think Lazarus wants to get out. He says he wants to warn his family so that they don't ever end up where he is.
I don't think he is proud, I think there's a deep ironic tone to his insults, his absence of Hell in his view makes all of these squabbles rather amusing.
@@harrydaniels1942 Exactly! When you are no longer hostage to fear, all opposing arguments seem rather mundane. Like a bully who has been “exposed” - The bully lacks his “bite”. Thank you Dr. Hart for exposing the bully.
@@garciacentral well said. We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world. All other Jesus' taught in the harlot houses of Babylon are another Jesus the scriptures warn about, namely Paul.
Our "picture of Hell" is not merely "one we have inherited", it is actually one which a lot of church-goers would prefer was reality. Many church-goers are very content with the idea of a being with finite moral and intellectual capacity (humankind) being tortured for eternity on the wishes of 'Being' with no limitations on His moral and intellectual capacity: except perhaps LOVE, if that is how they envision the God who was in Jesus.
I was wondering if he actually just sat still while the question was asked, lol
I enjoy your content
I find Hart fascinating yet at the same time I think C.S. Lewis was on to something with his argument that hell is locked from the inside and even if atheists were to go to heaven they simply wouldn't enjoy it. In my own encounters with atheists this seems to be what I find, not so much that they don't believe in God but that they want nothing to do with God. I pray that we all may get to reunite with our Lord and Savior and perhaps for some it may take more than one life to realize that's actually what they want, but I leave such matters up to God and his perfect judgement
Except this defense of hell is nowhere in the Bible. All the passages people go to to defend Hell are all ones where people are sent or thrown there against their will.
@@bman5257 I mean in the story of Lazarus there’s no indication that the rich man wants to leave, he just wants some relief. Isaac of Nineveh even argued he’ll and heaven are the same place, heaven just feels like hell to those who refuse God’s love
@@bradleymarshall5489 St. Isaac was clearly a universalist. The fact that he believed the punishment/purgation of hell was the same as Heaven (Lake of fire == River of life) doesn't negate his universalism. Also I don't understand how one can cogently can say that hell will be painful, people have free will, and yet they don't want to leave. The rich man seems like he's in agony. If you are in agony, but you don't want it to stop, do you really have free will? The way I read it, he wants out of the fire, but he can't leave.
@@bman5257 people choose agony all the time. Vices like pride (what C.S. Lewis called the anti-God state of mind) sloth (what Aquinas called a coldness to God) and resentment keep them there. Doesn’t mean it will last forever, even by its very nature is finite which was Gregory of Nyssa’s argument for universalism, but it doesn’t mean that hell is still a real place that is horrible but that people at least for a “time” choose
@@bradleymarshall5489 I would agree with you on all that. But I think Lazarus wants to get out. He says he wants to warn his family so that they don't ever end up where he is.
The Francis-ization of a scholar who should know better. Beware theologians whose chief quality is pride.
I don't think he is proud, I think there's a deep ironic tone to his insults, his absence of Hell in his view makes all of these squabbles rather amusing.
@@harrydaniels1942 Exactly! When you are no longer hostage to fear, all opposing arguments seem rather mundane. Like a bully who has been “exposed” - The bully lacks his “bite”. Thank you Dr. Hart for exposing the bully.
@@garciacentral well said. We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the savior of the world. All other Jesus' taught in the harlot houses of Babylon are another Jesus the scriptures warn about, namely Paul.
Francis is one of the few christians who tries to live what we should become. Traditionalism is the opposite of Christianity.
@@garciacentral good summation