Mar 27, 2015

The Catholic View of Hell


Since I had a post on the Orthodox view of hell, I thought I ought to include a post on the Catholic view. I won't comment other than to say that I find it interesting that the official catechism could be read to affirm the separationism of the evangelical protestants (Although...read my next post later today). I took these excepts directly from the Vatican's website.
1033 "We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell."" (1 Jn 3:14-15., Mt 25:31-46)
1034 "Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire," and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!""  (Mt 5:22,29; 10:28; 13:42,50; Mk 9:43-48., Mt 13:41-42, Mt 25:41)
1035 "...The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs."
1057 Hell's principal punishment consists of eternal separation from God in whom alone man can have the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.

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