Sunday, October 16, 2016

Towards a Defense of Hell



Towards a Defense of Hell[1]

On the Christian view, God is the source (or maybe the "ground"[2]) of all being as well as of beauty, goodness, joy, and love.

Among other things, this means that every existing thing owes its continuing existence to God. It’s not simply that God is responsible for getting existence “going” – as it were. It’s that God also sustains all of existence. He keeps it all going.

This means that it is – metaphysically speaking – impossible for any existing thing to be completely separated from God. The argument is straightforward. If God is the source of existence (or being) then no (contingently) existing thing can exist apart from God. God is the source of being (on the Christian view that we are considering). Therefore, no existing thing can exist apart from God.

What about people who don’t want to have anything to do with God?

People who reject God, insofar as they continue to exist, continue to be “related” (in a broad sense) to the source of existence. But since, as we have said, God is the source of existence, it follows that people who reject God continue to be “related” (in the same broad sense) to God.

What can God do with such people, in order to respect their rejection of Him?

God has two options.

Number one, God could simply stop sustaining such people in existence. However, if an existing thing is entirely cut off from the source and sustenance of existence, then that thing is cut off from existence. But if an existing thing is cut off from existence, then that thing ceases to exist. Since God is the source and sustaining "force" of existence, anything that is entirely cut off from God ceases to exist.

So suppose there were no hell. Suppose, instead, that people who reject God simply ceased to exist. On standard theistic assumptions about God’s power, God is surely able to cease and desist from sustaining in existence those who reject Him. However, would the Christopher Hitchenes of the world be satisfied with this alternative to hell? After all, what is a person saying when he or she declares that he or she wants nothing to do with a God who is the source of existence? Maybe such a person really is saying that he or she does not want to exist at all.

I cannot speak for them, of course. But it seems plausible to think that this would not be well-received. After all, on this alternative, Hitchens might have written instead: “God loves you so much that you’ll cease to exist unless you love him back.”

It seems reasonable to suspect, then, that this would not be looked upon favorably by those who, like Hitchens, purport to impugn God’s fairness, justice, or love by suggesting that there’s something untoward about hell.

But what other choice would God have? It is well to remember that God is (or would be) a necessary being, whereas humans (along with electrons, rocks, galaxies and what have you) are all contingent beings. We could have existed or not existed. No power in heaven or on earth can “promote” a contingent being to a necessary one.[3] No, besides withdrawing his sustaining activity, God has but one alternative.

Number two, God could continue sustaining in existence the person who rejects Him. This is the only other option because God sustains a person in existence and God does not sustain a person in existence are propositions that express logically complementary alternatives.[4]

But it is plausible to think that God’s sustaining activity can be “dialed up,” as it is in the case of heaven – where God’s presence is overwhelming and, so to speak, “in your face”; or God’s sustaining activity can be “dialed down,” as it is in the case of hell – so that God’s presence is as underwhelming and unassertive as metaphysically possible. To put it another way, it seems reasonable to think that God could sustain a person in existence with as minimal a manifestation of His presence as is possible to achieve the sustaining action.

To be somewhat artful, if someone tells God that he or she wants nothing to do with Him, then God seems able to grant that person a kind of bare-bones existence that is as far removed from God’s overwhelming presence as it is possible to get without that person ceasing to exist.

However, recall that, on the Christian view that we are considering, God is not simply the source of existence. He’s not only some kind of cosmic “power cell” apart from which our batteries die. He’s also the wellspring of beauty, goodness, joy, love, and so on.

This implies, though, that if a person is to be as separated from God as is metaphysically possible, then that person is also to be as separated from the source of beauty, goodness, joy and love as is metaphysically possible.

What do we call a “place” of bare-bones existence that is characterized by being as ugly (beauty-less), evil (goodness-less), joyless and loveless as it is metaphysically possible to get without slipping into outright non-existence? The Church calls such a “place” hell, and the Bible variously describes it as a place of anguish, darkness, pain and suffering.

Hell is of course an unfortunate thing. However, hell exists, as someone else once put it, as a complement to human free choice.[5]

For more information, see Michael J. Murray’s article “Heaven and Hell.”[6]



[1] There are doubtless several things that could be meant by the word “defense.” Here, availing myself of basic tenets of Christianity, I propose to sketch an account of what hell is so that the account may serve to show that the doctrine of hell is not indefensible. By the “doctrine of hell,” I mean the view that there exists a “place” of misery, something of an “opposite” to heaven, where go the souls of those who reject God.

[2] Of course, I do not mean to take on board all of the connotations and consequences that Paul Tillich baked into the phrase "ground of being." Here, I mean merely that God is the creator and sustainer of all contingent beings and, therefore, their the "source" of their being / existence.

[3] Think about it. A necessary being is a being for which its non-existence is impossible. A necessary being is a being that never began to exist. Contingent beings, on the other hand, did begin to exist. Some began to exist longer ago than others, and some persist for longer than others. But in any case, a contingent being is a being that, at some time, began to exist. If a contingent being could “become” a necessary being, then it would have to be the case that a being that began to exist in fact is somehow changed so that it never began to exist. But such a change is not only physically impossible (since it implies backward causation), but it is also metaphysically impossible (on standard assumptions about the nature of broadly logical necessity).

[4] To put it another way, the following disjunction exhausts the available alternatives: either an entity is sustained in existence or it isn’t.

[5] Evangelical writer Lee Strobel attributes the following quotation to the Catholic thinker G. K. Chesterton: “Hell is God’s great compliment [sic] to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice,” The Case for Christ, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2000, p. 235; citing Cliffe Knechtle, Give Me an Answer, Downer’s Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity press, 1986, p. 42. However, in the online edition that I was able to inspect, Knechtle does not provide a source for this quotation. See <https://books.google.com/books?id=gCq6eFcN7FQC&pg=PA42>. It seems to me that hell is not a “compliment” to human freedom – where “compliment” means “a polite expression of praise or admiration.” Rather, hell is better understood as a complement to human freedom – in the sense that is “completes” human freedom. God does not eradicate those who reject Him. He sustains them in existence and thereby “honors” their request to be apart from Him. It’s simply that being apart from God is not at all nice, objectively, since God is the source of all good things.

[6] In Michael J. Murray, ed., Reason for the Hope Within, Grand Rapids, Mich. and Cambridge (U.K.): William B. Eerdmans Publ., 1999, pp. 287-317, <https://books.google.com/books?id=2T-Msjk0OSEC&pg=PA287>.

Image credit: "Atheist Uprising."

7 comments:

  1. Religion: Aestheticalist, Philosophic Reflection/Counterpart, Lesson, Way Of Living, Doing, Thinking

    Remember religion complements philosophy, philosophy understood as "hand-maid." In the beginning, philosophy was religion, philosophy contained therein, religion the larger, general vehicle, expressed in a liturgy/ceremony, provoking further thought/reflection.

    Thus Christianity is dialectic anti-thesis to Pharisaist subjectivism, Christ being Truth (Gosp. JOHN 14:6), the only way to Godly happiness. For truth is necessarily founded upon God-created, hence OBJECTIVE, reality. So Christian religion is actually just an aesthetical/literary expression of philosophy as Christ demonstrates for us, including the ethic, Christ teaching best RATIONAL way of human co-existence, contrasted w. thematic Pharisaic/Talmudic war against humanity, founded in lies and lying (Gosp. JOHN 8:44), including even lying to oneself--which always turns-out to being quite painful--heck.

    Second, note Christianity must reflect human reality, human being naturally sinful, hence self-interested, so "heaven" is a reward/incentive for doing "right," while heck represents the dis-incentive, the pain and penalty for hubris/subjectivism. Thus burning is easily understood by the small child, and the child then easily relates w. the more adult understanding, even as the child grows and achieves evermore knowledge.

    For subjectivism ultimately requires the human to being god unto himself (satanism), all reality mere subjectivist projection of one's own mind/consciousness, lying to oneself, which leads to insanity, and as it does so there's always necessarily pain--heck.

    But remember, Jews are practical, ORGANIZED, COLLECTIVIST LIARS and subjectivists, always preaching, in beginning, delusionary/fallacious/hereticalist "good-evil," pretext to their large system of lying to oneself--it works on the very young and children and those who never fully grow-up in (Christian) honesty.

    ------------[SEE BELOW FOR PART TWO]-----------------

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    1. --------------[HERE'S PART 2 TO ABOVE]--------------

      And the top liars and leaders (usually Jews, nearly always, most accomplished liars and haters of truth) of the organized liars club do their lying for specific, practical purpose: taking advantage of stupid, over-populated, dis-organized gentile suckers, Jews lying to themselves as necessary, top-level Jews lying to lower-level Jews, etc.

      So as Christianity is truth vs. Jew/satanic lies, it perfectly parallels objectivity (hence determinism) vs. (extreme) subjectivism, Jews being most practical and organized/collectivists, most of the nihilist, un-organized suckers being gentiles (esp. homosexuals, but also including free-masons, and a few others, esp. moralists/petty-Pharisaics).

      Thus as reality is determined, hence CYCLIC, in accord w. Oswald Spengler's "Decline of the West," the Jews take advantage of the evermore over-populated, hubris-afflicted gentiles within evermore corrupt culture of false prosperity who begin and evermore believing genuinely in fallacious/delusionary and non-existent "good-evil" and develop the obligatory guilt/inferiority -complex, willing to follow orders of politically-correct elite, etc.--esp. and ultimately in way of CENTRAL-BANKING and "usury" (which has nothing to do w. charging-of-"interest"), central-banking the foremost CRIMINAL enterprise (see Mises.org).

      Thus Jews and satanists should be seen not as "evil" (which doesn't exist), but rather as disease, like typhus, leprosy, and plague--insane--and they simply take advantage, like disease, upon insane, hubristic gentiles who like to think they have perfectly "free" God-like wills, capable of "good-evil," etc.

      Religion was original way of expressing this sort of philosophy, and it still works for the great mass of human-kind who cannot/will not learn to think, to be honest, accepting the natural human condition of sin and self-interest which must and should be tempered in Christian reason and honesty (Holy Spirit) by which to grasping truth (Christ), only way to God, etc.

      Christian religion then teaches, at most simple level of child, that subjectivism and hubris leads to heck and pain, that truth, hence reason and honesty (Holy Spirit) are best way to Godly happiness and peace of mind and heart--plus u get to watch TV all night, and u can eat all u want and never get fat, etc.

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  2. What Are "Tenets" Of Dear Christianity?

    The article's footnote one reads,

    "[1].... Here, availing myself of basic tenets of Christianity, I propose to sketch an account of what hell is so that the account may serve to show that the doctrine of hell is not indefensible. By the “doctrine of hell,” I mean the view that there exists a “place” of misery, something of an “opposite” to heaven, where go the souls of those who reject God."

    "Basic tenets of Christianity"?--so how complex could this be? For if it were too complex, the religion/philosophy would be useless for most folks. But we see fm history (a) Christian philosophy/religion was (and still is, we pray) actually quite effective and momentous. (b) However, there's something amiss for dear old Christianity, these days, at least as we observe the rampant Satanism (extreme subjectivism) which so much dominates and rules--what has happened?

    Thus Christ = TRUTH (Gosp. JOHN 14:6), only way to the Father (Godly happiness), against Jew/satanic lies (JOHN 8:44). Pretty simple "tenets," eh? Thus there's truth, why/how?--because there's OBJECTIVE reality (God-created), truth founded thereby and thereupon. It's why u can't kill truth, and truth resurrects, as on Easter. The joke is upon Jews/Pharisees/Talmudists who pretend truth, as of Torah, is only contingent, subjective, and dependent upon "midrash"/"oral law." Such was/is the great dialectic btwn Christ and foremost satanic enemies of truth, the Pharisees, who thought they could kill truth, but which truth triumphantly resurrected.

    Thus satanism is well and best understood as extreme subjectivism, the idea reality is mere emanation of consciousness/mentality, making oneself God, HUBRIS, by definition, which predates Christ and Christianity, well-understood by Greeks as that madness of eventual and un-witting self-destruction, etc. And the Greeks well dramatized various forms of the agony of such hubris and satanism, as, for example, Sophocles' "Antigone," whence Creon's wife, son, and daughter-in-law rather melodramatically committed suicide.

    -----------[SEE BELOW FOR PART TWO]---------------------

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    1. ------------[HERE'S PART TWO TO ABOVE]---------------

      Thus given this rather simple Christian metaphysical foundation, Christ further demonstrates the appropriate ETHICS, and even the politics ("render unto Caesar..."), throughout the Gospels. St. Paul and others further expounds upon the politics.

      But note there's no perfectly "free" human will--we're all sinners, always have been, always will be, subject to hubris which always be-devils humanity--esp. now in this day--DETERMINISM, necessary consequence of objectivity. Stupid human scum just love to pretend to "good-evil" delusion, easily taught to children and only w. greatest difficulty un-learned.

      And what happens in determinist, CYCLIC history, in accord w. Oswald Spengler's "Decline of the West," is human success, "prosperity," and "victory" always begets OVER-POPULATION whence a mass of stupid human scum pretends to "good-evil," typical pretext for hubris, and thus successful (for a while) criminal enterprises like central-banking, the real "usury" (which is NOT mere charging-of-"interest"--see Mises.org for expo).

      Note then hubris begets madness--IS madness--and we observe that gentile subjectivists (or satanists) are most often so irrational as to be self-destructive, pathological, and even suicidal, having induced their own little "hell" within their own mal-functioning mentalities.

      But Jews are most practical, organized satanists/subjectivists, and that's why they typically lead and define practical, organized satanism, making themselves collectively co-equal w. God, determining reality, at least in the minds of stupid, over-populated mass of humanity, Jews, for example, the top central-bankers and master-minds thereof.

      What's happened w. dear Christianity?--well, by means of central-banking Jews now control all organized Christianity, obviously, subverting Christianity, making it satanic, only working against the people, always serving Jews, as we see, Christianity having lost it's necessary, thematic anti-semitic character. Such then are the proper "tenets" of Christianity applied and affected in accord w. circumstances of CYCLIC history.

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  3. Heck: Natural, Necessary Result, Pain, Agony, Consequence Of Rejection Of Reality, Truth

    FM footnote 5: "Rather, hell is better understood as a complement to human freedom – in the sense that is “completes” human freedom. God does not eradicate those who reject Him. He sustains them in existence and thereby “honors” their request to be apart from Him. It’s simply that being apart from God is not at all nice, objectively, since God is the source of all good things."

    "Human freedom"?--is non-existent except within the mind regarding truth (= Christ, Gosp. JOHN 14:6), specifically btwn truth and lies (JOHN 8:44). For to accept God the Father, creator of the OBJECTIVE reality requires then rejection of satanic (extreme) subjectivism whence reality is mere emanation of one's own consciousness/mentality, making oneself God.

    The Jews then are most practical and successful satanists as they feature a COLLECTIVE subjectivism, ruled by rabbis at the top. Thus Jews are able to remain relatively clear-headed and down-to-earth for their conspiracies, plots, and criminal enterprises, no matter how far-flung, esp. regarding the top and master criminal enterprise, central-banking (see Mises.org for expo) which funds and co-ordinates all other organized crime and even much of the un-organized criminal activity.

    In contrast, the gentiles, due to cultural circumstances, have relative psychologic difficulty taking such subjectivism/satanism too seriously as they're so impractical, relatively egoistic, hence nihilistically dis-connected and esp. un-organized relative to Jews who are far more practical and highly organized, beginning in history w. the "FREE-MASONS," the original entry-point of Jew infiltration within gentile society, even before French Revolution, the masonic activity actually presaging and making way for the central-banking and revolutionary activity of 19th cent. and following.

    And since heeding to objective reality is necessary for human life and activity, naturally ignorance and contempt for that reality will bring pain and agony--hell, including "hell on earth."

    And of course, original pretext for satanism, even in all the irony, is the teaching of fallacious, delusionary, and hereticalist (Pelagianism), yet still quite effective, "good-evil" to the children by way of controlling the population, inducing guilt/inferiority -complex, most people failing for ever arising fm such childhood fallacies/delusions as "good-evil," founded totally upon subjectivism, "good" really meaning merely OBEDIENT, etc.

    Note then the next step, psychologically, is the corruption of the word/concept "faith" fm proper LOYALTY, now to beleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevin'. For note heeding the objective reality doesn't at all require any beleeeeeeeeeeeving; one merely observes and respects one's observation of God's reality.

    But note the subjectivist reality absolutely requires beleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevin'--even against one's perceptions, common-sense, and reason. And that's why the fallacious and actually foreign concept of "faith" as beleeeeeeeevin' is a Pharisaic intrusion upon Greek and Western culture/psychology.

    So one easily sees the nature and necessity of the hell of pain and agony which is naturally induced and rendered by means of the satanic/subjectivist ignoring of God-given objective reality and truth (= Christ) thereof. For human "freedom" is extremely limited, entirely to human conception, and reality itself cannot be changed by human will, only the human concept of reality, purely an internal affair of humanity.


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  4. Heck Is Psychosis, Madness, Insanity, In Practical Terms

    "People who reject God, insofar as they continue to exist, continue to be “related” (in a broad sense) to the source of existence. But since, as we have said, God is the source of existence, it follows that people who reject God continue to be “related” (in the same broad sense) to God.

    "What can God do with such people, in order to respect their rejection of Him?"

    Christians assert Christ = TRUTH, Gosp. JOHN 14:6. Truth only exists as there's an OBJECTIVE reality, God-given (and -created), upon which such truth reflects and is based. Thus we say truth is objective--as it's based upon reality, hence objectivity, a reflection of reality.

    So as Jews and satanists deny the objective reality, God-given and -created, they make themselves God--satanism. Satanism = subjectivism, extreme subjectivism. Judaism (Talmudism) = subjectivism = satanism. And Jews being most practical, successful satanists/subjectivists, top criminals, are COLLECTIVE subjectivists/satanists. Thus we observe serious subjectivists/satanists among gentiles are so often observed as grossly insane/psychotic, Jews seeming thus to retain a measure of sanity by contrast, Jews most practical, successful criminals.

    Thus as top criminals are noted for such collectivism and organization, we see Jews are top criminals, dominating organized crime, this criminal enterprise necessarily capped w. the central-banking activity (legalized counterfeiting), funding, financing, CONTROLLING everything else, esp. politics, as we see.

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  5. Objectivity Is Basis Of Reason, Peace; Subjectivism/satanism Basis Of War

    "After all, what is a person saying when he or she declares that he or she wants nothing to do with a God who is the source of existence? Maybe such a person really is saying that he or she does not want to exist at all."

    Exactly, that person (fm above quote) doesn't want or choose existence within the God-created, hence OBJECTIVE reality. That person exists only in his own subjectivist reality--which would/could include the collective subjectivism of fellow Jews or satanists (like masons), making oneself God or part thereof.

    Such then is the WAR-God of the Jews/satanists, by which Jews/satanists justify the warfare (and criminality) they practice against humanity.

    Thus one sees the objective reality is basis of PEACE, aside fm reason, to be practiced by humanity towards fellow humans. Extreme subjectivism of satanism is basis of warfare/criminality.

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