Socius
May 23, 2008, 03:12 PM
How does one approach the argument that those who haven't heard the gospel are indeed deserving of eternal damnation in hell? The argument usually goes something like this: All people are born 'sinful' and it is in their nature to reject God. Whether or not an individual actually hears the gospel from another human being is irrelevant because each and every person knows in their heart that God (capital G) exists (via Romans 1:20). Thus, God is justified in treating even a person from an isolated culture without access to Christian doctrine as sinful and unworthy of heaven.
Obviously the implication here is that it is possible to come to some sort of understanding of Christianity through general revelation, but to my astonishment Christians usually deny that this is the case! Apparently it is possible for an individual to be damned forever without ever knowing that there is a way out of this damnation (Jesus, for the sake of argument). I keep trying to get a clear answer regarding just how much Christian theology can be deduced through pure reason and observation, but each and every time we arrive back at square one; that everyone has the chance to seek God for themselves and that one can be wholly ignorant of Christianity and still be justifiably damned. It almost seems to suggest that every person is a believer of sorts and that every person personally rejects this belief at some point in their life, perhaps even from birth. This is essentially a total denial of the existence of any opposing viewpoint: The idea that there are no atheists, Hindus, Muslims or followers of indigenous religions... only people who deny the Christian God.
Am I missing something here? I have had much more success arguing against doctrines like Purgatory, the "age of accountability" and even post-death revelation by god, but this argument rests on such a mountain of assumptions that I can't figure out where to begin in order to help people see my point of view. I suppose I'm just frustrated because there is so much to disagree with. Your thoughts?
Obviously the implication here is that it is possible to come to some sort of understanding of Christianity through general revelation, but to my astonishment Christians usually deny that this is the case! Apparently it is possible for an individual to be damned forever without ever knowing that there is a way out of this damnation (Jesus, for the sake of argument). I keep trying to get a clear answer regarding just how much Christian theology can be deduced through pure reason and observation, but each and every time we arrive back at square one; that everyone has the chance to seek God for themselves and that one can be wholly ignorant of Christianity and still be justifiably damned. It almost seems to suggest that every person is a believer of sorts and that every person personally rejects this belief at some point in their life, perhaps even from birth. This is essentially a total denial of the existence of any opposing viewpoint: The idea that there are no atheists, Hindus, Muslims or followers of indigenous religions... only people who deny the Christian God.
Am I missing something here? I have had much more success arguing against doctrines like Purgatory, the "age of accountability" and even post-death revelation by god, but this argument rests on such a mountain of assumptions that I can't figure out where to begin in order to help people see my point of view. I suppose I'm just frustrated because there is so much to disagree with. Your thoughts?