'Ello All!

[Captain.Theophilus]

Finally some kindred spirits.

Warning: I ramble, so if you don't want to hear rambling just skip to the end :) (TL;DR at the end)

I've believed in eternal hell most of my life, but the past two years I've had to force myself to believe in it. The rub came when I realized that my view of God's love for others was adversely affecting my ability to love other people. That is to say, when I looked around the world around me and saw mostly "objects of wrath," making my modus operandum constant depression at the fate of humanity. All throughout the Bible and Christian theology we see that ethics (don't lie, don't steal, etc..) are taken from God's character. e.g. God doesn't lie, God doesn't steal, etc... So, if God sees the entire human race as WORTHY of eternal suffering, then not only should I think the same thing, but I should also assist God in bringing about his gospel of judgment. Why then when I see Joe Unbeliever (an object of wrath,) should I love him? If all God thinks of him is that he belongs in a fiery pit, and doesn't care enough to even offer the tiniest sliver of mercy, why should I either? But you see that directly contradicts half of the greatest commandment.

Not only was I depressed, but I started to hate God as I realized that if he would gladly condemn the entire human race to Hell, I could see no reason for him to love me. Seeing that there are so many people nobler, stronger, more beautiful, and less sinful than me. As the calvinists say: "He had no reason to love you, he just chose to show his love to you" Pardon my language, but what the hell does that even mean? What kind of love is that? "Oh I love you, but by the way I really don't love you" ???????????????????

As my image of God became less and less palatable I had to come to one of two views:

either
1) Jesus really does hate the entire human race and think us worthy of going to Hell. As such I should rejoice, not weep, when unbelieving friends and family go there. After all, "justice" is being served.

2) Jesus loves everyone and wants them to be saved.

I decided to go with scripture (2 Peter, 1 Tim, Ezekiel 18) and agree that God does indeed want men to be saved. Any lesser view of God can only cause hatred for him.

As such I started to try to align my view of God wanting everyone to be saved with my previous beliefs. I juggled Calvinism and Arminianism for years and years, never being able to settle on one because ultimately the logical conclusion of one would make me disdain God. The logical conclusion of Arminianism is that  you have to work completely to make sure you don't fall into unbelief (something I could never do, because I need God to sustain me) so I'd switch back to calvinism remembering that God's grace is so great he will keep me from falling away.

But as a Calvinist how could I believe that God loved everyone and wanted everyone to be saved, yet chose to only save some? So once again I'd go back to Arminianism, seeing free-will as the only way to understand a loving God. Rinse and repeat. I went through this for years.

Finally, I started looking for information on this topic. I found tentmaker, along with lots of other good universalist websites. I also found this article: http://jeremyandchristine.com/articles/eternal.php. Although it is an annihilationist article, it still has some excellent points against the doctrine of eternal hell.

More recently I read Ravi Holy's article on universalism and every problem I've ever had with either calvinism or arminianism was suddenly reconciled in a beautifully constructed and wonderfully logical synthesis. It had been in front of my eyes for so long I truly don't see how I missed it.

Last night I posted a rather logical deconstruction of the eternal view of hell on christianforums.com, which the forum moderators promptly deleted after I had taken hours to write everything out. I've sent them an e-mail requesting the text of my post and I want to repost  it here.

I don't usually like internet forums a ton, but I'll definitely be reading these a bit and hope to get somewhat involved with the community.

TL;DR: I used to believe in eternal hell, and now I don't because it's clearly unbiblical.

Thanks for listening

-Micah

[Captain.Theophilus]

By the way I live in Colorado, I'm 23, and Jesus saved me from addiction to drugs, depression, pornography, alcohol, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, social inteptitude, among many other things and I've chosen to serve him because he's helped me so much.

-Micah

[redhotmagma]

Hello cap'n welcome aboard.

[sheila]

welcome cap'n :dsunny:

      It is liberating to really come to know Him and Father.........Finally a God you can really love!!!

    GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!

[Captain.Theophilus]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes :)

As much as I feel like a universalist I still haave a hard time believing it. It seems the most logical to me. But it's going to take a long time to get these doctrines of devils out which have been implanted for years and years.

[sheila]

It's a process...........I remember thinking...How could I have believed all that about HIM!!!!

    His name has been greatly slandered on this earth....He has not been given the respect,praise and honour

  that He is so very worthy of.    He is the best thing man has going for Him.  and we have been so blind......

[sheila]

   I long to redeem them..but they speak lies against me   Hosea ch 7

   yes, the saints were overcome as prophesied in Daniel....but the Ancient of Days takes His seat..and

  the Court sits...and the time comes when the children are given the Kingdom.   Dan 7;9-18

[lomarah]

Amen Sheila.

Welcome Micah! So glad to have you. It does take a little while to wash away the grime of those doctrines but He is so much more than able to do that for us! Just keep praying for truth and the answers will come. :)

God bless you on your journey.  :HeartThrob:

[VineBranch]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes :)

As much as I feel like a universalist I still haave a hard time believing it. It seems the most logical to me. But it's going to take a long time to get these doctrines of devils out which have been implanted for years and years.

Hey Micah:

Cotemporary pop culture doesn't help either.  Hell and the creators in it are cool.  Demons, and demon hunters, and vampires, and of course good old Buffy, all come together to make the underworld kinda entertaining.  Oh well, maybe it serves a purpose.

[Deena]

I can relate CT. I came to a place where I was very angry at God for populating such a place as hell. Why did He wait so long to come back? Just to fill hell? It sure seemed like the devil won. I am so glad to know the truth that God's love wins.

[Lazarus Short]

Hey Theo, I'm Laz.  Welcome!  Sounds like you were beat up by bad doctrine, but weren't we all?  I think you'll find us to be a sometimes rowdy bunch of cheerful heretics, but Biblicaly sound at the same time.  :friendstu:

[Rhodes]

"Last night I posted a rather logical deconstruction of the eternal view of hell on christianforums.com, which the forum moderators promptly deleted after I had taken hours to write everything out. I've sent them an e-mail requesting the text of my post and I want to repost  it here."

Good luck with that Micah!! I was banned from that site about a month back for daring to share the heretical view of a loving, merciful God. They do not see at all yet. My username on there was DenR.

My testimony was a bit the same as yours. Depression. But once the light broke through from inside my spirit...wow!!!

Bless you Micah.

Dennis

[VineBranch]

I was banned from that site about a month back for daring to share the heretical view of a loving, merciful God.

I always knew I was a heretic.  I've called myself that for a while.  NOW it is confirmed!! yippeeee.  :banana:

I'ld to thank everyone who made this moment possible.  Hi mom.