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According to you ... Maybe, if your lucky, you'll get a front row ticket to watch while Jesus and his angels burn most of humanity alive for ever. That would be heavenly wouldn't it?
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
Like Ironmaw said, have you considered that the "way that seems right to man" is that our enemies should be tortured forever?
Natural man hates his enemies, makes war with them and tries to kill them. Eternal torment extends that by allowing a man to believe his enemies are harmed forever.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies. UR says that God will ultimately reconcile all his enemies - none will suffer forever.
Negative effects of the doctrine of ET? Well, it was the reason why the church during the dark ages would imprison unbelievers and even other Christians who did not agree with the theology of Rome and torture them until they repented of their "heresy" and then burn them alive. It was the reason why the Roman Catholic church caused learning of the poets and of science and of philosophy and of pretty much everything else including reading the scriptures or anything else for that matter to be outlawed. It is was caused the Roman Catholic church to raise armies and go to war during the crusades, the inquisitions ... Etc ...
Yes, excellent example of what happens when you allow the doctrine of ET full control of the powers of government and military. The doctrine of ET effectively caused the dark ages and concentrated power in the hands of a few corrupt men. Knowledge was stifled, dissenters were crushed. People even tried to create hell on earth by burning heretics alive at the stake. Some justified it by saying they were only doing what God would do later. That is what the belief in eternal torment ultimately leads to.
Eternal torment is the exact opposite of love. That is why God allows the belief to exist, so we will learn what love is by seeing its exact opposite first.
According to you ... Maybe, if your lucky, you'll get a front row ticket to watch while Jesus and his angels burn most of humanity alive for ever. That would be heavenly wouldn't it?
Like Ironmaw said, have you considered that the "way that seems right to man" is that our enemies should be tortured forever?
Natural man hates his enemies, makes war with them and tries to kill them. Eternal torment extends that by allowing a man to believe his enemies are harmed forever.
Jesus tells us to love our enemies. UR says that God will ultimately reconcile all his enemies - none will suffer forever.
Which is the way that seems right to man?
Yes, I have. Let's look at the verses preceding the passage I quoted.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,
but the folly of fools is deception.
9Fools mock at making amends for sin,
but goodwill is found among the upright. 10 Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can share its joy. 11The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
What I think doesn't matter as much as what the NT says.
And of what relevance is your two questions to the idea of univeralism?
Its very relevant, but why can you not answer these basic questions? Certainly the new testament does teach that God loves His enemies. Surprisingly some people do not think this is true though.
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