Would you give up your place in heaven for your child? (hell, punishment)

[Trimac20]

Say you could rewind time, and make it so your unbelieving son or daughter 'found the light' and got into Heaven instead of you - but it could only happen if you told God you wanted it to happen. You'd suffer in hell for eternity, but either way you'd still be on a different side of the gulf. I bet most people will say 'no' because, they will say, they love God more than their child (and the point of this thread is not to say there's anything wrong with that) and being with the Lord is more important. But, the catch is, if you chose not to go through with it you'd be mentally tormented by the fact your child was in excruciating pain in some 'lake of fire' for ever (God wouldn't wipe away any tears or wipe your memory). Would you still do it? And what's say God gives you a third option, that he just snuffs you out and niether of you would get to Heaven. Would you rather this third option rather than have your own flesh and blood being poked by demons (to use a cartoonish metaphor) and despairing in some spiritual darkness even if you got to go to Heaven?

And what about if we took it further, what about a village of starving African villagers? Would you undergo this punishment so this village of 200 can escape being damned? What about 2,000, 200,000 people? Would anything be worth the sacrifice for you?

[Zero 7]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Say you could rewind time, and make it so your unbelieving son or daughter 'found the light' and got into Heaven instead of you - but it could only happen if you told God you wanted it to happen. You'd suffer in hell for eternity, but either way you'd still be on a different side of the gulf. I bet most people will say 'no' because, they will say, they love God more than their child (and the point of this thread is not to say there's anything wrong with that) and being with the Lord is more important. But, the catch is, if you chose not to go through with it you'd be mentally tormented by the fact your child was in excruciating pain in some 'lake of fire' for ever (God wouldn't wipe away any tears or wipe your memory). Would you still do it? And what's say God gives you a third option, that he just snuffs you out and niether of you would get to Heaven. Would you rather this third option rather than have your own flesh and blood being poked by demons (to use a cartoonish metaphor) and despairing in some spiritual darkness even if you got to go to Heaven?

And what about if we took it further, what about a village of starving African villagers? Would you undergo this punishment so this village of 200 can escape being damned? What about 2,000, 200,000 people? Would anything be worth the sacrifice for you?

Fortunately an eternal hell does not exist but if it did, I suppose I would. I would be miserable knowing they were suffering. But even then, if we changed places, wouldn't they then be miserable knowing I was suffering? The African one is a tough one, if I answer I would trade places, then the question arises, why am I not doing more now to help them.

Here's another question...there was a very close knit family of four. They loved each other beyond measure. One day when they were in a park, there was a drive-by shooting and one of the kids was killed. It basically destroyed the family. If you had a choice, would you continue on knowing one of your kids was dead or would you have preferred all 4 of you were killed right then?

[juj]

Originally Posted by Zero 7

Fortunately an eternal hell does not exist but if it did, I suppose I would. I would be miserable knowing they were suffering. But even then, if we changed places, wouldn't they then be miserable knowing I was suffering? The African one is a tough one, if I answer I would trade places, then the question arises, why am I not doing more now to help them.

Here's another question...there was a very close knit family of four. They loved each other beyond measure. One day when they were in a park, there was a drive-by shooting and one of the kids was killed. It basically destroyed the family. If you had a choice, would you continue on knowing one of your kids was dead or would you have preferred all 4 of you were killed right then?

If I was miserable, then heaven wouldn't be heaven, now would it?

[Mercury Cougar]

Well, on the same note my mom always tries to guilt-trip me, saying that she and my father are doomed to hell because I'm an atheist and that god will punish them for failing to successfully indoctrinate me into their cult. She says that when she and my father are burning in hell next to me, I'll be sorry. Heh...

[Michael Way]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Say you could rewind time, and make it so your unbelieving son or daughter 'found the light' and got into Heaven instead of you - but it could only happen if you told God you wanted it to happen. You'd suffer in hell for eternity, but either way you'd still be on a different side of the gulf. I bet most people will say 'no' because, they will say, they love God more than their child (and the point of this thread is not to say there's anything wrong with that) and being with the Lord is more important. But, the catch is, if you chose not to go through with it you'd be mentally tormented by the fact your child was in excruciating pain in some 'lake of fire' for ever (God wouldn't wipe away any tears or wipe your memory). Would you still do it? And what's say God gives you a third option, that he just snuffs you out and niether of you would get to Heaven. Would you rather this third option rather than have your own flesh and blood being poked by demons (to use a cartoonish metaphor) and despairing in some spiritual darkness even if you got to go to Heaven?

And what about if we took it further, what about a village of starving African villagers? Would you undergo this punishment so this village of 200 can escape being damned? What about 2,000, 200,000 people? Would anything be worth the sacrifice for you?

I would not trade my eternal salvation for anyone. Everyone is personally responsible for their own decisions and the consequences of those decisions. But presenting such scenarios as you have is meaningless and without purpose. Reality is what it is and I will stick with reality rather then indulge in fantasy. Those who believe in Christ will spend eternity with God and those who die without Christ will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

And people in the lake of fire will not be poked by demons metaphorically or otherwise. Unbelieving humanity and the fallen angels will all be in the same boat. Satan will not rule in the lake of fire. He and the fallen angels will simply be in the same hopeless condition as unbelieving humanity.

[SC122]

the point is moot.

[herefornow]

Originally Posted by Mike555

I would not trade my eternal salvation for anyone. Everyone is personally responsible for their own decisions and the consequences of those decisions. But presenting such scenarios as you have is meaningless and without purpose. Reality is what it is and I will stick with reality rather then indulge in fantasy. Those who believe in Christ will spend eternity with God and those who die without Christ will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

And people in the lake of fire will not be poked by demons metaphorically or otherwise. Unbelieving humanity and the fallen angels will all be in the same boat. Satan will not rule in the lake of fire. He and the fallen angels will simply be in the same hopeless condition as unbelieving humanity.

Lake of fire~~~Sea of glass

And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire

[Missy.Rivers]

Originally Posted by Trimac20

I bet most people will say 'no' because, they will say, they love God more than their child (and the point of this thread is not to say there's anything wrong with that) and being with the Lord is more important.

For the love of humanity, I hope that is not true. That makes me very sad.

Originally Posted by Trimac20

But, the catch is, if you chose not to go through with it you'd be mentally tormented by the fact your child was in excruciating pain in some 'lake of fire' for ever (God wouldn't wipe away any tears or wipe your memory).

This hypothetical question makes me very glad I don't subscribe to the fire and brimstone style of religion. What kind of cruel, sadistic God would inflict such torment? Thankfully, not one the one I know.

Originally Posted by Trimac20

Would you undergo this punishment so this village of 200 can escape being damned? What about 2,000, 200,000 people? Would anything be worth the sacrifice for you?

This part is only relivant to those who believe that the villagers are going to hell in the first place. I don't have any proof of that so the question is irrelevant (to me).

[Horn of ‘83]

Originally Posted by Mike555

I would not trade my eternal salvation for anyone. Everyone is personally responsible for their own decisions and the consequences of those decisions. But presenting such scenarios as you have is meaningless and without purpose. Reality is what it is and I will stick with reality rather then indulge in fantasy. Those who believe in Christ will spend eternity with God and those who die without Christ will spend eternity in the lake of fire.

And people in the lake of fire will not be poked by demons metaphorically or otherwise. Unbelieving humanity and the fallen angels will all be in the same boat. Satan will not rule in the lake of fire. He and the fallen angels will simply be in the same hopeless condition as unbelieving humanity.

What he said.

[sciotamicks]

Originally Posted by herefornow

Lake of fire~~~Sea of glass

And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire

herefornow,

This is faulty hermeneutics. It would behoove you to rethink what you have just said here. It is very inconsistent.