Is it a sin for a Christian to tell someone to go to Hell? Is there ever a justification for telling someone to go to Hell?
It’s hard for me to think of telling someone to go to Hell as a sin. One, nobody really means it when they say it. Lots, if not most, of the people who say it don’t even believe in Hell. Two, anyone who does believe in the existence of Hell knows that they hardly have the power to condemn someone to damnation. So they don’t really mean it. They actually mean “I’m kind of annoyed with you, so would you please get lost?”
Now, of course, expressing one’s anger (or even getting angry) can be sinful, depending on the circumstances, but that’s a different question.
Isn’t this exactly what makes it a sin? The person saying it is usurping the authority of God to condemn.
It would be if they were actually doing that, i.e., usurping the authority of God, but I think they’re just expressing exasperation with a common phrase. The speaker has no intent to usurp the authority of God.
I would say yes, it is a sin. Telling someone to go to Hell is an expression of contempt or hatred that is incompatible with loving your neighbor.
(Potentially relevant Biblical cite: Matthew 5:22)
it depends on the context
wishing a living person to go to hell out of spite=sin
wishing hellish punishment on sinners (living or dead)=perhaps not sin
the reasoning behind this is laid out in dante’s inferno. dante in his journey into hell, is commended when he kicks a sinner or lashes out against one of the damned as he is embodying devine justice and punishment. this is a bit of a stretch, but it’s what came to mind when i read this thread. also, dante may not be the best source for modern christian doctrine.
Sorry, I can’t buy this. Wishing hellish punishment on sinners has got to be a big, big sin, as opposed to just getting a bit pissed off and telling someone to go to hell.
Even God (as defined by Christians, particularly Catholics – for obvious reasons, we’re going to have to leave the Calvinists out of this) doesn’t wish hellish punishment on sinners. Those who end up in Hell (assuming that anyone does – this isn’t the place for a discussion of the possibility of universal salvation) will their own punishment. But it is God’s will that all souls end up with Him in Heaven.
yeah i have to agree with that. i was just trying to play devil’s advocate (pun intended) 
Ahh, go to- I mean, go jump inna’ lake!
True Blue Jack 
In general terms, wishing evil upon someone is a failure to love them, which is sinful.
Wishing them to go to hell is wishing a great deal of evil upon them. I don’t think that the sinfulness of it has anything to do with usurping the divine function of judgment.
So “may you rot in hell for all eternity” may be sinful, but only for the same reason that “may you fall off your bicycle on the way home from work and graze both your knees” is sinful.
“Go to hell”, when not meant seriously and used in a context in which it cannot be understood as being meant seriousy, is not sinful.