# If Hell does exist will I be doomed there for eternity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 17, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163 "2003-09-17T16:26:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NightUK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c67d28/32.png) [@NightUK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NightUK)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/1 "2003-09-17T16:26:03Z")
I was christened a catholic, I have no real belief in religion but would say I am a good hearted man. I’m 26, I’ve grew up in a rough area of the UK and somehow managed never to steel, never to attack or purposely hurt someone unless I was attacked first (only happend twice), I’ve had sex before marriage and numerous one night stands. I’ve never paid for sex or been paid. I’ve taken drugs for personal use but never encouraged on others, I’ve even seen someone drop belongings (once about £100) and chased the person up to pass them there money. I’ve never prayed for 3 years and that was only once and askin for the girl of my dreams at the time (which came true suprisingly). I over tip people even if I cant afford it. I respect my friends and would never lie intentionally to them. So my question is this. If Hell does exist will I be doomed there for eternity? ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/2 "2003-09-17T16:36:14Z")
It depends. If there’s a Hell but no Purgatory, you’re headed for Hell. If there’s a Purgatory, I think you may have to chill there for a few lifetimes. ---
**Author:** ![scule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@scule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scule)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/3 "2003-09-17T16:39:53Z")
You said you were christened a Catholic? Assuming you mean baptized, then you already bought your plane ticket to heaven. Baptism is how you are “saved”, so as long as you ask for forgiveness at some point, you’re in. Nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/4 "2003-09-17T16:56:08Z")
OK, so what if he never asks for forgiveness? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/5 "2003-09-17T16:56:50Z")
Dante found a way out. Trinopus ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/6 "2003-09-17T17:16:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*OK, so what if he never asks for forgiveness? \*\* I’d say that a just and forgiving God would see the OP as the required act of contrition. It doesn’t take a lot. OTOH, there are advantages to believing that Hell is only in ones mind. Granted, the mind of somebody bound for Hell is no place to spend any time… ---
**Author:** ![NightUK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c67d28/32.png) [@NightUK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NightUK)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/7 "2003-09-17T17:26:42Z")
Class so on my death bed, I’ll ask for forgiveness and I’m saved…yeah I mean baptised, see how much I know! I lost faith at the age of 13 when I asked my priest a question he couldnt answer. I might post it as a new thread to see what people say. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/8 "2003-09-17T17:30:22Z")
Many Christians believe the only way to avoid Hell is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior; baptism alone doesn’t cut it. > [@](#): > > Class so on my death bed, I’ll ask for forgiveness and I’m saved… What if you get hit by a car and die instantly? ---
**Author:** ![NightUK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c67d28/32.png) [@NightUK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NightUK)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/9 "2003-09-17T17:52:02Z")
Then after every sin I’ll ask for forgiveness? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/10 "2003-09-17T18:00:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dropzone \* > **I’d say that a just and forgiving God would see the OP as the required act of contrition. It doesn’t take a lot.** So why bother going to the church and confessing and all that? Nor does there seem to be any need for the Last Rites either, if He’s that nice! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/11 "2003-09-17T18:08:19Z")
According to the catechisms I was taught, if you die with a Mortal Sin on your soul, you get the oone-way ticket to Hell for eternity. If you’re lucky enough to have confessed and been forgiven, then you get a Get Out of Hell Free card. Except to the period you have to spend in Purgatory for temporal punishment that hasn’t been erased. It all seems so incredibly arbitray – If you die after a complete and heartfelt confession, you’re saved, no matter how bad a life you’ve lead; die on your way home from committing a mortal sin, and you’re screwed, no matter how exemplary your life otherwise – that I have difficulty in believing it myself, and in believing that any thinking and compassionate person could accept it uncritically. Me, I’m going to Agnostic Heaven. We’re never sure if we’re there or not, 'cause we can’t prove it. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/12 "2003-09-17T18:09:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NightUK \* > \*\*Then after every sin I’ll ask for forgiveness? \*\* Implicit in asking forgiveness is an attitude of repentance – turning away from your wrongdoing. If you ask for forgiveness but continue in your sin, you haven’t repented, and you’re not contrite, so your request was ingenuous. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/13 "2003-09-17T18:12:19Z")
Wait… do I mean disgenuous? ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/14 "2003-09-17T18:58:52Z")
Let’s clarify something for the Catholic standpoint: dying with a mortal sin on your soul is not _prima facie_ evidence that one is going to hell. An important factor is whether the person is penitent at the time of death. Consider: you commit a mortal sin, realize your error, and hop in the car to drive to the confessional. (Interesting point: confession doesn’t work over the phone.) You’re praying Hail Marys on the way, but you’re unfortunately killed by a drunken idiot who’s driving while talking on a cellphone shortly before you can make it to the confessional. Going to hell? Not likely. I’ve always understood that having the penitential spirit will save you in that situation. (I imagine that there are those of you asking, “OK, so why go to confession?” The short answer is that forgiveness still requires the active _act_ of seeking forgiveness; that is, going directly to God and asking for it. Hence, Catholics are expected to go seek forgiveness from a Priest, who is considered God’s duly authorized agent on Earth.) ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/15 "2003-09-17T19:10:54Z")
> [@](#): > > You said you were christened a Catholic? Assuming you mean baptized, then you already bought your plane ticket to heaven. Baptism is how you are “saved”, so as long as you ask for forgiveness at some point, you’re in. Nothing to worry about. What catholic church did you go to? This is most definitely not what I;'ve heard in my catechism. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/16 "2003-09-17T19:14:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > **The short answer is that forgiveness still requires the active _act_ of seeking forgiveness; that is, going directly to God and asking for it.** In that case, wouldn’t it make more sense to pray to _God_ for forgiveness than to confess to a member of the clergy? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/17 "2003-09-17T19:28:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*So why bother going to the church and confessing and all that? Nor does there seem to be any need for the Last Rites either, if He’s that nice! \*\* (Do you guys in the UK play Charades? I’m tapping my nose.) We Lutherans don’t consider either a sacrament. Confession can be done at any time by the realization that you have done wrong, a sincere commitment to do better, and restitution for any injury you caused. However, there is an understanding that we, as humans, are imperfect and the occasional screwup will happen and God is understanding about it. There were theological reasons I left The Mother Church. For instance, I never thought Hell, as the ultimate home for the lion’s share of humanity, was consistent with a just and forgiving God. Purgartory was made up in late Roman times. For NightUK to live in fear of eternity in Hell because of a few youthful indiscretions comes from an upbringing in a belief system I was also raised in but now find repulsive. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/18 "2003-09-17T19:44:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Me, I’m going to Agnostic Heaven. We’re never sure if we’re there or not, 'cause we can’t prove it. Cal, I’m adding this to my list of sigs to borrow if I ever start using sigs again. ---
**Author:** ![Svt4Him](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@Svt4Him](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svt4Him)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/19 "2003-09-17T20:02:29Z")
I think you will need to seperate doctrines of a denomination from Biblical truth. Nor from Ray Comfort: “How can you know that you are saved?” A two-year-old boy was once staring at a heater, fascinated by its bright orange glow. His father saw him and warned, “Don’t touch that heater, son. It may look pretty, but it’s hot.” The little boy believed him, and moved away from the heater. Some time later, after his father had left the room, the boy thought, “I wonder if it really is hot.” He then reached out to touch it and see for himself. The second his flesh burned, he stopped believing it was hot; he now knew it was hot! He had moved out of the realm of belief into the realm of experience. Christians believed in God’s existence before their conversion. However, when they obeyed the Word of God, turned from their sins, and embraced Jesus Christ, they stopped merely believing. The moment they reached out and touched the heater bar of God’s mercy, they moved out of belief into the realm of experience. This experience is so radical, Jesus referred to it as being “born again.” The Bible says that those who don’t know God are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18). We are born with physical life, but not spiritual life. Picture unbelievers as corpses walking around who, by repenting and placing their faith in Christ, receive His very life. There is a radical difference between a corpse and a living, breathing human, just as there is when sinners pass from spiritual death to life. The apostle Paul said if you are “in Christ,” you are a brand new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). Those who now have God’s Spirit living in them will love what He loves and desire to do His will; they will have a hunger for His Word, a love for other believers, and a burden for the lost. The Holy Spirit also confirms in their spirit that they are now children of God (Romans 8:16). Those who believe on the name of the Son of God can know that they have eternal life (1 John 5:12,13). Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “My speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4,5). What Paul was saying was, “I deliberately didn’t talk you into your faith, but I let God’s power transform you.” He didn’t reach them through an intellectual assent, but through the realm of personal experience. Suppose two people—a heater manufacturer and a skin specialist—walked into the room just after that child had burned his hand on the heater. Both assured the boy that he couldn’t possibly have been burned. But all the experts, theories, and arguments in the world will not dissuade that boy, because of his experience. Those who have been transformed by God’s power need never fear scientific or other arguments, because the man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument. “For our gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance . . .” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163/20 "2003-09-17T21:21:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Svt4Him \* > **the man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument.** So I guess a schizophrenic who hears his dog telling him to kill people really _is_ in possession of a talking dog, then? He did experience the dog talking, after all. Experiences can be false. People can misinterpret what they experience, or experience things that aren’t real. People can be deluded by others, or even self-deluded. Conclusion: A sound argument trumps an experience every time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-hell-does-exist-will-i-be-doomed-there-for-eternity/202163.md?page=2)