What you’re recalling, I’m pretty sure, is Thomas Aquinas, 13th rather than 18th century. Specifically, his Summa Theologica, Third Part, Supplement, Question XCIV, “Of the Relations of the Saints Towards the Damned,” First Article, "Whether the Blessed in Heaven Will See the Sufferings of the Damned.” In which he claimed:
In fairness, I don’t think many modern Christians hold to this view. And I’m an atheist.
We’re superior beings, who can’t be assimilated to the animal kingdom. So, if it worked for Adam and Eve, why has the rest of mankind had to struggle with birth and growing up, just like any other mammal? And why doesn’t “the divine” grant an individual the right to choose whether or not s/he wants to be part of this world?
Too moronic? Luckily someone started this thread just for questions like that.
One must consider the case of those who don’t WANT to go to Heaven.
“Well, Adolf…haven’t heard from you in a long time. The Pearly Gates are right over there, wide open, but I have to tell you something; it’s full of Jews, Gypsies, gays and other random non-Aryans. About six million of them will be expecting a serious apology, and you’ll have to love them all as your brothers and sisters. Forever. Are you up for that?”
“Is there someplace else I can go instead?”
“Well, there’s really only one alternative.”
You get the idea.
This view was expressed directly to me and others on the BELIEF-L discussion list sometime in the first half of the 1990s. I’d be surprised if it’s findable on the internet but who knows.
There were two specific WBC participants, which I could name but would prefer not to flag in case of Google search; I can’t remember which of the two explicitly stated that position but it was one of them. It will surprise no one that they were eventually banned, but of course not before calling us all “Nazis” and using all variety of other colorful language.
Why do terrorists never target telemarketers?