Do you think having an abortion will mean you are going to hell?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This keeps me up at night.

My guess is if you believe in hell then you likely believe in a God that does not condone abortion. I believe in a forgiving God and I hope you do as well. That said, forgiveness stems from repentance and repentance is deeply personal. Much stems from how an individual came to the sin in the first place. I imagine being young and coerced into abortion is different from aborting due to inconvenience. Certainly women rationalize it in their heads in different ways. People enter into abortions from so very many angles that I can only assume coming to terms with it, in some cases rationalizing it, would also be very different. First you need to find your peace. When you do you will be best able to explain your story and speak with someone who can guide you to a forgiveness, if that's what you seek.

So my answer is no, I do not believe you are going to hell. I do believe that abortion is a grave act completely counter to God's creation, but I believe God understands the weaknesses of our humanity and will forgive if we admit we acted wrongly and pledge to move forward in a new way.

And we can act wrongly over and over again and God will forgive us because he knows we're weak. The important things is that we believe in him. He can't forgive us for not believing in him.

Why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL no it doesn't work that way

It most certainly does. God knows his people are sinners and he forgives them as long as they are sorry and continue to believe in Jesus as their savior. If they are sorry, or stop committing so many sins but no longer believe in Jesus, then he does not forgive them. Those people don't care, because they no longer believe in salvation, but God is still keeping track of them and will punish them after they die for their lack of belief, no matter how good they were compared to faithful Christians.

My God is not that petty.

You decided that christian beliefs are petty and invented your own god

No, I decided your version of Christianity is petty and wrong.

Well, again that's nice, but "what you decided" has no basis in fact or reality.

Sure it does, just as much as yours does. I've read the Bible. I'm good at interpreting words. Lots of Christians disagree with you on this.

So what -- Christianity is not a popularity contest.

So you should stop pretending this is what all Christians believe.

They are standard Christian beliefs and it's pretty obvious from this thread that not all Christians believe them. Some people make up their own beliefs.

They're not standard for my Protestant church. Are you one of those born again types?

You mean the "type" that follows God's word?

So your version of Christianity is the only right way. You dismiss many mainstream Christian churches. You're Shiite Christian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think of things in terms of will this help me get to heaven or not. Having an abortion will not help you get to heaven. But I don't think it means you automatically go to hell. Do things that will help you get into heaven. Be a blessing to others and love God.

Nice words, but it's really not that complicated, in terms of avoiding hell. All you have to do is ask forgiveness. People do it all the time, over and over again.

So if Hitler asked for forgiveness, and meant it, that would be ok?

(I am NOT comparing OP to Hitler. I am simply curious how far forgiveness goes.)

Christianity says yes.

But this is not to say that all would be ok. Hitler would still have a lot to answer for if he ever met god

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL no it doesn't work that way

It most certainly does. God knows his people are sinners and he forgives them as long as they are sorry and continue to believe in Jesus as their savior. If they are sorry, or stop committing so many sins but no longer believe in Jesus, then he does not forgive them. Those people don't care, because they no longer believe in salvation, but God is still keeping track of them and will punish them after they die for their lack of belief, no matter how good they were compared to faithful Christians.

My God is not that petty.

You decided that christian beliefs are petty and invented your own god

No, I decided your version of Christianity is petty and wrong.

Well, again that's nice, but "what you decided" has no basis in fact or reality.

Sure it does, just as much as yours does. I've read the Bible. I'm good at interpreting words. Lots of Christians disagree with you on this.

So what -- Christianity is not a popularity contest.

So you should stop pretending this is what all Christians believe.

They are standard Christian beliefs and it's pretty obvious from this thread that not all Christians believe them. Some people make up their own beliefs.

It's not what we were taught in our "standard" Episcopal church.

Some churches make up their own beliefs too. You mean that the church you went to didn't teach that Jesus came to save us as long as we believed in him?

So the Episcopalians just made it up because your way is the only way. We were taught that Jesus came to save us, but not that no believers go to hell just for not believing.

[Anonymous]

I think that pregnancy is a gift but parenthood is a sacred responsibility. In other words, it not the biology of the union that matters - it is the commitment to raising the child (or seeing that the child is raised appropriately) that matters. Pregnancy is wonderful, parenthood is sacred.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This keeps me up at night.

My guess is if you believe in hell then you likely believe in a God that does not condone abortion. I believe in a forgiving God and I hope you do as well. That said, forgiveness stems from repentance and repentance is deeply personal. Much stems from how an individual came to the sin in the first place. I imagine being young and coerced into abortion is different from aborting due to inconvenience. Certainly women rationalize it in their heads in different ways. People enter into abortions from so very many angles that I can only assume coming to terms with it, in some cases rationalizing it, would also be very different. First you need to find your peace. When you do you will be best able to explain your story and speak with someone who can guide you to a forgiveness, if that's what you seek.

So my answer is no, I do not believe you are going to hell. I do believe that abortion is a grave act completely counter to God's creation, but I believe God understands the weaknesses of our humanity and will forgive if we admit we acted wrongly and pledge to move forward in a new way.

And we can act wrongly over and over again and God will forgive us because he knows we're weak. The important things is that we believe in him. He can't forgive us for not believing in him.

Why not?

Yes! Seriously, why not? If you believe that He forgives us because He knows that we are weak, why do you you think that wouldn't extend to our "weakness" that is not believing in Him? Doesn't that seem, I don't know, a little manipulative on the part of whoever cobbled together your theology? "We're all cool as long as we're not atheists, guys!"

[Anonymous]

A fetus has its own, individual DNA from the moment of conception, whether it was conceived naturally or it was conceived in a fertility clinic lab.

Not the mom's DNA. Not the "host's" DNA. But its own separate, unique, human DNA.

The vehemently pro choice viewpoint is contrary to the laws of science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A fetus has its own, individual DNA from the moment of conception, whether it was conceived naturally or it was conceived in a fertility clinic lab.

Not the mom's DNA. Not the "host's" DNA. But its own separate, unique, human DNA.

The vehemently pro choice viewpoint is contrary to the laws of science.

The vehemently pro-choice viewpoint never denied that a fetus has unique DNA. We just don't think that gives it greater rights than those of the woman whose body it is inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This keeps me up at night.

I don't believe in hell, so no.

[Anonymous]

This thread illustrates the quote, "Hell is other people" quite nicely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This keeps me up at night.

My guess is if you believe in hell then you likely believe in a God that does not condone abortion. I believe in a forgiving God and I hope you do as well. That said, forgiveness stems from repentance and repentance is deeply personal. Much stems from how an individual came to the sin in the first place. I imagine being young and coerced into abortion is different from aborting due to inconvenience. Certainly women rationalize it in their heads in different ways. People enter into abortions from so very many angles that I can only assume coming to terms with it, in some cases rationalizing it, would also be very different. First you need to find your peace. When you do you will be best able to explain your story and speak with someone who can guide you to a forgiveness, if that's what you seek.

So my answer is no, I do not believe you are going to hell. I do believe that abortion is a grave act completely counter to God's creation, but I believe God understands the weaknesses of our humanity and will forgive if we admit we acted wrongly and pledge to move forward in a new way.

And we can act wrongly over and over again and God will forgive us because he knows we're weak. The important things is that we believe in him. He can't forgive us for not believing in him.

I feel like way too many Christians use "weakness" when they mean laziness.

Granted I'm not religious at all, but coming from a Muslim background, this lack of accountability approach is so completely foreign and disconcerting to me. The "died for our sins" thing is confusing and weird. Back when I believed, it was "my sins on my watch."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL no it doesn't work that way

It most certainly does. God knows his people are sinners and he forgives them as long as they are sorry and continue to believe in Jesus as their savior. If they are sorry, or stop committing so many sins but no longer believe in Jesus, then he does not forgive them. Those people don't care, because they no longer believe in salvation, but God is still keeping track of them and will punish them after they die for their lack of belief, no matter how good they were compared to faithful Christians.

My God is not that petty.

You decided that christian beliefs are petty and invented your own god

No, I decided your version of Christianity is petty and wrong.

Well, again that's nice, but "what you decided" has no basis in fact or reality.

Sure it does, just as much as yours does. I've read the Bible. I'm good at interpreting words. Lots of Christians disagree with you on this.

So what -- Christianity is not a popularity contest.

So you should stop pretending this is what all Christians believe.

They are standard Christian beliefs and it's pretty obvious from this thread that not all Christians believe them. Some people make up their own beliefs.

It's not what we were taught in our "standard" Episcopal church.

Some churches make up their own beliefs too. You mean that the church you went to didn't teach that Jesus came to save us as long as we believed in him?

So the Episcopalians just made it up because your way is the only way. We were taught that Jesus came to save us, but not that no believers go to hell just for not believing.

Who does go to hell in your Church, or have they decided against hell all together, and just teach heaven?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This keeps me up at night.

My guess is if you believe in hell then you likely believe in a God that does not condone abortion. I believe in a forgiving God and I hope you do as well. That said, forgiveness stems from repentance and repentance is deeply personal. Much stems from how an individual came to the sin in the first place. I imagine being young and coerced into abortion is different from aborting due to inconvenience. Certainly women rationalize it in their heads in different ways. People enter into abortions from so very many angles that I can only assume coming to terms with it, in some cases rationalizing it, would also be very different. First you need to find your peace. When you do you will be best able to explain your story and speak with someone who can guide you to a forgiveness, if that's what you seek.

So my answer is no, I do not believe you are going to hell. I do believe that abortion is a grave act completely counter to God's creation, but I believe God understands the weaknesses of our humanity and will forgive if we admit we acted wrongly and pledge to move forward in a new way.

And we can act wrongly over and over again and God will forgive us because he knows we're weak. The important things is that we believe in him. He can't forgive us for not believing in him.

Why not?

Yes! Seriously, why not? If you believe that He forgives us because He knows that we are weak, why do you you think that wouldn't extend to our "weakness" that is not believing in Him? Doesn't that seem, I don't know, a little manipulative on the part of whoever cobbled together your theology? "We're all cool as long as we're not atheists, guys!"

The theology about the need to believe in Jesus to be saved is hardly cobbled together. It's modern interpretations that are cobbled together. Obviously, religions, like so many other things influenced by humans, change over time, but God sent Jesus over 2,000 years ago to be our savior as long as we believed in him. That hasn't changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This keeps me up at night.

I don't believe in hell, so no.

do you believe in Heaven?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL no it doesn't work that way

It most certainly does. God knows his people are sinners and he forgives them as long as they are sorry and continue to believe in Jesus as their savior. If they are sorry, or stop committing so many sins but no longer believe in Jesus, then he does not forgive them. Those people don't care, because they no longer believe in salvation, but God is still keeping track of them and will punish them after they die for their lack of belief, no matter how good they were compared to faithful Christians.

My God is not that petty.

You decided that christian beliefs are petty and invented your own god

No, I decided your version of Christianity is petty and wrong.

Well, again that's nice, but "what you decided" has no basis in fact or reality.

Sure it does, just as much as yours does. I've read the Bible. I'm good at interpreting words. Lots of Christians disagree with you on this.

So what -- Christianity is not a popularity contest.

So you should stop pretending this is what all Christians believe.

They are standard Christian beliefs and it's pretty obvious from this thread that not all Christians believe them. Some people make up their own beliefs.

It's not what we were taught in our "standard" Episcopal church.

Some churches make up their own beliefs too. You mean that the church you went to didn't teach that Jesus came to save us as long as we believed in him?

So the Episcopalians just made it up because your way is the only way. We were taught that Jesus came to save us, but not that no believers go to hell just for not believing.

Who does go to hell in your Church, or have they decided against hell all together, and just teach heaven?

They teach that people who do bad stuff and don't repent go to hell. Not that good people who don't believe go to hell. Duh.