tl;dr - how can heaven be paradise if those there are aware of the suffering of others in hell?
I think that creates a paradox. My logic goes like this:
1. Heaven is for followers of Christ. It's presumably pleasant. Christ refers to it as paradise.
2. Christ's 2nd commandment is to love your neighbor. This includes even your enemies.
3. The type of love we're talking about cares deeply about the plight of others. It shares other's pain, regardless of whether the pain is deserved.
4. Not everyone goes to heaven. That leaves the rest in hell, where there is eternal suffering.
5. How does the plight of the damned not weigh on the minds of the saved? How can paradise be paradise if it is not shared by everyone?
I could contrive an argument against each point, but everything I come up with seems biblically incorrect: No one could go to heaven, no one could go to hell, hell isn't really that unbearable, heaven comes with it either an understanding of why the suffering isn't upsetting or it comes with an ignorance of the suffering of others, once a non-follower passes your obligation to love them expires with them. None of these seem satisfactory.
The point about enemies isn't necessary for the paradox. Plenty of Christians have non-Christian family members. What solace is there for them?
Does this problem have a name? What are the answers to it?
Asked by Paul Jackson
(119 rep)
Apr 30, 2024, 08:01 PM
Last activity: May 1, 2024, 12:37 PM
Last activity: May 1, 2024, 12:37 PM