An ex-pastor had
written that it is child abuse to teach a child that:
·
God…will send a person to eternal conscious
torment (Hell) as punishment for them not believing and following a prescribed
set of beliefs or practices. In my view, teaching this to a child is
psychological abuse.
Such attacks on the
Christian faith are common, and I think that they need to be answered.
Is teaching children
about hell child abuse? It would be abusive if there was nothing that they
could do about avoiding hell, but the remedy is simple:
·
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8–9)
Simple, right! But
if teaching about hell and eternal life are abusive, certainly teaching that
death ends everything – mom, dad, and family – is even more abusive. Why? There
is absolutely no remedy, no eternity, just the heartless grave.
Is it also child
abuse to teach our children to not take candy from strangers who pull up in
their car? Is it child abuse to teach them about other threatening dangers? It
depends upon whether these are really threats that can be avoided.
Is the eternal
punishment “eternal conscious torment” as
this ex-pastor had claimed? There is far more in the Bible about the finality of
perishing, death, and destruction. In fact, I have not been able to find one clear
and unequivocal verse teaching “eternal conscious torment.” If there is such a verse, please let me know! Perhaps
our Lord is not the “beast” that some say He is?
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