A Brief History of Hell
Before we begin our examination of the arguments given against hell, it will be helpful to trace the development of eschatological thinking, from the earliest recorded speculations about the next world to contemporary attitudes. In this historical prelude we will chronicle the interplay of the various motifs--justice, love, punishment, and reformation--which characterize the modern debate. We will discover that both belief in and denial of hell have ancient pedigrees, and that the philosophical motivations for contemporary positions find their genesis in arguments of centuries past.
Hell The Logic Of Damnation
Genuine concern about hell seems to be lost in our past, along with powdered wigs and witch trials. Although the doctrine has held a significant place in most traditional theology, probably no part of the Christian creed has been so widely abandoned, especially by theologians. Recently, however, there has been renewed interest in the doctrine, and theologians have been pressed to deal with it. Jerry L. Walls argues in this book that some traditional views of hell are still defensible and can be believed with intellectual and moral integrity. Focusing on the issues from the standpoint of philosophical theology, Walls explores the doctrine of hell in relation to both the divine nature and human nature. He argues, with respect to the divine nature, that some traditional versions of the doctrine are compatible not only with God's omnipotence and omniscience, but also with a strong account of His perfect goodness. The concept of divine goodness receives special attention since the doctrine of hell is most often rejected on moral grounds. In addition, Walls maintains that the doctrine of hell is intelligible from the standpoint of human freedom, since the idea of a decisive choice of evil is a coherent one. Finally, the book addresses ontological questions: what is the nature of the suffering in hell? Is it only psychological and emotional, or does it also include a physical dimension? Informed by historical theology and Biblical interpretation, as well as philosophical theology, Walls concludes by arguing that the traditional doctrine of hell should not be abandoned unless the case against it is clear and compelling, both scripturally and philosopically. Because it involves claims of such immense importance, he continues, regardless of whether it is reclaimed of discarded, it cannot be responsibly ignored.
Do Potential People Have Moral Rights?
By a potential person I shall mean an entity which is not now a person but which is capable of developing into a person, given certain biologically and/or technologically possible conditions. This is admittedly a narrower sense than some would attach to the term ‘potential'. After all, people of the twenty-fifth century, if such there will be, are in some sense potential people now, even though the specific biological entities from which they will develop, i.e. the particular gametes or concepti, do not yet exist. For there do exist, in the reproductive capacities of people now living and in the earth's resources, conditions adequate to produce these future people eventually, provided of course that various possible catastrophes are avoided. Indeed, in some sense of ‘potential’ there have been countless billions of potential people from the beginning of time. But I am concerned not with such remote potentialities but with currently existing entities that are capable of developing into people.