De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

The trend to universalism is one that is increasingly noticeable among Christians today. I find friends often comment to me when a brother Catenian dies for example, that the consensus in circulated emails is that "he is in heaven now". Similarly, Bishop Alan Williams has said things like this when offering funeral masses for priests who have died. Social media is awash with people make ontologically crazy assertions about their dead relatives having gained their "angel wings". Purgatory is never mentioned. Their is no need to pray for our dead, it is game over and they are in heaven when they die - end of. You may be thinking this is impossible but it is regularly and openly preached in a next door parish to me in Rayleigh . The Bishop of Brentwood seems to be absolutely fine with this. I found it interesting that this move to Universalism - the idea of universal reconciliation – that all humans will eventually receive salvation -- is as prevalent today in evangeli...

Botticelli's Map of Hell: La Mappa dell'Inferno One of the most enduring theological debates that has coloured my Catholic perspective has been the one that considers who will go to hell. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell." ~ CCC 1033 My dear brother-in-law is a deeply intelligent man and someone who I think has been largely put off Christianity because of what he has perceived as an inherent threat in the doctrine, i.e. if you don't believe and do what we say, you will burn in hell for all eternity. He was, if I recall correctly, pleasantly surprised to discover that u...