You mean besides offering us a choice (free-will)?
The opportunity of repentence/forgiveness instead of one strike-you're done? To offer a plan where fallen man can be redeemed through the sacrifice of the only perfect man to ever live (the only begotten son of the Father) so that the corrupt could be pardoned? That Christ would bear our sin and its punishment so that we don't have to?
Smoking and non-smoking are choices. Choose wisely. Les, Danny, and all the other fine folks of Tman can choose to be slow-roasted or take a seat at the table of the KIng.
It is not the desire of God that any should perish, but that all would be saved, so if we are lost we have went against the will of God, instead choosing our own will and bearing its consequences. Do the crime, do the time (eternally). Turn or burn. Accept the Man, receive the plan. Be forgiven, enter Heaven. I could go on ad infinitum lol.

Danny if you read the ( translation text as literal and as to an audience that Jesus was not speaking to)
It could and has been taken out of context of what and who Jesus was speaking to.
Even many if not most of the western teachings have been taken out of context by modern preaching.
Using eternal damnation as a fear factor thinks this is what the fear of God is speaking of.
Jesus is using the name of the valley of Gahanna where children had been sacrificed by fire.
He is speaking to a Jewish audience that needs to repent of there evil ways.
They would have understood this if they had learned from there previous judgements.
Most of them didn't repent and within 40 years the ones that did not flee from jerusalem experienced Gahanna.
He'll on earth. Just clarification on what is and has been understood by many beleavers for centuries.
The eternal fire doctrine is not the traditional belief. It was popularized early on in the religious system.

Good post Giant Sage.
I’m a non believer personally but whatever. I will confess that it amazes me how many Christians do not even know the idea of eternal damnation came centuries after the origin of the religion itself.

It’s wild as heck to me that many modern Christians, even church camps, (ask my wife lol) push the idea of burning in (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) without even realizing that it is largely Augustine’s idea.

Darkness and Pure Light cannot coexist in the same time and space.

funny thing is...YOU get to choose!

I think that's a stretch. The early church fathers were not united on exactly what hades is, but some did think it was eternal torment. Perhaps it became official catholic doctrine starting with Augustine.

Idea was wrong word to use. He most definitely popularized the idea and shaped theology with it. The early church fathers didn’t view it as a place of eternal torment.

Skinner the catholic belief is purgatory. Basically a just place of judgment equivalent to the crime we have committed. With the ability to still repent and be in God's good graces. The Catholics teach that most peaple go there with the exception of the saints. Also believing that most are eventually released with the exception of the few that refuse to repent of the evil.
I was a catholic for 20+ years and I didn't really know most of there beliefs until I met an ex nun who had be of the faith for 50 years. I left the catholic church some 13 year's ago.
Now I'm just a sinner trying to fallow the true Shepherd.

Wonder what the lake of fire is?
Eternal separation wouldn't be no cake walk either.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman), where they suffer the punishments of (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman), ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs” (CCC 1035).

Ignatius of Antioch
“Corrupters of families will not inherit the kingdom of God. And if they who do these things according to the flesh suffer death, how much more if a man corrupt by evil teaching the faith of God for the sake of which Jesus Christ was crucified? A man become so foul will depart into unquenchable fire: and so will anyone who listens to him” (Letter to the Ephesians 16:1–2 [A.D. 110]).

Second Clement
“If we do the will of Christ, we shall obtain rest; but if not, if we neglect his commandments, nothing will rescue us from eternal punishment” (Second Clement 5:5 [A.D. 150]).

“But when they see how those who have sinned and who have denied Jesus by their words or by their deeds are punished with terrible torture in unquenchable fire, the righteous, who have done good, and who have endured tortures and have hated the luxuries of life, will give glory to their God saying, ‘There shall be hope for him that has served God with all his heart!’” (ibid., 17:7).

Justin Martyr
“No more is it possible for the evildoer, the avaricious, and the treacherous to hide from God than it is for the virtuous. Every man will receive the eternal punishment or reward which his actions deserve. Indeed, if all men recognized this, no one would choose evil even for a short time, knowing that he would incur the eternal sentence of fire” (First Apology 12 [A.D. 151]).

Polycarp
“Fixing their minds on the grace of Christ, [the martyrs] despised worldly tortures and purchased eternal life with but a single hour. To them, the fire of their cruel torturers was cold. They kept before their eyes their escape from the eternal and unquenchable fire” (Martyrdom of Polycarp 2:3 [A.D. 155]).

Irenaeus
“[God will] send the spiritual forces of wickedness, and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, and the impious, unjust, lawless, and blasphemous among men into everlasting fire” (Against Heresies 1:10:1 [A.D. 189]).

So...they didn't believe in eternal torment?

Well, now you just went and stirred up a whole hornets nest by referencing the Church Fathers. The only way to refute any dissention has to be by sola scriptura and your own personal interpretation the Bible.

Skinner
I need to be careful of my wording.
In my reply to Danny. I said eternal damnation, what I meant to say was eternal fire or burning.
I do believe in eternal judgment.
As far as the Catholic beliefs on eternal judgment, I understand that the purgatory doctrine was brought in around 1200s. I believe it is based on several new testament passages. One being praying for the dead.
Like I said I really don't understand alot of what backs the catholic truditions. But at least a few don't align with what I understand from skipture.
The most interesting. Thing you posted is the catechism part where it says emediatly sinners go to (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) when they die. If this is the case, it would mean that the final throne judgment has already happened.
In this case then the preterast would have it right and that Christ has already returned.
It seems that this world contradict purgatory.

I wonder what Revelations 20 is referring to?

GS,
I had to read this about four times to interpretat it, but I think I finally figured it out. Most Christians believe we either go to hades or heaven at death. Some sects believe in soul sleep until the final judgment. Hades isn't the same as the lake of fire, however. So I'm not seeing the issue.

You may need to start another post on that one .
It could take a while.

I think John of Patmos wrote revelation after eating some rye with ergot mold on it. The precursor of LSD.

Just stating the fact that the catacism states immediate, eternal, judgemet after death. That sound pretty final.
Not a problem. Just an observation.

The weird thing to me is how catholic doctrine separates sin. It says " mortal sin" sends you straight to hades forever. I don't think there's any such thing as eternal salvation in catholic doctrine. If you die without confession of your most recent mortal sin, that's it, but scripture says we are sealed in Christ.

…. Are our ancestors burning ?

Yes, there's some problems.
Maybe the unpardonable sin could be a case for separation of sin.
Though James clearly says if you committed one your guilty of all.
I'm not saying I agree with the catholic doctrine. Just curious where it comes from in scripture.
It's probably a good idea to repent of our mortal sins. Just kidding aren't all sins mortal without being sealed.
So we should repent of all when we know we've sinned?
A hypothetical quest.

This sounds like political "word salad".