Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 7

THE STATE JOURNAL Monday, April 18, 1960 7 Lansing. Michigan Is Hell Eternal? Theologians Report on Stu dy Catholic church and most Fundamentalist Protestant By LOUIS CASSELS (United Press International) Is hell a place of eternal punishment, to which unrepentant sinners are con signed at death. eventual universal salvation into a belief that "it doesn't matter how we live now because everyone is going to heaven willy-nilly." "The longer a man continues in rebellion, the harder it becomes to turn and seek forgiveness," the theologians said. "It, may be that some will remain unrepentant to the very end and finally and irreparably reject God's love in Jesus Christ." Taking all of these things into account, the commission asked: "May we dare to hope that beyond death there is opportunity for repentance leading to salvation?" In other words, it is possible that hell is a place where sinners are punished for their own ultimate good, and where they may hope for a second chance after they have been "awakened and find a way whereby all men may eventually come to repentance and eternal salvation," the commission concluded. it warned, "we dare not hold out this possibility as a promise to sinners in such a way as to allay their guilt or encourage them to presume upon God's patient love." It wouW be infinitely dangerous for any lighthearted sinner to twist the doctrine of The commission said Ihere are passages in the New Testament, particularly in St.

Paul's letters, which seem to support such a view. And it is theologically Compatible with the "total revelation of God's eternal purpose seen in the Christ who suffered, died and rose' again for us." SINNERS WARNED "We believe in the boundless love of God, and therefore we may hope that He will -tew which they can escape? Congregationalist churches. Its report has been published in a 125-page booklet entitled "Life and Death A Study of the Christian Hope." NO PAT "ANSWERS Anyone who turns to this report seeking pat answers will be disappointed. The commission concluded that the Bible does not provide "a Baedeker's guide to the next world" and that no particular doctrine of final judgment can be conclusively proved by scriptural texts. On one hand, it said, Christians and dare not deny the reality of hell." Jesus may have been "speaking sym- arp But some Christians cannot accept the idea that hell has a one-way door.

They believe that God's love for His human children is such that He intends for all of them ultimately to be saved. Both viewpoints have been tinder intensive study during the past five year's by a special commission of 43 Protestant The commission was appointed by the United Church of Canada, a denomination created in 1925 by the merger of Canadian Methodist, Presbyterian and passages in the Bible seem to say it is. and this iev been! i poratedi in the tram- Cassels tional teachings of many Christian bodies, including the bolically" in His parables about the last judgment, but His teachings add up to an unmistakable warning that men face a "final reckoning before God." He made it crystal clear that "sin is a desperately serious matter and must have dire consequences" for the unrepentant sinner. Moi eover, the Canadian theologians said, the concept of punishment after-death is not inconsistent with God nature as a loving and merciful Father. "Some form of punishment, in the next world if not in this, may be necessary if sinners are to be brought to a realization of what their rebellion has meant to God in the rejection of His love and the frustration of His purpose" the report said.

"REDEMPTIVE PURPOSE'' On the other hand, the commission said, "It is practically impossible for us to think of divine punishment that does not have a redemptive purpose." All that Christ taught about God seems to argue against the notion that He would inflect eternal punish-, ment "simply as a recompense for evil done" by men in their earthly lives, it added. Where They Are Now HE LOVES USED CARS BUT HE'S NEAR-SIGHTED BOY, CAN WE DEAL HERE AT O'SHAUGHNESSEY'S Signed THE SALESMEN COME IN AND DRIVE THE MOBILGAS ECONOMY WINNERS All 5 Cars Handled by O'Shaughnessey's Are Winners in Their LAYMAN Pfc. Frank E. Lay man, son of Mr. and Mrs.

Lewis HAYES Harvey LeRoy Hayes, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. R. Hayes, 4516 S.

Logan st, is undergoing training at Fort Knox, after enlisting in the army on April 7. AT FORMOSA Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dickson W. Alderton, son of Mr.

and Mrs. George S. Alderton, 4990 Mohawk Oke- L-lass: Pfc. Donald Karns. 1527 N.

Larch Pfc. Kenneth R. Young, son of Raymond Young, 6152 S. Pine Pfc. Michael Trudeau of Mason; and Pfc.

Michael Baker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Baker of R. 1, East Lansing, all took part recently in the 150-mile "Desert to the Sea" hike made by units of the first marine division. FREEMAN Gene C.

Freeman, son of Mrs. Beatrice D. McNabb of Eaton Rapids has completed a food service course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. CEYER Pfc. Ellis G.

Geyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis J. Geyer of 718 Julia recently participated in the airborne exercises conducted by the 8th infantry division in France. mos; Robert A.

Boyd, son ot Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Boyd of 37371 Meridian Okemos; Marine! Pfc.

Gtrold R. McKenzie, son of; Mr. and Mrs. Leonard R. Mc-i Layman of 1302 Ballard recently attended a religious retreat at Berchtesgaden, Germany.

McDONALD Robert J. McDonald, son of Kenneth J. McDonald of Hastings, is receiving individual training in light-weapons at Fort Ord, Cal. TROUT Wesley A. Trout, son of Mr.

and Mrs. Roy E. Trout of 1019 Climax has graduated from opticalman and instrumenlman school at Great Lakes, 111. FLYNN Patrick L. Flynn, son of Mr.

and Mrs. Leo Flynn of 1543 Roosevelt has completed recruit training at the navy center, San Diego, Cal. cassy? Plymouth 6 V-8 Valiant Dan O'Shaughnessey 235 S. GRAND Jake the Near-Sighted Appraiser Kenzie of 1019 Hickory Walter R. Kepler, son of Mr.

and Mrs. Carl D. Kepler, 418 Winifred Navy Lt. (j. Wade C.

Stevens, son of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd E. Stevens, 249 Milford stand Larry Moeggenberg, son of Mr. and Mrs.

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ft 1 7" I 1 fi UUU" til I 1 DWiwiMirt IllililUdlllllllflllllllllllllliull I i lf1r svw--uwlv mm, 'w Spaulding Olson SPAULDING James F. Spaulding, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. F.

Spaulding, R. 1, Muir, is electronics school at Jacksonville, Fla. IN LONG HIKE Pfc. David L. Casler, son of Mr.

and Mrs. O. J. Casler, 1128 Dak in st; Nixon Mum On Ag Plan May Not Reveal Program For Agriculture Until July WASHINGTON, April 18 IE-Vice President Richard AI. Nixon apparently is going to keep his new farm program under wraps until the Republican national convention platform committee meets in July.

Nixon is reported to have told interested Republicans he" feels bound to support the Eisenhower administration program in this session of congress. He is said to- have added that he has no intention of premit-ting Democrats to start shooting at any policy differences he anay have with secretary of agricul The big difference is FDLTER-BLEMO si on has it no ture Ezra Taft Benson until he comes within hailing distance of the presidential nomination he expects to get at the convention. One of the obvious reasons why Nixon is reluctant to go into North Dakota to campaign for Gov. John E. Davis in a special June 28 senatorial election is that he could be certain to face questions there on whether he backs Benson's lower price support ideas.

Nixon's Republican friends are convinced the vice president is veering away from the Benson formula. But they don't know much about what he may come up with. Publiclv. he has said ciTr thst h2 riming at a pro- 'gram which would give farmers their full share of prosperity without sacrificing their independence to the government. Nixon was said to have been disappointed recently when former Rep.

Clifford R. Hope of Kansas turned down an invitation to head a committe to draft definite proposals. Hope, a former chairman of the house agriculture committee who disagrees with Benson's policies, was said to have agreed to act only as a part time adviser. Stellato to Seek Seat hi Congress DETROIT, April 18 Ut Carl Stellato, president of the huge Ford U.A.W. Local 600.

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