The Problems of Disbelievers in Heaven and Believers in Hell

What should God do to heaven-dwellers who disbelieve that he exists? What should God do to hell-dwellers who believe that he exists? Theists might give the following answers: (i) since heaven-dwellers see God, they cannot but believe that he exists; (ii) God sends disbelievers in heaven to hell and believers in hell to heaven; (iii) heaven-dwellers are so virtuous that they cannot but believe that God exists, and hell-dwellers are so vicious that they cannot but disbelieve that he exists. I argue that all of these answers are untenable.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Symposion
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5840/symposion20251213
Primary Topic
Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Problems of Disbelievers in Heaven and Believers in Hell

Seungbae Park
Symposion
Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
article

The Problems of Disbelievers in Heaven and Believers in Hell

Seungbae Park
article en

Abstract

What should God do to heaven-dwellers who disbelieve that he exists? What should God do to hell-dwellers who believe that he exists? Theists might give the following answers: (i) since heaven-dwellers see God, they cannot but believe that he exists; (ii) God sends disbelievers in heaven to hell and believers in hell to heaven; (iii) heaven-dwellers are so virtuous that they cannot but believe that God exists, and hell-dwellers are so vicious that they cannot but disbelieve that he exists. I argue that all of these answers are untenable.

SymposionVol. 12(1)
Openalex Percentile: Top 88%
Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
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The Problems of Disbelievers in Heaven and Believers in Hell — Seungbae Park · Symposion (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS