RightReason wrote:It would be heretical to propose new theology like annihilation and soul sleep. These teachings were not taught by Christ or His Church and therefore it would be wrong to believe them.
For a long time, I was unconsciously fearful of being labeled a heretic. I think most Christians have this fear as well. I believe this fear of being labeled a heretic has silenced too many and left parishioners to simply be bobbleheads.
Sometimes it was the heretic that was right, not the ones who were burning them at the stake. We should not demonize heretics and automatically discount a position simply because it’s contrary to what “the Church” teaches.
What we should do is be willing to study the scriptures with an open mind. If scripture leads us to church doctrine, then great. But, if it does not support church doctrine, we should be willing to go where the evidence leads, not to where authority tells us.
About hell, as I’ve mentioned before, as Christians, it matters little if we believe it’s eternal or temporary, being tortured or annihilated. Our view of hell has nothing to do with salvation. No one will be denied heaven because they held an erroneous view of hell. So, we should not label someone a heretic simply because they have an unorthodox view of hell.
https://debatingchristianity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=971619#p971619