Why does someone go to Hell?

[Stan]

Hell is eternal death in rejection of Christ's salvation, so to answer your question:

Is it possible to earn Christ's forgiveness?

Yes. Christ's forgiveness is like the human heart, which begins to beat from its very conception. More than anything Christ would like to forgive you and comfort you. If you view time the way I think God views time, then Christ's suffering and crucifixion opened a door through which the rest of humanity could be forgiven and enter the kingdom of heaven.

That door is open to anyone without exception, but to pass through you need to leave behind your baggage that ties you to a Good Friday world; your attachment to Caesar's stuff (i.e. earthly prestige, wealth, power, etc.); your fear of loss (even of your own life), and your sinful acts (e.g. cruelly gossiping about people on the Internet.) I truly believe that even real monsters, mass murderers for example, could be redeemed in God's eyes if they really left behind what keeps them in a Good Friday world and began living as saints in the Kingdom of Heaven.

But what is Heaven, what comes after death? I'm not certain there is an ongoing consciousness of you after death; the afterlife may only be the remembrance of those you leave behind and God's knowledge that he made you, and will never forget you, nor cease loving you. But that doesn't necessarily mean you still exist; like Stephen Hawking proposed; you could be like a computer with broken parts that can no longer run its own OS or access its own files. Or, maybe you end up with a soul who remembers who it was and has some occupation after death. Maybe. That question honestly bothers me, because is it worth it to be redeemed in God's eyes if the outcome of death (you are eternally dead) is the same as if you'd rejected him?

 

[Betonhaus]

But what is Heaven, what comes after death? I'm not certain there is an ongoing consciousness of you after death; the afterlife may only be the remembrance of those you leave behind and God's knowledge that he made you, and will never forget you, nor cease loving you. But that doesn't necessarily mean you still exist; like Stephen Hawking proposed; you could be like a computer with broken parts that can no longer run its own OS or access its own files. Or, maybe you end up with a soul who remembers who it was and has some occupation after death. Maybe. That question honestly bothers me, because is it worth it to be redeemed in God's eyes if the outcome of death is the same as if you'd rejected him?

I figured that Heaven and/or the afterlife would be like some form of universe sandbox, where you would use the experiences accumulated over your life to construct a world full of the things you want. Want to have three monster dongs and a harem of your celebrity crushes? you got it. But everything that you create is an extension of yourself, and so their experiences are your experiences. Want to treat others like shit? you will also experience being treated like shit. You most likely would be forced to come to terms with your flaws and failings over time, and eventually learn to create a more dynamic population. I don't know if you'd be able to interact with friends and family from when you were alive, or if you would create duplicates the you can't distinguish from the real thing.

 

[Stan]

Was I not baptized into his death? Even so, should I not be raised up with Christ as a new man?

Did Christ not die for me?

That's all correct. If you want some more and better answers to your questions, I suggest the Book of Common Prayer, p. 845-862 (The Catechism.)

The section immediately thereafter, 864-878 may also be of interest to you.

 

[Anasûrimbor Kellhus]

its not somepplace you "go", its a state of being you put yourself in that you can even reach here on earth. Just look at the average troon.

 

[Stan]

I figured that Heaven and/or the afterlife would be like some form of universe sandbox, where you would use the experiences accumulated over your life to construct a world full of the things you want. Want to have three monster dongs and a harem of your celebrity crushes? you got it. But everything that you create is an extension of yourself, and so their experiences are your experiences. Want to treat others like shit? you will also experience being treated like shit. You most likely would be forced to come to terms with your flaws and failings over time, and eventually learn to create a more dynamic population. I don't know if you'd be able to interact with friends and family from when you were alive, or if you would create duplicates the you can't distinguish from the real thing.

What you're describing is a thing philosophers call The Experience Machine. I don't think it's heaven or what to expect in the afterlife, but that's my opinion.