Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Back and forth on Limbo

A Doctrine in Limbo » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

You can read a long discussion here on the exact nature of the Catholic Church's teaching on Limbo.

All quite arcane, but of some interest.

It also reminds me: in a book I never quite finished on the history of Christianity in Japan, the point was made that the Jesuits found one of the greatest problems was getting people to accept the teaching that their deceased ancestors, who had never heard of Jesus Christ, were simply never able to reach heaven by an unfortunate circumstance of the time in which they had lived. Given the heartfelt reverence with which the Japan viewed their deceased relatives, many felt this was simply a hurdle which prevented them from accepting Christianity.

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