Annihilationism

{{Christianity}}
{{cquote|Many annihilationists claim that the idea is an unfair punishment for finite sins of people. How can this accurately reflect God’s ultimate victory over suffering and evil, they argue, when it permanently installs a place of suffering in the final, eternal order? Likewise, how can the saved live in blissful joy knowing that some of their loved ones burn forever in hell?<ref>[http://www.theopedia.com/Annihilationism Annihilationism]</ref>}}
'''Annihilationism''' is the belief that the damned, rather than going to eternal punishment in [[hell]] when they die, instead cease to exist. Basically, everlasting [[death]] and destruction means literally destruction.

==Annihilationist and other beliefs==
Some annihilationists deny the existence of punishment in hell — they see ''hell'' as a synonym for non-existence. Others believe that hell does exist, but punishment in hell is limited in duration, and at the end of that duration the damned cease to exist. This goes with belief that [[god]] is too loving to allow eternal torture, also that infinite punishment is not just retribution for finite [[sin]]s.

Annihilationism is contrasted with universalism – the belief that everyone goes to [[heaven]] – and [[eternal damnation]] – the mainstream evangelical [[Christian]] belief,<ref>Evangelical Alliance Commission on Truth and Unity Among Evangelicals (ACUTE). ''The Nature of Hell''. Paternoster, London, 2000, p. 42–47</ref> that the damned are consciously punished with everlasting torment in hell.

==Popularity and influence==
Annihilationism is a minority view in Christianity, but was influential in the early development of [[protestantism]]. [[Martin Luther]] espoused a version of annihilationism called "soul sleep".<ref>Froom, ‘The Conditionalist Faith Of Our Fathers’, volume 2, p. 74 (1966)</ref> It is apparently now mainstream within [[Anglicanism]], with the US and English churches espousing variations.<ref name=ap1996>[https://apnews.com/article/611c8aa8904dde105806f6c05485f995 Church of England Commission Says Hell is Same _ Only Different], AP News, 1996</ref> Some other modern denominations also accept the doctrine – for example, the {{wpl|Christadelphian||s,}} [[Seventh Day Adventism|Seventh Day Adventist]] church, and the [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]. And with modern doctrines on hell often being "don't frighten the parishioners — we need bodies on pews", surveys have shown a significant minority of other clergy tending towards nothingness rather than eternal torment.<ref>[https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/hell-in-scotland/ Hell in Scotland], St Andrews University press release, Dec 5, 2005</ref><ref>[https://theologicalstudies.org.uk/article_destroyed_gray.html Destroyed For Ever: An Examination of the Debates Concerning Annihilation and Conditional Immortality], Tony Gray, Themelios 21.2 (January 1996): 14-18.</ref><ref>''21st Century Evangelicals: A snapshot of the beliefs and habits of evangelical Christians in the UK'', Archived 2011-01-16 at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110116044855/http://www.eauk.org/snapshot/ Wayback Machine]. Evangelical Alliance and Christian Research, 2011, p9</ref>, even if (of course) Fundies will claim annihilationism lacks scriptural support, even when [[Saint Paul|Paul]] in for example {{bible|Romans|6|23}} and the all-time famous [[John 3:16]] suggest oblivion instead of eternal damnation given the mentions of "death" and "perish" respectively.

==See also==
*[[Last Judgement]]

==External links==
*[http://christianity.about.com/od/glossary/a/Annihilationism.htm What is Annihilationism?]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Afterlife]]
[[Category:Christianity]]

Categories: Afterlife, Christianity