8.56. Isn’t God too loving to send people to hell? Isn’t sin really just personal brokenness?
Today, many “catholics”—including “priests” and “bishops”—claim that God wouldn’t send anyone to hell, that mortal sin is rare, and that conscience is the ultimate judge of good and evil. This view is rooted in Vatican II’s anthropology, which shifted the focus of theology from God and His justice to man and his dignity. In this framework, sin is seen not as rebellion against God, but as a failure to live one’s “authentic self,” and hell is treated as a vague possibility that “might be empty.”
But the true Catholic Faith teaches that sin is an objective offense against the infinite majesty of God, and that hell is a real, eternal punishment for those who die in mortal sin. Jesus Christ Himself preached more about hell than about heaven. The Council of Trent, the Catechism of the Council of Trent, and all pre-Vatican II popes upheld the gravity of sin and the narrowness of the path to salvation.
Below is a doctrinal comparison exposing how Vatican II and its modern theology undermine the very foundations of repentance, confession, and salvation.
| Category | Traditional Catholic Teaching | Vatican II / Modernist View | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature of Sin | Sin is a willful transgression of God’s law, an offense against His justice | Sin is often seen as “alienation,” psychological harm, or societal dysfunction | This downplays the moral and eternal consequence of sin against God |
| Mortal Sin | Destroys sanctifying grace; leads to eternal damnation if unrepented | Rarely mentioned; often replaced with talk of “mistakes” or “weakness” | Minimizing mortal sin leads souls to sacrilege and presumption |
| Confession | Necessary for forgiveness of mortal sins; integral to salvation | Confession is optional, psychological, or replaced with general absolution | Confession is neglected because sin is no longer taken seriously |
| Hell | Real, eternal, and the just punishment for unrepented mortal sin | Rarely preached; often denied or “hoped” to be empty (e.g. von Balthasar) | This contradicts the words of Christ and countless dogmatic teachings |
| Fear of God | Beginning of wisdom (Psalm 110); necessary for conversion | Viewed as “rigid” or “pre-Vatican II spirituality” | Loss of holy fear leads to irreverence and presumption |
| Judgment | All must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10) | Rarely preached; replaced with vague talk of God’s “accompaniment” | Without judgment, the Gospel loses its urgency and seriousness |
| Conscience | Must conform to God’s law; can err and lead to sin | Presented as autonomous and supreme (*Gaudium et Spes* §16) | This makes conscience a false god, replacing divine revelation |
| Salvation | Only through sanctifying grace, sacraments, and repentance | Presented as almost universal; few are warned about damnation | This produces indifference and a false sense of security |
| Jesus’ Teaching | Preached the narrow path, the danger of hell, and the need for repentance | Selective use of Christ’s words to emphasize mercy without judgment | Partial Gospel is a false gospel (*Galatians 1:8*) |
| Fruits | Contrition, confession, penance, growth in holiness | No confession, no repentance, widespread sacrilege and moral decay | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
The Gospel begins with repentance. Christ did not come to affirm man’s dignity or accompany sinners in their brokenness—He came to call sinners to conversion, to warn of hell, and to redeem fallen man through the Cross.
Vatican II and its theology have softened or denied these truths. The result is a “Church” that no longer preaches repentance, no longer warns of judgment, and no longer saves souls. The devil’s greatest triumph has been convincing the post-conciliar “Church” to deny his existence and to empty hell with wishful thinking.
As Pope Pius IX warned in Qui Pluribus (1846):
“The greatest error of our time is the belief that salvation can be obtained without Christ and without repentance.”