Hell-believers should be anti-natalist

Something that doesn't add up in many Christian conservative belief systems is how they try to reconcile the doctrine of hell with their pro-life and pro-natalist stances.

according to their own theology:
1. most people will end up in hell
2. hell is eternal conscious torment
3. there's no guaranteed way to prevent this, even with a strong faith or good parenting

so, if that is all true, then every new life is a spiritual gamble with the worst possible consequences. if they truly believe that the overwhelming supermajority of humanity will suffer forever, how on earth can they possibly justify bringing more people into existence? that's no "pro-life", that's Russian roulette or gambling with someone else's soul.

the common response is "just raise them in the faith", but that doesn't hold up. plenty of people raised in the faith end up leaving or walking away form it all. plus, they also believe in free will, which means no guarantees as well. So according to this logic, conception and procreation is one of the most dangerous and irresponsible things someone could possibly do.

if Christian conservatives were consistent, they'd embrace anti-natalism, or at the very least, rethink the idea of life being a "precious gift", because if hell exists, it's really not. it's a horrifying risk.

most don't think this through. either they haven't considered the full implications of their beliefs, or deep down, they don't actually believe in hell the way they say they do.

thank you for listening to my Ted talk

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anonymous Religion August 29, 2025 at 7:51 am 1 0