Editing Universalism (section)

===Christianity===
{{Main|Christian universalism}}
The fundamental idea of Christian universalism is universal reconciliation – that all humans will ultimately receive salvation and be reconciled to God. They will eventually enter God's kingdom in Heaven, through the grace and works of the Lord [[Jesus Christ]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/chr-univ.html |title=What Is Christian Universalism? |publisher=Auburn.edu |access-date=2017-12-17 |archive-date=2017-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122135418/http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/chr-univ.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Christian universalists hold that an everlasting [[hell]] does not exist (though most believe there is a temporary hell of some kind), and that unending torment was not what Jesus taught. They point to historical evidence showing that many [[Church Fathers|early fathers of the church]] were universalists<ref>See [[Ilaria Ramelli|Ramelli]], ''The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis'', and ''A Larger Hope''.</ref> and attribute the origin of the idea of hell as eternal punishment to mistranslation. They also appeal to many texts of Scripture to argue that the concept of eternal hell is not biblically or historically supported either in Judaism or early Christianity.<ref name="christianuniversalist.org">{{Cite web|url=https://christianuniversalist.org/resources/articles/salvation-conspiracy/|title=The Salvation Conspiracy: How Hell Became Eternal &#124; Christian Universalist Association|date=19 March 2013}}</ref>

Universalists cite numerous biblical passages which reference the salvation of all beings (such as Jesus' words in John 12:31-32, and Paul's words in Romans 5:18-19).<ref>{{cite web|author=Gary Amirault |url=http://www.tentmaker.org/tracts/TheFateOfTheWicked.html |title=The Fate of the Wicked |publisher=Tentmaker.org |access-date=2017-12-17}}</ref> In addition, they argue that an eternal hell is both unjust and contrary to the nature and attributes of a loving God.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Guild|first=E.E.|title=Arguments in Favor of Universalism|url=https://www.tentmaker.org/books/InFavorCh20.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419182237/https://www.tentmaker.org/books/InFavorCh20.html|archive-date=2021-04-19|access-date=2021-08-24|website=www.tentmaker.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Kingdom Bible Studies: J. Preston Eby, Kingdom of God; Saviour of The World|url=https://www.godfire.net/eby/saviour_of_the_world.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419181837/https://www.godfire.net/eby/saviour_of_the_world.html|archive-date=2021-04-19|access-date=2021-08-24|website=www.godfire.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hell Fire and Brimstone, The Lake of Fire, Second Death|url=https://www.godfire.net/Hellidx.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225145328/https://www.godfire.net/Hellidx.html|archive-date=2021-02-25|access-date=2021-08-24|website=www.godfire.net}}</ref>

The beliefs of Christian universalism are generally compatible with the essentials of Christianity, as they do not contradict any of the central affirmations summarized in the [[Nicene Creed]].<ref>[[Robin Parry|Gregory MacDonald]], ''The Evangelical Universalist'', 175-176. </ref> More specifically, universalists often emphasize the following teachings:
* [[God in Christianity|God]] is the loving Parent of all people (see [[Love of God]]).
* [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus Christ]] reveals the nature and character of God, and is the spiritual leader of humankind.
* Humankind is created with an [[immortal soul]], which death can not end—or a [[Christian mortalism|mortal soul]] that shall be resurrected and preserved by God. A soul which God will not wholly destroy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bible Hell|url=https://www.tentmaker.org/books/TheBibleHell.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528082710/https://www.tentmaker.org/books/TheBibleHell.html|archive-date=2021-05-28|access-date=2021-08-24|website=www.tentmaker.org}}</ref>
* [[Christian views on sin|Sin]] has negative consequences for the sinner either in this life or the [[afterlife]]. All of God's punishments for sin are corrective and remedial. None of such punishments will last forever, or result in the permanent destruction of a soul. Some Christian universalists believe in the idea of a Purgatorial Hell, or a temporary place of purification that some must undergo before their entrance into Heaven.<ref name="Scott2015">{{cite book|author=Miriam Van Scott |title=The Encyclopedia of Hell: A Comprehensive Survey of the Underworld |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N1EnBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA240 |date=10 February 2015 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-1-4668-9119-7 |page=240 |chapter=Purgatorial Hell}}</ref>

In 1899 the Universalist General Convention, later called the [[Universalist Church of America]], adopted the Five Principles: the belief in God, Jesus Christ, the immortality of the human soul, the reality of sin and [[universal reconciliation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/prof.html |title=See section entitled "Five Principles of Faith" |publisher=Auburn.edu |access-date=2011-11-09 |archive-date=2016-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815164410/http://www.auburn.edu/%7Eallenkc/prof.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====History====
{{Main|History of Christian universalism}}
Universalist writers such as [[George T. Knight (Universalist)|George T. Knight]] have claimed that Universalism was a widely held view among theologians in [[Early Christianity]].<ref name='Schaff-Herzog'>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Knight |first=George T. |author-link=George T. Knight (Universalist) |title=Universalists |encyclopedia=The New [[Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge]] |date=1950 |orig-year=1912 |publisher=[[Baker Book House]] |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |volume=12 |page=[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc12/Page_96.html 96] |oclc=1002955}} {{Internet Archive|id=newschaffherzog39haucgoog|name=The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge}} (Vol. 12).</ref> These included such important figures such as Alexandrian scholar [[Origen]] as well as [[Clement of Alexandria]], a Christian theologian.<ref name='Schaff-Herzog'/> Origen and Clement both included the existence of a non-eternal Hell in their teachings. Hell was remedial, in that it was a place one went to purge one's sins before entering into Heaven.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stanrock.net/2015/05/20/purgatorial-hell-faq/ |title=Purgatorial Hell FAQ |date=20 May 2015 |publisher=StanRock.net |access-date=2016-01-19}}</ref>

Between 1648-1697 English activist [[Gerrard Winstanley]], writer [[Richard Coppin]], and dissenter [[Jane Leade]], each taught that God would grant all human beings salvation. The same teachings were later spread throughout 18th-century France and America by [[George de Benneville]]. People who taught this doctrine in America would later become known as the [[Universalist Church of America]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wyatt |first1=Neal |last2=Dwyer |first2=Tierney V |last3=Dwyer |first3=Tierney V |year=2008 |title=Unitarian Universalism: A Research Guide |journal=Reference & User Services Quarterly |volume=47 |issue=3|pages=210–214 |doi=10.5860/rusq.47n3.210|doi-access=free }}</ref> The first Universalist Church in America was founded by [[John Murray (minister)]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhI2o_3hfwAC&dq=universalist+church+america+founder+murray&pg=PA18|isbn=9780310864547|title=Unitarian Universalism|date=15 December 2009|publisher=Zondervan Academic}}</ref>

The Greek term ''[[apocatastasis]]'' came to be related by some to the beliefs of Christian universalism, but central to the doctrine was the restitution, or restoration of all sinful beings to God, and to His state of blessedness.  In early [[Patristics]], usage of the term is distinct.

{{Origenism}}

====Universalist theology====
Universalist theology is grounded in history, scripture, and assumptions about the nature of God. ''[[That All Shall Be Saved]]'' (2019) by Orthodox Christian theologian [[David Bentley Hart]] contains arguments from all three areas but with a focus on arguments from the nature of God. [[Thomas Whittemore (Universalist)|Thomas Whittemore]] wrote the book ''100 Scriptural Proofs that Jesus Christ Will Save All Mankind''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tentmaker.org/books/ScripturalProofs.html |title=100 Scriptural Proofs That Jesus Christ Will Save All Mankind |publisher=Tentmaker.org |access-date=2017-12-17}}</ref> quoting both Old and New Testament verses which support the Universalist viewpoint.

Some Bible verses he cites and are cited by other Christian universalists are:
# Luke 3:6: "And all people will see God's salvation." (NIV)
# John 17:2: "since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him." (RSV)
# 1 Corinthians 15:22:<ref name="Tent">{{cite web|title=The Fate of the Wicked|url=http://www.tentmaker.org/tracts/TheFateOfTheWicked.html|work=tentmaker.org|publisher=Tentmaker|access-date=29 June 2012|author=Tentmaker}}</ref> "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." ([[English Standard Version|ESV]])
# 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (ESV)
# 1 Timothy 2:3–6:<ref name="Tent" /> "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for ALL men—the testimony given in its proper time." (NIV)
# 1 John 2:2: "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (NIV)
# 1 Timothy 4:10:<ref name="Tent" /> "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." (ESV)
# Romans 5:18: "Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men." (RSV)
# Romans 11:32:<ref name="Tent" /> "For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (NIV)

==== Questions of Biblical Translation ====
Christian universalists point towards the mistranslations of the Greek word αιών (literally "age," but often assumed to mean "eternity") and its adjectival form αἰώνιος (usually assumed to mean "eternal" or "everlasting"), as giving rise to the idea of an endless hell and the idea that some people will never be saved.<ref name="christianuniversalist.org" /><ref name="tentmaker1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tentmaker.org/articles/EternalPunishmentNotTrueToGreek.html|title="Eternal" Punishment (Matthew 25:46) Is NOT Found In The Greek New Testament.|website=www.tentmaker.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://carm.org/universalism/a-look-at-the-word-aionion/|title=A look at the Greed word "aionion" used by universalists &#124; carm.org|date=December 15, 2008}}</ref> For example, Revelation 14:11 says "the smoke of their torment goes up εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων" which most literally means "until ages of ages" but is often paraphrased in translations as "forever and ever."<ref>See ''The Greek-English Interlinear ESV New Testament'', 1061; or the following [https://biblehub.com/interlinear/revelation/14-11.htm online interlinear].</ref>

This Greek word is the origin of the modern English word [[Aeon|eon]], which refers to a period of time or an epoch/age.

The 19th century theologian [[Marvin Vincent]] wrote about the word ''aion'', and the supposed connotations of "eternal" or "temporal":
<blockquote>'''Aion''', transliterated '''''aeon''''', is a period of longer or shorter duration, having a beginning and an end, and complete in itself. [...] Neither the noun nor the adjective, in themselves, carry the sense of ''endless'' or ''everlasting''."<ref>{{cite web|last=Vincent|first=Marvin|title=Note on Olethron Aionion (eternal destruction)|url=http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/vincent.html|work=Word Studies in the New Testament|access-date=18 June 2012|archive-date=21 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521042920/http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/vincent.html|url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>A number of scholars have argued that, in some cases, the adjective may not indicate duration at all, but may instead have a qualitative meaning.<ref>See [[William Barclay (theologian)|Barclay]] (''New Testament Words'', 35); and [[Ilaria Ramelli|Ramelli]] & [[David Konstan|Konstan]] (''Terms For Eternity''), who prefer "otherworldly" as the best rendering of αἰώνιος.</ref> For instance, [[David Bentley Hart|Dr. David Bentley Hart]] translates Matthew 25:46 as "And these will go to the chastening of that Age, but the just to the life of that Age."<ref>[[David Bentley Hart|Hart]], ''The New Testament'': ''A Translation'', 53 (see also his explanation in the postscript, 537-543).</ref> In this reading, Jesus is not necessarily indicating how long the life and punishment last, but instead what kind the life and punishment are—they are "of the age [to come]" rather than being earthly life or punishment. [[Thomas Talbott|Dr. Thomas Talbott]] writes:<blockquote>[The writers of the New Testament] therefore came to employ the term ''aiōnios'' as an eschatological term, one that functioned as a handy reference to the realities of the age to come. In that way they managed to combine the more literal sense of "that which pertains to an age" with the more religious sense of "that which manifests the presence of God in a special way."<ref>[[Thomas Talbott|Talbott]], ''The Inescapable Love of God'', 85.</ref></blockquote>Dr. Ken Vincent writes that "When it (aion) was translated into Latin Vulgate, 'aion' became 'aeternam' which means 'eternal'.<ref name="christianuniversalist.org" /> Likewise, [[Ilaria Ramelli|Dr. Ilaria Ramelli]] explains:<blockquote>The mistranslation and misinterpretation of αἰώνιος as "eternal" (already in Latin, where both αἰώνιος and ἀΐδιος are rendered ''aeternus'' and their fundamental semantic difference is blurred) certainly contributed a great deal to the rise of the doctrine of "eternal damnation" and of the "eternity of hell."<ref>[[Ilaria Ramelli|Ramelli]], ''A Larger Hope'', 11.</ref></blockquote>Among the English translations that do not render αἰώνιος as "eternal" or "everlasting" are [[Young's Literal Translation|Young’s Literal Translation]] (“age-during”), the [[Weymouth New Testament]] ("of the ages”), the [[Concordant Version|Concordant Literal Version]] ("eonian"), [[Emphasized Bible|Rotherham's Emphasized Bible]] ("age-abiding"), [[David Bentley Hart bibliography|Hart's New Testament]] ("of that Age"), and more.<ref>See Beauchemin, ''Hope For All'', 52, 160.</ref>

====Catholicism====
[[File:Ignatius of Antiochie, poss. by Johann Apakass (17th c., Pushkin museum).jpg|thumb|The first use of the term "Catholic Church" (literally meaning "universal church") was by the [[church father]] Saint [[Ignatius of Antioch]] in his ''[[Letter to the Smyrnaeans]]'' (circa 100&nbsp;AD).<ref>John Meyendorff, ''Catholicity and the Church'', St Vladimirs Seminary Press, 1997, {{ISBN|0-88141-006-3}}, p. 7</ref>]]
The [[Catholic church]] believes that God judges everyone based only on their moral acts,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a9.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The ninth commandment|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> that no one should be subject to human misery,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a7.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church 2448}}</ref> that everyone is equal in dignity yet distinct in individuality before God,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a3.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - Social justice|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> that no one should be discriminated against because of their sin or [[concupiscence]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The sixth commandment|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> and that apart from coercion<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p4.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Creator|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> God exhausts every means to save mankind from evil: original holiness being intended for everyone,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p7.htm#405|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Fall|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> the irrevocable Old Testament covenants,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a3.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - Sacred Scripture|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a1.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Revelation of God|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> each religion being a share in the truth,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P29.HTM#-14A|title=CCC - PART 1 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 3 ARTICLE 9 PARAGRAPH 3|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> elements of sanctification in non-Catholic Christian communities,<ref name="auto"/> the good people of every religion and nation,<ref name="auto5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p1.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Church in God's Plan|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> everyone being called to baptism and confession,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a1.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The sacrament of Baptism|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref><ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The sacrament of penance and reconciliation|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> and Purgatory, suffrages, and indulgences for the dead.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a12.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - I believe in life everlasting|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref><ref name="auto4"/> The church believes that everyone is predestined to Heaven,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p6.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - Man|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> that no one is predestined to Hell,<ref name="auto1"/> that everyone is redeemed by Christ's Passion,<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p122a4p2.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - Jesus Died Crucified|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> that no one is excluded from the church except by sin,<ref name="auto4"/> and that everyone can either love God by loving others unto going to Heaven or reject God by sin unto going to Hell.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P2O.HTM|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a8.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - Sin|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> The church believes that God's predestination takes everything into account,<ref name="auto3"/> and that his providence brings out of evil a greater good,<ref name="auto2"/> as evidenced, the church believes, by the Passion of Christ being all at once predestined by God,<ref name="auto3"/> foretold in Scripture,<ref name="auto3"/> necessitated by [[original sin]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p7.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Fall|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> authored by everyone who sins,<ref name="auto3"/> caused by Christ's executioners,<ref name="auto3"/> and freely planned and undergone by Christ.<ref name="auto3"/> The church believes that everyone who goes to Heaven joins the church,<ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p5.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Communion of Saints|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> and that from the beginning God intended Israel to be the beginning of the church,<ref name="auto5"/> wherein God would unite all persons to each other and to God.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p1.htm#775|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church - The Church in God's Plan|website=www.vatican.va}}</ref> The church believes that Heaven and Hell are eternal.<ref name="auto1"/>