Before Europeans felt the need to spread Christianity, worldwide, did those who died all suffer the fate of hell

How were these people to know who, or what, God and 'His message' was when they had no access to the Bible or missionaries? 

Again, what do you guys think happened to your ancestors who didn't know Christ?

That's a tough one.

Nothing will happen to them. They still have a chance of getting to heaven.
According to your faith so be it.
What ever you believe in will work for you.

What they believed in then will work for them.

angela k, so even if I believe in reincarnation as babies and animals, it will work for me?

thier faith is as legitimate as christianity and they will meet salvation, heaven or nirvana accordingly. Its a christian myth that unless you are a christian, nothing will be right with you

Yes Seun, if you believe that in your next life you will be a monkey or a baby, it will work for you!
According to your faith, so be it!

1 Peter 3:19 - By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

Jesus preached to the spirits in prison when he was in sheol (durin the 3 days he spent in hell). He preached to them and scriptures made us understand that a lot of people rose with him...from their respective graves.

Might sound unbelieaveble but check this out:

Matthew 27:52 - And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Matthew 27:53 - And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Ohh people people!

I am actually blank right now. But i just wanna ask oo.

You mean those people, that even worshipped babalawo back then will go to heaven because they didnt know wat christianity was?

Those that did good will definately make heaven. Before Jesus came Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Elijah, and all others made it to heaven so what stops our people here from getting there.

you guys are hilarious.

if they are not in a hot dark place then i don't know what happened to them.

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in [under] the law shall be judged by the law . . . . For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another (Rom. 2:12,14-15).

As long as our ancestors did not know about Christianity, they will not be judged by it! God understands that they were not enlightened.

Hotangel are you aware that they are good babalawo's? They are some of them when people come to meet them to kill , they refuse to do so. the point i am driving at is that at that time, they were people that were naturally good and God will judge them based on their era.

God understands that their era was before Christ came. So he won't judge them the same way he will judge us that existed after Christ came. But note that even amongst us that exist after Christ came , those that have not yet heard the word of God will be judged differently from us that have heard the word!

Same thing that happens to most dead people, turn to manure/dust and recycled.
Or bones preserved to be 'discovered' later on.

Is this a valid question?
Can you know what happens to dead people?

I keep hearing of this hell, sound suspiciously like what I see around me at times.

well i know what happened to them!

if they believed they were going to come back as ants, then i think it'll be advisable that you throw out all your incecticides.
who knows generations after us will have a new religion and will wonder what happened to us.
they better not start heaven (space) missions.

They are going straight to hell

"No one cometh unto the father except by me!"

God is Spirit.

The real question being asked here: What happenned to your anscestors who did not know white people.

Heaven was on earth then. LOL SMILE

What's with you and white people?

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in [under] the law shall be judged by the law . . . . For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another (Rom. 2:12,14-15).

Because i believe the above quote expressly states the mind of God about this matter, i wanted to post it in a simpler version of scripture. See the message version below.

"If you sin without knowing what you're doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you're doing, that's a different story entirely. , 16When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences."

@bijorium
   @Consultant
Y'guys're just great.

bijorium:

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in [under] the law shall be judged by the law . . . . For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another (Rom. 2:12,14-15).

   They will be judged by the law of conscience.
This is the God factor within us that is designed to discern between good and evil;shun evil and embrace the good. Every man intrinsically knows basic right and wrong.
The issue of eternal reward vis-a-vis punishment now depends on the eventual choices made.

Let me ask you people a question?
Is it the religion of the man, or the faith of the man that takes him to the afterlife?

Will a good Jew or Muslim enter the gates of heaven?

I keep hearing of this hell, sound suspiciously like what I see around me at times.

Inyang,

Exactly. As Christian Writer, C.S. Lewis says: "At best, the earth can only be a small corner of hell." (pp)

Where else does one think that they will find this must disobedience to God, this much evil, this much mayhem and pain?

What's with you and white people?

gbadex,

That you even have to ask the question, tells me that you have not been paying attention to the world around you.

It's like landing on the planet with Aleins who eat humans and having to run and dodge and fight and kill to keep from dying from the Aliens.

Then having your partner ask: "What is it with you and the Aliens?"

Very good topic

Worse than that, what could be worse in this so called hell, that is worse than a child being molested, or people getting killed and starvation? Do you mean to tell me, there is worse things than this in hell, that is taking place?

No offence but I don't think there's any difference between a chilld getting molested and a human being getting killed or a woman getting raped.

@Donzman

Who said there was a difference? You just like to have something to say. All of those crimes and atrocity's are equal. They are all the same. That is why I asked what could be worse? in hell taking place that is worse than any of those three horrible things I had already mentioned.

In other words, sense I have to break it down for you, There can't be a such thing as hell.

I am sure you still don't get it.

this is a real tough question,your actually asking the living to know what happens after death

They had conscience to know what was good or bad.

The Bible says this:

Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

God winked at men's sins when they were in ignorance.

God winked at men's sins when they were in ignorance.

Don't Christians always claim that sin leads to suffering.

Are you saying that the all singing, all dancing God allowed his children to suffer due to ignorance?

@Exu

Don't Christians always claim that sin leads to suffering.

Are you saying that the all singing, all dancing God allowed his children to suffer due to ignorance?

Exactly!

What more suffering do humans have to go through with all the things taking place right here on earth. Any God who punishes is not a real God to me. The creator I worship guides, not punish. God don't punish humans, we punish our self and he stands back and watches us punish our self because, if God interfered, we would not be getting it right down here on earth, because we wanted to and we did it on our own. We would only be getting it together here on earth because, God made us get it together. God wants us to come to him her whatever you call the creator - because that is what we chose to do with no other motives involved.