In early Christianity it was commonly believed that everyone would eventually be saved by God and would eventually go to Heaven/New Earth forever. St. Augustine even acknowledged that Universal Salvation was a fairly common view. Universalists can believe a variety of things, but ultimately believe that hell is only temporary. People can still get punished for not believing in or accepting Jesus while alive or for committing sins they have not repented for, but these punishments are just temporary.
What if Universalists had won and convinced the overwhelming majority of Christians and relevant higher ups in early Christianity that hell is only temporary? How might this have effected Christianity and the world going forward? Would it likely be more or less successful? And what impact might this have on culture?
For a second scenario, what if the Univeralists won, but also at some point early on came to believe in and teach a more “Earthly” Heaven and New Earth? Where marriages can last forever, families from when alive remain special forever (your son will always be your son and not just a brother in Christ for example), domesticsted animals and pets are saved, everyone gets a nice house in the afterlife, and life is in general more like Earth, but without sin, with love for all, and with God being worshipped on a daily basis and loved above all else? Perhaps triggered by something like an early Saint having a Near Death Experience where he sees his dead spouse, parents, family, dog, and God (who tells him he has to go back for now and tell everyone), who wanted to take him out to eat or see a play, or some other generic entertainment normalish people at the time would consider a great day.
How might the second scenario effect things? Would this make Christianity more or less effective at converting people and keeping them? What changes in culture might it have?
What if Universalists had won and convinced the overwhelming majority of Christians and relevant higher ups in early Christianity that hell is only temporary? How might this have effected Christianity and the world going forward? Would it likely be more or less successful? And what impact might this have on culture?
For a second scenario, what if the Univeralists won, but also at some point early on came to believe in and teach a more “Earthly” Heaven and New Earth? Where marriages can last forever, families from when alive remain special forever (your son will always be your son and not just a brother in Christ for example), domesticsted animals and pets are saved, everyone gets a nice house in the afterlife, and life is in general more like Earth, but without sin, with love for all, and with God being worshipped on a daily basis and loved above all else? Perhaps triggered by something like an early Saint having a Near Death Experience where he sees his dead spouse, parents, family, dog, and God (who tells him he has to go back for now and tell everyone), who wanted to take him out to eat or see a play, or some other generic entertainment normalish people at the time would consider a great day.
How might the second scenario effect things? Would this make Christianity more or less effective at converting people and keeping them? What changes in culture might it have?