Got a question about heaven and hell, maybe someone here could help me out.

My mom is Catholic, and she believes in heaven and hell. I'm an teapot agnostic, and don't believe in Christ. When she dies and goes to heaven, how can she be infinitely happy if she knows her loved ones are in hell?

Does the Catholic Church have an official response to this question?

There is a middle ground referred to as Purgatory. Someone can be "prayed" out of hell to Purgatory.

Personally NO ONE knows what Heaven is...or Hell....it's all attempts by artists and visionairies to depict a fiery place or Angels w/ harps.

Now my belief system really doesn't have a Hell per se....Hell to me is the absence of God.
Instead of eternal life, a person's soul dies along with the body. In other words, if a person dies having denied God, this will be how they are after death...in denial of God.

Eternal nothingness.

What Heaven is, what God is...are beyond human comprehension and understanding. I won't attempt to know what it is or explain with these primitive words.

Perhaps this is heretical, I don't know, but this is my perceptions of Heaven and Hell after Judgment by God. Remembering of course that after the death of Jesus, God maintained a New Covenant with His children...mainly you and me...I hope He is far more lienient in His Judgment...but the main thing is not to deny Him...not to reject Him at the hour of Death...for Salvation can come at any time in our Life, even at the hour of our Death...God just doesn't want us to reject Him.

I hope this helps...it's not Catholic dogma...but as a Catholic this is my Faith.

Are you a confirmed and baptised Catholic?
If yes, you will be recognized by God as one of His children.

Baptism is eternal...once baptised you will always be a Catholic whether you choose to practice the Faith or not.
This is part of Church doctrine.

Remember my friend the greatest consequence of sin?
Separation from God.

The Atheist will be a self-fulfiling prophecy. They deny God in Life...God will deny them in Death....aka Separation from God....

HE double hockey sticks!

to add a little levity to a serious discussion.

I really don't like the above response, and don't want to mislead anyone if they just needed what true Catholic dogma is on this...I just gave a long winded personal opinion.

Can one of the mods...please DELETE the above post.

I will delete this response when the other is deleted.

I can research a better answer when I consult a Catholic encyclopedia or email a Chaplain.

By why would you go to hell Qwerty? Isn't hell an idea formed by the Christians?

__________________
For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson

It's a hypothetical question from the point of view of my mother