Alright, A Different Slant ...Where IS Hell?

[Autumnleaf]

Physicists say there are many more dimensions according to string theory. Its hard telling where God put Hell, or Heaven for that matter.

 

[~Wisdom Seeker~]

Mainstream Christianity teaches without hesitation that 'the lost' (once deceased) will finish up in a literal place of punishment to be - also literally - tormented for eternity. Note that this place is NOT a place of rehabilitation somewhat like our prison system is supposed to be but the actual end of the line for its 'inmates'. Once there, there is NO escape. Nor is there ANY way for 'the inmate' to redeem him/herself. There is NO remission for good behavior or for one's having realized the error of their ways and having repented of their sins. THAT'S IT for ever and ever and ever! As the song says, 'WE are programed to receive, but YOU can never leave ...' That raises another question or two. Who are the 'we' that are doing the punishing/tormenting? Are they among 'the lost' also? If so, then why do they have the authority to punish/torment others if they're on a par with the others? If not, then why are THEY there to begin with? Can they never leave either? Why? What does eternal torment even mean?

Now, if Mainstream Christianity is SO confident that hell is situated in an actual geographical location ...then it HAS to be somewhere. Right? But where? Is it maybe located somewhere in the center of the earth? Or, on an asteroid, perhaps? Or, how about in another dimension? One cannot in all reason spend their entire lives warning others about hell but be so vague as to where hell is. I mean, if I'm going to believe in a LITERAL hell then I want to be told precisely where it's at. Is that so unreasonable a request? If one is selling me an idea then I don't want only 50% percent of the information and be expected to accept it 100%.

I believe that hell is a figment of your (whoever) imagination.

So ...prove me wrong.

"Christians"? Did I miss that poll? Nobody asked me to participate. So,... you can't really speak for all "Christians" now can you.

Okay, okay, to answer your question (not that there can actually be "an answer"... I do not know, have no proof (for you, or anyone) as there isn't any) I've heard one theory (system of belief) that it's 3 feet under ground, in a different temporal plane of existence. (that is also the theory/religious belief that Heaven is 3 feet above the earth, and the "white tunnel" that people report seeing upon NDE's, radiates out of the solar plexis of an individual when they die, to convey them to "the other side", and is in a different temporal plane of existence.)

I've also heard that Hell a state of mind. (as anyone who's ever been depressed can probably attest, there is a state of mind that can seem like hell. )

I've also heard (the religious belief) that the only Hell, is called "the left door", and is a holding room for individuals who deny the love of God (or have chosen against God, or their own guilt or feelings of worthlessness have separated them from entering heaven, (such as suicides) and these dark souls are immediately reincarnated into life, without going to heaven first. From what I've read, it's an oppressive and depressing, godless place where people have no hope and hear no-one.)

These are all religious beliefs that I've either read about, or discussed with someone who believed them. ... As to where Hell really exists, if it is in fact an actual place that can be found on a map? Well, IME, it exists in the words of the Bible, in religious belief, in the hearts of men. I don't know if there is a real place called Hell (or any other place called anything of equal meaning)that you can find geologically.

I've also heard that Earth is Hell. Because it's a negative environment in which to learn. (spiritual evolution)

But, I want to say, that although, I do not discount any of these beliefs as being possible, I can not prove any of them. And it is my practice to not say something is or is not, that I can not prove one way, or the other.

 

[Zaac]

With due respect, Zaac. You DO claim to use the Christian Holy Bible and you've STILL got it wrong. So, please don't question the veracity of others.

The facts are that "hell" as YOU believe it ...exists ...NOWHERE! Except in your fertile imagination, that is. And it was no doubt placed there long ago by others. It's become a part of your thinking.

Ummm. You asked where it was. And the fact is that you not knowing where Hell exists does not make it not exist somewhere.

But as was said, play all you want with the meaning and location of hell. It's real as is that Lake of Fire that you also can't word study away.

 

[FundamentalistJohn]

With due respect, Zaac. You DO claim to use the Christian Holy Bible and you've STILL got it wrong. So, please don't question the veracity of others.

The facts are that "hell" as YOU believe it ...exists ...NOWHERE! Except in your fertile imagination, that is. And it was no doubt placed there long ago by others. It's become a part of your thinking.

Without meaning to enter the debate about whether or not hell exists.

(my personal belief is that there will be no wailing and gnashing of teeth in heaven and Jesus spoke of a place where the unrepentant will do just that so I tend to believe he is speaking of a literal hell)

KCKID unless you have mapped the entirety of the known universe and you can prove that there is no other reality (neither of which you can do) you cannot state definitively that Hell does not exist anywhere. The best you can state is that of the miniscule amount of information we have about our universe Hell has not been found.

 

[PhilosophicalBluster]

Dp

 

[PhilosophicalBluster]

I dunno about hell for people, but I happen to know that Robot Hell is in a broken down theme park in New Jersey.

 

[Zaac]

.

 

[Caitlin.ann]

There is no hell.

 

[PhilosophicalBluster]

Without meaning to enter the debate about whether or not hell exists.

(my personal belief is that there will be no wailing and gnashing of teeth in heaven and Jesus spoke of a place where the unrepentant will do just that so I tend to believe he is speaking of a literal hell)

KCKID unless you have mapped the entirety of the known universe and you can prove that there is no other reality (neither of which you can do) you cannot state definitively that Hell does not exist anywhere. The best you can state is that of the miniscule amount of information we have about our universe Hell has not been found.

Whoa whoa whoa

You can't question his base of knowledge to prove or disprove hell when you don't have any more knowledge than he does. Just because he can't disprove hell doesn't mean you've proved it. You are the one making claims about faeries in the garden, I don't have to provide evidence against them just for them not to be considered real.

Also: Insert Flying Spaghetti Monster argument here.

 

[PhilosophicalBluster]

Physicists say there are many more dimensions according to string theory. Its hard telling where God put Hell, or Heaven for that matter.

The dimensions in the String theory have nothing to do with religion. The dimensions are hypothesized to get around mathematical equations that formerly disproved the string theory. They are dimensions like time, not alternate planes of being.

 

[QuakerOats]

Actually you are all wrong. Hell is in Michigan!

Hell, Michigan 48169
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
http://www.hell2u.com/

lol I totally forgot about that! It's also a village in Norway!

 

[FundamentalistJohn]

Whoa whoa whoa

You can't question his base of knowledge to prove or disprove hell when you don't have any more knowledge than he does. Just because he can't disprove hell doesn't mean you've proved it. You are the one making claims about faeries in the garden, I don't have to provide evidence against them just for them not to be considered real.

Also: Insert Flying Spaghetti Monster argument here.

I never claimed that I proved the existence of hell, nor was it my intention to even attempt to prove the existence of hell. Actually your point is the same as mine. He cannot claim that hell does not exist simply because it hasn't been found, that's the whole point.

 

[KCKID]

I never claimed that I proved the existence of hell, nor was it my intention to even attempt to prove the existence of hell. Actually your point is the same as mine. He cannot claim that hell does not exist simply because it hasn't been found, that's the whole point.

But, correct me if I'm wrong, you DO believe in (have faith in) the mainstream Christian concept of hell (literal eternal torment) do you not?

 

[JTKIRK]

But, correct me if I'm wrong, you DO believe in (have faith in) the mainstream Christian concept of hell (literal eternal torment) do you not?

Hi I heard that Hell is Clermont KC.

 

[radlad72]

Hades/Sheol = Grave/pit or place of the dead and signifies where you go when you die (ie grave/tomb, etc)
Gehenna - Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem signifies the Lake of Fire where unrighteousness is fully consumed at the end of time. Note Gehenna was not unending. It doesn't exist anymore. Fire needs three things to exist - Heat, oxygen and a fuel source. Take one of those away and you have no fire anymore. This will happen in the Lake of fire. Once there is no longer a fuel source, it will go away. So many people like science around here, there is some that can't be refuted (ie can be proven). So unless God is going to be adding fuel to the all the time, it will go out and will cease to exist.

 

[radlad72]

Oh, and hell is in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. The street lights spell it out.

 

[KCKID]

Oh, and hell is in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. The street lights spell it out.

In that case, I used to live in hell. Knowing that explains a lot to me now.

 

[Polycarp_fan]

There is no hell.

As you quote Anton L.

I've worked with too many people seeking suicide to ever agree with the notion that there is no hell. Once they are convinced that being there is something that can be overcome with making the right choices, they find the light for release from it.

 

[Beanieboy]

I kind of imagine hell to be like this:
Jesus talked about how it is harder for the rich man to enter the Kingdom that for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle. Someone explained that when the gates of a town are closed, a doorway is left open to enter. However, you have to unload the camel, get him to lower himself to his knees, and crawl, to fit through. Camels don't like to crawl, so they will actually fight you, spit at you, make noise, etc.

So, I imagine those who seem to enjoy the idea of being in heaven, mostly because they want to mock other people for not listening to them, and living out their revenge fantasy, because of their general condemnation for the human race, to be saying to me one day through a gate, "Nyah, nyah! I told you beanie! Homos don't go to heaven! Too late for you! Have a nice eternity IN HELLLLLL!" I then imagine myself saying, "Um, look behind you. You are outside, not inside the gate. Put down your anger. Put down your self righteousness. Put down your hatred, so that you can pass through." They will say, "Any place that accepts a homo is no place for me..." and will wander around in the same state as they did on earth, angry, resentful, wanting harm to come to others, and you stay there as long as you want, but you have to put all of that down before you can enter. Otherwise, heaven itself will be hell to you, betraying your self righteousness, having God humble you before everyone, as Christ did before Simon and the prostitute, wanting revenge, and finding none.

But heaven and hell, I believe, are a state of being, where your soul lives now. It's not a future concept, but one that is present. You know how there are people that seem angry at everyone, are full of envy anytime something good happens to another, are mean spirited and do things and say things to harm other people, and just generally seem terrible? That is hell. We choose it. And there are others that people are drawn to, people who are encouraging of others, who celebrate the accomplishments of others, people who share their talents with grace and humility, inspiring others. Those people live in heaven.

 

[Beanieboy]

But if it were an actual place.....I would say....Ohio.