Hell

[AV1611VET]

That there is a contemporary confusion as to the concept of "hell" doesn't mean it was invalid when Christian ideas were translated into the languages of early Germanic people. That's not a reasonable argument.

And then there's the KJB that removes all confusion.

 

[ViaCrucis]

And then there's the KJB that removes all confusion.

No, the KJV conflates Hades with Gehenna, that doesn't remove confusion that perpetuates confusion.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[AV1611VET]

No, the KJV conflates Hades with Gehenna,

Either that, or It corrects any misunderstanding between the two.[quoteViaCrucis]that doesn't remove confusion that perpetuates confusion.[/QUOTE]The only confusion I see is the confusion that "scholars" allow to happen.

The Bible says "Hell."

Scholars then add two more words into the pot: Gehenna & Hades

Then they try and claim "error" and/or "confusion" and expect us to agree.

It ain't gonna happen.

Jesus was very descriptive of Hell and spoke more about it than all the other writers combined.

 

[ViaCrucis]

The Bible says "Hell."

No. The Bible says ᾅδης and γέεννα.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[AV1611VET]

No. The Bible says ᾅδης and γέεννα.

-CryptoLutheran

What Bible is that, may I ask?

 

[rockytopva]

I betcha if these gentleman would spend an entire year in hell that they would not come out with such a lukewarm view of hell!

 

[ViaCrucis]

What Bible is that, may I ask?

The Christian one.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[AV1611VET]

The Christian one.

-CryptoLutheran

If I was to order this "Christian bible" online, what name would it go by?

 

[ViaCrucis]

If I was to order this "Christian bible" online, what name would it go by?

You'd need to decide on a translation first, I'm guessing you're going to choose the King James. So you could go with that.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[doubtingmerle]

Time for my favorite Christmas Carol.

The First No Hell

The first no hell the angels did say
was to certain poor children in bed where they lay;
in bed where they lay counting their sheep
in a night filled with terror they could not sleep.

No hell, no hell, no hell, no hell!
Dawned is the age of thinking well.

They looked up, and saw a star,
the star of reason, it was not far.
And to their minds, it gave great light,
and so it continued both day and night.

No hell, no hell, no hell, no hell!
Dawned is the age of thinking well.

 

[AV1611VET]

 

[Justatruthseeker]

Contemporary misinformation or misunderstanding doesn't nullify the validity of ancient translation attempts, it only renders it necessary to properly define terms in their historical context.

That there is a contemporary confusion as to the concept of "hell" doesn't mean it was invalid when Christian ideas were translated into the languages of early Germanic people. That's not a reasonable argument.

-CryptoLutheran

Tell that to the people that think those in hell are going to suffer for eternity. The word Hell does not exist in any of the ancient manuscripts. So translating those words in the Bible as hell is wrong. The original words are Sheol and Hades - not hell. They mean the grave - not a place or torment.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hell

Until you change the way words are defined - there is no sense at all in using words that today convey the wrong meanings to those ancient words.

So if I say "get in the blue car" you think it's ok to get into the blue truck instead instead because someone might define both as an automobile?

 

[nightflight]

The very idea of "hell" is obscene. Anyone who makes it through this miserable life with their sanity intact deserves a medal, not "hell".

 

[Alla27]

The very idea of "hell" is obscene. Anyone who makes it through this miserable life with their sanity intact deserves a medal, not "hell".

I agree with you. we experience so much of hell in this life.

 

[radhead]

The people who believe in a literal Hell are usually people that are not very pleasant to begin with. I think these are people who are dwelling in a spiritual Hell already, and they desire to pull as many people down with them as they can. They don't know how to escape.

 

[radhead]

Then look in the right place: the Bible.

Take all of Christian theology into consideration; not just the part about Hell.

You will find the Antidote to your perplexity.What exactly is making you disrespecting them/us in the first place?

But you are trying to make Hell into a small almost insignificant detail, when you know that Hell is the main reason so many people fear God. They were taught about Hell when they were children.

The question (as I see it) is why do YOU believe in that type of Hell? How could YOU admire a God that would punish so many people so horribly? Or allow them to suffer so horribly simply for not believing the correct dogma?

Don't use verses to answer. Just explain why you would believe this. Because it seems like this kind of torment and vengeance would have to already exist in a person's heart before they could believe in it as something good.

 

[Alla27]

The people who believe in a literal Hell are usually people that are not very pleasant to begin with. I think these are people who are dwelling in a spiritual Hell already, and they desire to pull as many people down with them as they can. They don't know how to escape.

Many people who believe in literal eternal hell are pleasant and nice. Deep inside they hate this idea but they don't know better.

 

[Alla27]

I believed in eternal hell because I was told that this is how it works with God. I hated it, I couldn't understand "why" but I didn't know better.

 

[radhead]

I believed in eternal hell because I was told that this is how it works with God. I hated it, I couldn't understand "why" but I didn't know better.

That describes me until very recently also.

 

[Butch5]

There's almost as many conceptions of hell as there are Christians, but I want to talk about a very specific one, and ONLY that.

So if you believe that Hell is God's absence, or his presence as experienced through the mind of the unregenerate sinner, or annihilation, or a temporary place of purification, or a conundrum to be solved by trusting that a just God would find a way to do the right thing and save all - this thread might not be for you.

The conception of hell that I address here is a place of literal torment, where sapient beings are deliberately sent by God for failing to be as flawless as a deity, and where they'll spend eternity with no chance of redeption or mercy.

To me, such a conception of hell reflects *extremely* badly on the corresponding conception of deity, and no argument from authority ("who are YOU to question an all-powerful being?????") will resolve the matter.

So, if you believe that it is literally impossible for any of us to measure up to God's standard, and we are then punished for it - that's like torturing a dog with a branding iron for its failure to comprehend algebra. Or setting up an eight-meter pit (with poisoned spikes at the bottom) for people to jump over when you *know* they'll never get further than 6 m.

And I'm sorry, but basically extending a pardon to all who wave the right party membership card doesn't solve the moral dilemma here, either, because people are still being sent to Cosmic Auschwitz.

In short: how do you manage to reconcile this belief with anything remotely resembling justice?

As you said, this thread may not be for me. However, your post is correct. That idea of hell cannot be reconciled with a righteous God. However, that idea of hell is "NOT" what the Bible teaches. That is an idea that comes from Greek philosophy and mythology.