What do Christians consider hell to be?

[InterestedAtheist]

I'm thinking of starting a new thread in the General Apologetics Section to discuss the existence of hell (I'm sure the residents there will be thrilled at such a novel idea) but I'm afraid I'm going to run into problems. While discussing the existence of hell, other posters may say that this is a false teaching, that hell is such-and such. So I'd like to do a little research on Christian opinions on hell, and here seems a good place to do it.

I'd like to ask, then: which of the following do you think is true?

1. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls go to heaven.
2. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls not going to heaven are annihilated.
3. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which the Devil and his demons deliberately inflict pain upon souls.
4. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which God Himself tortures us by his presence (divine wrath, perhaps)
5. Hell exists as a place of eternal psychic torture (the people there will be tortured with remorse, guilt or the knowledge that they made the wrong choice and could be in heaven)
6. Hell exists, but is not eternal (one of the options above, but souls don't stay there forever).
7. Other (please post and explain)

Thank you in advance for your answers!

 

[tapero]

I'm thinking of starting a new thread in the General Apologetics Section to discuss the existence of hell (I'm sure the residents there will be thrilled at such a novel idea) but I'm afraid I'm going to run into problems. While discussing the existence of hell, other posters may say that this is a false teaching, that hell is such-and such. So I'd like to do a little research on Christian opinions on hell, and here seems a good place to do it.

I'd like to ask, then: which of the following do you think is true?

1. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls go to heaven.
2. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls not going to heaven are annihilated.
3. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which the Devil and his demons deliberately inflict pain upon souls.
4. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which God Himself tortures us by his presence (divine wrath, perhaps)
5. Hell exists as a place of eternal psychic torture (the people there will be tortured with remorse, guilt or the knowledge that they made the wrong choice and could be in heaven)
6. Hell exists, but is not eternal (one of the options above, but souls don't stay there forever).
7. Other (please post and explain)

Thank you in advance for your answers!

Hi, I will need to find a post on hell I have, that shows the various references and names and places which refer to hell.

Hell is eternal, suffering, burning, for those who do not believe in Christ.

Don't know offhand, without reading study, if satan and demons are in this same hell, but they will and some are in a hell now, where there is eternal suffering, burning, etc.

The good news, is that belief in Jesus the Christ, that he died and was resurected reaps eternal life with God in Heaven.

I didn't vote on the poll, as none seemed right to me.

 

[bethrow]

There is this website where I've read personal testimonies. www.insightsofgod.com.
There is a story by B.W. Melvin who was an athiest. Might be a good one to start with. I haven't read that one though cause I had trouble downloading it. Might just go check that one out this evening.

I believe it is eternal suffering, pain, darkness, sadness, regret, and constant torture...all will be separated from God for eternity.

 

[Criada]

I'm thinking of starting a new thread in the General Apologetics Section to discuss the existence of hell (I'm sure the residents there will be thrilled at such a novel idea) but I'm afraid I'm going to run into problems. While discussing the existence of hell, other posters may say that this is a false teaching, that hell is such-and such. So I'd like to do a little research on Christian opinions on hell, and here seems a good place to do it.

I'd like to ask, then: which of the following do you think is true?

1. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls go to heaven.
2. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls not going to heaven are annihilated.
3. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which the Devil and his demons deliberately inflict pain upon souls.
4. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which God Himself tortures us by his presence (divine wrath, perhaps)
5. Hell exists as a place of eternal psychic torture (the people there will be tortured with remorse, guilt or the knowledge that they made the wrong choice and could be in heaven)
6. Hell exists, but is not eternal (one of the options above, but souls don't stay there forever).
7. Other (please post and explain)

Thank you in advance for your answers!

This is hard!

Taking your options in order:

1. Can't accept this , as it totally negates the sacrifice of Christ! Why bother if everyone is going to heaven anyway? And God is just, so sin must be punished. Everyone can go to heaven, through Christ, but free will means that some will not.

2.I would like this to be true! But can't make it fit the bible! Judgement day becomes rather unnecessary if all those who rejected God aren't there any more.

3. No! satan will be thrown into the lake of fire as punishment for his rebellion, not to torture others!

4. Again, no! God does not torture people!

5 & 6. Both possibilities. I think of hell as eternal seperation from God . Whether this means that the soul will be eternally concious of this seperation I o not know...

7. Probably!

I do not think there is enough scriptural evidence to be sure of the details.
However, what is abundantly clear is that I do not want to be in a position to find out! Nor do I want anyone I know to go there.
But - I do not think that many people come to God because they are worried about going to hell, but rather because once they see who He is , they want to be with Him.

 

[bethrow]

I believe 3 and 5 to be true.
I hope you find what you are looking for interestedathiest.

 

[MrDave]

The options offered do not represent what I believe the Scriptures reveal as HELL.

Besides, as an atheist, you don't believe there is a hell so what's your real purpose in this thread?

DECISION DETERMINES DESTINY

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Hi everybody. Thank you all very much for voting and/or commenting.

I'm sorry some people couldn't find the definition they wanted. I did think I'd covered all the bases. Can anybody tell me which definition of hell I'm missing?

Mr. Dave, I don't personally believe in the existence of hell, and my purpose in this thread is to do research on Christian views on hell so that I can have more productive discussion with them about it.

 

[ContentInHim]

Well, I voted incorrectly - I chose psychically thinking it was physically. It was supposed to be psychologically, right?

OK, here's what I believe. God created the Lake of Fire for Satan and his demon angels where they will be physically punished with eternal flames, pain, separation, etc. Satan does NOT RULE this Lake of Fire - it's his punishment. Those humans who did not accept Jesus sacrifice for their sin will sadly join Satan in this punishment.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Yes, psychologically. Sorry, I should have worded it more clearly.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Well, thanks very much for all the replies. I live in Shanghai and it's getting late now. Goodnight, and have a nice day!

 

[Miracle Storm]

I'm thinking of starting a new thread in the General Apologetics Section to discuss the existence of hell (I'm sure the residents there will be thrilled at such a novel idea) but I'm afraid I'm going to run into problems. While discussing the existence of hell, other posters may say that this is a false teaching, that hell is such-and such. So I'd like to do a little research on Christian opinions on hell, and here seems a good place to do it.

I'd like to ask, then: which of the following do you think is true?

1. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls go to heaven.
2. There is no hell. Upon death, all souls not going to heaven are annihilated.
3. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which the Devil and his demons deliberately inflict pain upon souls.
4. Hell exists as a place of eternal physical torture (fire, pain, burning, etc) in which God Himself tortures us by his presence (divine wrath, perhaps)
5. Hell exists as a place of eternal psychic torture (the people there will be tortured with remorse, guilt or the knowledge that they made the wrong choice and could be in heaven)
6. Hell exists, but is not eternal (one of the options above, but souls don't stay there forever).
7. Other (please post and explain)

Thank you in advance for your answers!

I cannot really answer this and be completely sure...The poll doesn't quite add up to my beliefs..

I do know there is a hell.

I do not believe that satan/demons will have any power there to torture. They will be enduring eternal punishment, it's not like their the guards or something..

I do believe that we are eternal beings so those in hell will see no end to their suffering.

I believe it is torment, fire, brimstone ect..

I also believe that right now whether you believe in God or not you are to some degree in His presence. God is omnipresent. But in hell, I believe His presence is not there...That will be true suffering.

After being here for a while I have seen that many Christians view hell in many different ways. I could not begin to tell you what hell is like because I believe like heaven it is something that could not be described with words.

When I think of heaven I think of the glorious presence of the Lord and being with HIM!

When I think of hell I think of those totally without the presence of the Lord and never being with Him, knowing why too.

Here is a link to some Scriptures that may help you, but you will surely find that Christians interpret differently.

http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=hell&version1=31&searchtype=all

If you read them in context you will get more of an understanding of the meaning.

 

[HypnoToad]

I had to vote "other".

First to be clear, I'm referring to the "lake of fire" spoken of in Revelation. (It's a common misconception to call it "hell", but most people do it anyway.)

I believe the lake of fire is (or, at least, will be) a real, physical location.

It's not torture by Satan, because he will be punished like everyone else there.

The pain experienced, I believe, is not a physical fire, but rather the anguish felt due to a complete lack of God's presence (a complete and total lack of all that is good). I believe Scripture refers to it as "fire" because it's the closest description that we would be able to understand and relate to.

And I believe it will be everlasting.

 

[HypnoToad]

(duplicate post)

 

[ebia]

Hell, if it exists at all, is simply separation from God. CS Lewis did a great job of exploring the idea in "The Great Divorce".

 

[serephim02]

Well whatever Hell will be, it will be very bad and you dont wanna go there. I do believe it exists, seperation from God, physical and pyschological torture as well.

 

[InterestedAtheist]

Thanks, everyone, for all the answers.

 

[If Not For Grace]

Well whatever Hell will be, it will be very bad and you dont wanna go there. I do believe it exists, seperation from God, physical and pyschological torture as well.

What He Said ^

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I believe that the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it well. It says...


IV. HELL

1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell."

1034 Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire," and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!"

1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.

1036 The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is completed, we may merit to enter with him into the marriage feast and be numbered among the blessed, and not, like the wicked and slothful servants, be ordered to depart into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness where "men will weep and gnash their teeth."

1037 God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want "any to perish, but all to come to repentance":

Father, accept this offering
from your whole family.
Grant us your peace in this life,
save us from final damnation,
and count us among those you have chosen.

P.S.
If you would like to go deeper into the subject, I recommend a little book called, "The Four Last Things" by Fr. Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C.

Here is a link to where you can find the book if you are interested. It's only 9 dollars at amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Four-Last-Thi...D&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_p=186412001&pf_rd_i=homehttp://www.amazon.com/Four-Last-Thi...5204638?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180119116&sr=8-5

 

[Key]

Well what ever one might want to call Hell, it is a simple place, or thing, it is "The Place other then Heaven".

When you think about it, if you died, and you realized you could have made it to heaven, and blew it, well, that is "Hell".

It also happens to be a Town in Michigan.

God Bless

Key