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War is hell.
The thing is that NO ONE wants to be wrong in regard to a (cherished?) belief. Human beings since the beginning of time have been filled with pride and it's this, in many instances, that have led to their downfall. We see this kind of thing all the time on the forum ..."How DARE you say that my long-held belief is incorrect ...especially when most of Christianity believes the same thing!" The notion is that the majority (of Christians) simply cannot be wrong. They CAN be wrong, of course, when their particular 'belief' was an erroneous one from the start. The LONGER an erroneous idea is believed the MORE entrenched in the mind it becomes. The traditional concept of hell is a prime example of an erroneous belief becoming entrenched in the mind.
It not only amazes me but it also concerns me greatly that people (Christians) get actually ANGRY when someone else comes along with a different concept of hell that shows God in a more humane light than does the traditional view. They actually get ANGRY! ??? Not only that, they also imply and some actually SAY that the concept of a humane God are words of the devil! ???
They actually like and accept and are comforted by the idea that the lost will get their dues by being eternally tormented in the flames of hell!
The traditional concept of hell has been misinterpreted from the start. Metaphors and symbolisms that are used in relation to hell have been made into literal accounts. The lack of understanding (the ignorance) in these areas by Christians is most shocking, to say the least. The favorite description of hell by Christians (The Rich Man & Lazarus) is a Hebrew fable. Jesus expounded on this fable with a parable of His own that was aimed at the Pharisees. It actually has nothing to do with hell per se. No matter HOW MANY TIMES people on this board are told this it goes in one ear and out the other. Why? Simply because they have no desire to hear the truth. The truth messes up their cherished belief and takes them out of their comfort zone. The very idea that a literal eternal torture chamber exists for the lost actually keeps people within their comfort zone is extremely distressing.
Christianity! No wonder the atheists have such a field day with us!
I agree with you.
I've had christians in CF, ANGRY with me for portraying God as a God of Love, a God of inclusion, not exclusion. I've even been told to sit in the corner and put my hand over my mouth, and shut up... true!
We cannot say what Hell is in any terms that we discuss. The afterlife is beyond comprehension, and we can only imagine a perception of it. How can anyone truly KNOW eternity? we may only conceptualise it
Considering that God is everything, have you considered perhaps, that Hell is seperation from God?
If we can ever understand such.
They won't be feeling the need to say stuff like that forever, fortunately.
People generally exhibit characteristics they perceive in God. As their perceptions of Him change, the way they treat their fellow man will also change. I've seen this first and foremost in my own experience as I transitioned from believing that most will go to hell to believing that whatever "hell" there is will be for corrective purposes, in a loving context, and therefore temporary.
While it's no fun being on the receiving end of the snarky comments, it is, thankfully, just the fruit of a phase that person's going through.
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." ~Mother Julian of Norwich
[FONT="]Christians believe emphatically that there is a literal heaven. They also believe emphatically that there is a literal hell. While we are given a brief description of heaven in the Bible (streets of gold, walls of jasper, etc.) hell is presented in rather vague terms. As long as Christians believe that hell is the future and the everlasting abode for unrepentant sinners, what precisely IS hell and WHERE is it 'geographically' located? Is it literal or is it figurative? Whatever your belief, please state your reasons for believing as you do[/FONT][FONT="].[/FONT]
[FONT="]Christians believe emphatically that there is a literal heaven. They also believe emphatically that there is a literal hell. While we are given a brief description of heaven in the Bible (streets of gold, walls of jasper, etc.) hell is presented in rather vague terms. As long as Christians believe that hell is the future and the everlasting abode for unrepentant sinners, what precisely IS hell and WHERE is it 'geographically' located? Is it literal or is it figurative? Whatever your belief, please state your reasons for believing as you do[/FONT][FONT="].[/FONT]
That all depends.In the NT Jesus spoke more about Hell then Heaven.
Yes, we look through a dark glass into the things of God. As the scripture says, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, what God has in store.
But may I ask what you mean by hell being separation from God? Do you mean now, when a person is alienated from God because they are dead in their sin, or, after death, being put away into a little corner of the universe, whether it be a physical or spiritual corner, without end?
I'm a little confused by this statement.I cannot begin to understand and therefore explain how seperation from God is Hell, Every essence of you and me IS God, consequently seperation from God is akin to being seperated from ourselves. It is like saying that we exists and do not exist.
I'm a little confused by this statement.
If every essence of a person is God, and if God were to send that person to hell, wouldn't God therefore be sending Himself to hell? And, if so, how can that be separation from God if He is -- or, at least, little bits of Him are -- down there in hell with that person as a result?
.
The thing is that NO ONE wants to be wrong in regard to a (cherished?) belief. Human beings since the beginning of time have been filled with pride and it's this, in many instances, that have led to their downfall. We see this kind of thing all the time on the forum ..."How DARE you say that my long-held belief is incorrect ...especially when most of Christianity believes the same thing!" The notion is that the majority (of Christians) simply cannot be wrong. They CAN be wrong, of course, when their particular 'belief' was an erroneous one from the start. The LONGER an erroneous idea is believed the MORE entrenched in the mind it becomes. The traditional concept of hell is a prime example of an erroneous belief becoming entrenched in the mind.
It not only amazes me but it also concerns me greatly that people (Christians) get actually ANGRY when someone else comes along with a different concept of hell that shows God in a more humane light than does the traditional view. They actually get ANGRY! ??? Not only that, they also imply and some actually SAY that the concept of a humane God are words of the devil! ???
They actually like and accept and are comforted by the idea that the lost will get their dues by being eternally tormented in the flames of hell!
The traditional concept of hell has been misinterpreted from the start. Metaphors and symbolisms that are used in relation to hell have been made into literal accounts. The lack of understanding (the ignorance) in these areas by Christians is most shocking, to say the least. The favorite description of hell by Christians (The Rich Man & Lazarus) is a Hebrew fable. Jesus expounded on this fable with a parable of His own that was aimed at the Pharisees. It actually has nothing to do with hell per se. No matter HOW MANY TIMES people on this board are told this it goes in one ear and out the other. Why? Simply because they have no desire to hear the truth. The truth messes up their cherished belief and takes them out of their comfort zone. The very idea that a literal eternal torture chamber exists for the lost actually keeps people within their comfort zone is extremely distressing.
Christianity! No wonder the atheists have such a field day with us!
In the NT Jesus spoke more about Hell then Heaven.
Hell is the absence of God (Love) and Heaven is the fullness of God (Love).
Christianity says all men are immortal. This life is but a prelude to the forever. Heaven or Hell is where we spend forever.
Hell is the absense of GOD
Personally I think Hell lies twenty miles away. Straight down. That is also "The Lake of Fire". I would also note that the "Destruction of the Daughter of Babylon" is supposed to be accompanied by the "Greatest Earthquake Since Man Has Been On The Earth". It would seem to me, that those who fail to heed the warning given in Revelations 18 : 4 - 5, stand a good chance of being dumped in said lake by said earthquake.
Revelations 18 4-5 (Revised Standard Version)
"Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities."
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