Regarding Hell.

[DX-50]

So what happens after we die? Do we go to heaven, hell, or do we just decay in our coffin or burial? Here's my view on hell:

Why in the world are we here? Surely not to live in pain, or fear.I think the only real fear is what you let yourself to fear. If there is such a place as hell, the only thing terrible about it is all the fear us humans create when imagining what it is. Hence, we created hell. Or what it is suppose to be.

I don't know... Hell seems to be a concept that was relatively recently introduced to monotheisic religion. (Maybe only 2300 years ago?) If Christianity, which has a hell, is the logical progression of Judaism and Islam, which is the continuation of both monotheistic religions very MUCH has a hell (a third of the Qu'ran is dedicated to the afterlife)...

Well. Judaism didn't have the idea of hell at first. It got it from the Zoroastrians (along with the concept of angel hierarchy, demons, and all of those lovely things). It's not a native Jewish concept. So I don't think it could apply much to the original idea of that religion... From which Christianity blossomed (holding onto, and advancing, this questionable idea). It seems a little so-so.

Not to mention that if there is a God, I wouldn't believe that God would be so cruel as to actually utilize hell. I know the thought is, "You choose hell, not God," but why does God allow it there in the first place, you know? Silly. I rather like the thought that Islam has: no believer will have to suffer eternal damnation. You can do awful things, but if you TRULY believe... Well, you're just saved. JOLLY JOLLY.

[blahblah18]

Technically that's the premise in Christianity as well. The only sin great enogh to deny you entrance to heaven is the denial of Jesus in your life... But that does mean that all toer religions do go to hell... heh..... So basically, as long as you're Christian you''re going to heaven, and if you're not, you're going to hell.

[Wayfaerer_]

The greatest fear is speaking in public. Then comes death.

[deltro300111]

Yea, hell is most defianatley a human creation.

(Wayfarer- do you play UT? ^_^)

[Dabula]

I don't think hell could exist because the universe is all about balances and an eternity of anything would eventually become nothing. Like for example if you were in hell and you were tortured forever or whatever you would eventually forget what it was to not be in pain and therefore what was "torture" would lose it's meaning. You'd become numb to the pain. The same goes for heaven, you can't expierence a feeling without it's opposite.

[The_Q]

He's got a good point regarding stimulus, but it really lacks something. For instance, the idea that one's idea of pleasure and pain could change. For instance, living the punishment of Tantalus would be my hell. Eventually I'd get used to it, right? If I do, it would change. Almost like crop rotation (that's a hick thing to say, but I am from Champaign, IL). Also, the change from tortures would serve as a minimal relief but then get crushed once more. It's a wonderful method of both physical and emotional torture.

As for heaven, it could be that I enjoy pain and I'd feel constant pain. Enough to be pleasurable. If my tastes change so will my pleasure.

Q

[kibbel]

I think hell was created by religion not fear. It may have caused fear, by the people thinking they would go there.

So i think it only exists for people who belive in it.

[jazzmosis]

Ignoring the fact that hell is supposedly in the core of the earth (where there has been proven to be... lava, and no hell), that leaves the only other explaination of "another plain of existence, hell and heaven are on".

If hell is where our greatest fears are played out and our greatest fear is going to hell, then what? It's not like you could just "keep" going to hell. There's so many fallacies involving the absolute concept of hell that it can not exist. For example, for hell to exist, it has to be physical or mental. Since hell is claimed to be neither, that leaves hell as created from nothing. However, in contemporary philosophy, one of the three rules of thumb is that nothing can come from nothing.

The only explaination would be that hell is another dimension (ie: fourth..) However if that was the case there would have to be some way to reach it.

A more appropriate analogy (I know I'm all over the place here, bear with me.) is that god is a perfect being that can not do no wrong. God also created man to have relations with "us". However if god can do no wrong then he could never send anyone to heaven, because to create a being that is not worthy of heaven would only be to admit he/she/it made a mistake and therefore could not be a perfect being (thus destroying the whole concept of a god.) How can hell exist if a perfect being creates things that are imperfect? It only proves imperfection in oneself. Hence, to have a hell would be contradictory to the theory of god.

Unless, of course... we weren't created by a perfect being. But then that means God does not exist and therefore neither does heaven or hell.

[Daekryus]

I wanna broaden the subject here a little. I agree that man has most likely conceived Hell, but now that leads me to think this did man create the gods. Are the gods creations of man? Did we make them to justify are existence, making it something more than simple pleasures. A glorious afterlife & a fiery pit. Tools to keep man from retrogressing to his most basic state? Man cannot live without gods and gods cannot live withput man. Think on it. If all of mankind turned its back on god what would he do send ALL of us to hell. Who then would sing his praises in the christian paradise.

If man was wiped out to near extinction and all remnants of christianity lost. Would God still throw the nonbelievers in the fiery pit punishing them for actions they knew not that they were making?
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[jewpinthethird]

Guys, I know the answer to everything. I was watching the Christian channel (JCTV...) at 3 am, when this program came on explaining that Heaven and Hell existed on another dimension, and that Jesus too existed on a different dimesion and that is why he could walk and water and play the Jazz trumpet.

Originally Posted by jewpinthethird

Guys, I know the answer to everything. I was watching the Christian channel (JCTV...) at 3 am, when this program came on explaining that Heaven and Hell existed on another dimension, and that Jesus too existed on a different dimesion and that is why he could walk and water and play the Jazz trumpet.

Quit ruining CT. Warning #4.

[slimshdy425]

Originally Posted by jazzmosis

. However, in contemporary philosophy, one of the three rules of thumb is that nothing can come from nothing.

Well obviously something has to come from nothing, or nothing would exist in the first place.

I disagree with the Christian view that anyone who doesn't believe in Christianity goes to hell. I think as long as you try to act good in your life, you should go to heaven.

As for the existence of these places, I agree it would disprove our theory of God, but maybe we have a misconception of God. Even going back to the story of Adam and Eve shows that our God is imperfect as the beings he created are imperfect. I personally believe in a sort of imperfect God, or else all of His people (us) would be perfectly happy and flawless.

[Bahamut-X]

God, heaven, and hell aren't real. That's my view. Kthxbye.

[Layla-Day]

a very long time ago...hell didnt exist. it became some angels chose to believe satan.....and they did not deserve to be in a great place. No imagination can even begin to imagine all the great things in heaven. Demons are nothing but fallen angels. God lets there be a hell because...in your life, you do have a choice to follow god, and thats where Jesus christ comes in. God sent his only begotten son to shed his blood for mankind....but only you can decide whether you want to repent and save yourself.

see......there is only one way to go to heaven...if you have been reborn....or if you are too young to make that decision in your life. example: The only way to get an "A" on a test is you pass it right? and thats because you study for it. so if you get an "e", you deserve it because you didnt study for the test. you do not deserve the "a" because its an award. well think of heaven as "a" and hell as the "e". if you dont deserve the award, you dont get it.

And its all in what you believe in. if you save yourself...there is no need to worry about hell, and you dont have to go church to save yourself. Just pray...and ask the lord for forgiveness, and yes he will forgive.

I think of people in hell as selfish bastards. Because...yes you will have to give up certain things in life to be granted the gift of eternal peace. well, which will you want? happiness from 1-100 years, or happiness forever? To be able to go anywhere and not have a burden of sorrow and unhappiness?

It all depends on where you stand and what you do to save your soul. Christians believe in different things than Catholics. We know that we are here for one purpose... we are here on earth for a test. whether you will go to heaven or hell. its like the SATs. you go through this test to see if you have the educational abilities to go on to college and make it. Same with use. God wants to see if we have the spiritual abilities to go on to heaven. And those who are not good enough to go one...will go to hell.

So my point is...You have a choice to save yourself. but you have to commit toGod and everything he believes in...and you wont even need to worry about whether hell exists or not.


and the ten commandments are the boundaries. everyone here has did at least 2 off the commandments. that means sleeping with a married woman, killing, or even stealing, or taking the lords name in vein, or putting any other god before him.

[jazzmosis]

Originally Posted by Layla-Day

Just pray...and ask the lord for forgiveness, and yes he will forgive.

It's hard to blindly believe something I don't believe in. Especially to pray to a being of mysterious and mystical power to forgiveness over rules of what a bunch of people said a bunch of people said that a bunch of people (etc) said that one guy said that said he talked to God.

If I said that a giant space squid once told my great grandfather that he created the earth and the squid demanded my great grandfather worship him and teach his sons and sons after to also worship and spread the word that this giant squid created the world, but also said that you can never show people any physical evidence but merely relate random, unproven occurances and claim it is the space squid's doing, people would think I'm a nutbag and throw me in the looney bin.

But how is what I'm saying any different to the concept of religious belief in god?

Here's my only theory involving god's possible existence: Humanity was an experiment. God is leaving "us" to do what we will and is seeing what will happen. If that's the case, he must be laughing, because as a race we fail so tremendously it's a joke.

Humanity has made up so many lies in order to control other humans, and it's possible/probable hell is another one of those lies. One thing humans are good at is scaring other humans into submission. But what else is religion based on but fear? You're scared to live a life without meaning, you're scared to go to hell, you're scared of god's "wrath", whatever makes you believe... but it's all back to one common link: fear.

Believe what you will in life, that's fine by me: But when the end comes, whether it be in my life or not, I'd rather die knowing I believed in the one thing I could always be sure of: myself.

[jazzmosis]

Originally Posted by slimshdy425

Well obviously something has to come from nothing, or nothing would exist in the first place.

I disagree with the Christian view that anyone who doesn't believe in Christianity goes to hell. I think as long as you try to act good in your life, you should go to heaven.

As for the existence of these places, I agree it would disprove our theory of God, but maybe we have a misconception of God. Even going back to the story of Adam and Eve shows that our God is imperfect as the beings he created are imperfect. I personally believe in a sort of imperfect God, or else all of His people (us) would be perfectly happy and flawless.

I'd put this in the same post but they're really not connected thoughts.

That's a problem with God. God is supposed to be a "perfect being". That's what god is. Anything other than perfection makes God... not god.

"God is a being of immense power who would not/could not lead his kin astray". That's my one quote, but it's based on alot of Philosophical studies throughout my life and University courses, and that's the basic idea/definition of 'God'. If he creates imperfect things, that doesn't necessarily mean he's imperfect, but that he wanted to create something not perfect. But if he could never lead us astray, creating something imperfect would only prove an imperfection in himself - an imperfect thing is not all it could be, which reflects on the creator imperfection in oneself. How, then, can a perfect being create imperfect beings? However, if God is imperfect, then it's not God. And if it's not perfect, how can one trust anything it's ever done can be agreeable?

[Bahamut-X]

There is no physical proof that god is real, therefore we can assume he doesn't exist. Humans made him up. People are just scared of death and are afraid to die, and they need the comfort of religion to assure them that after death they will be able to live again in an afterlife. I myself find it extremely amusing that people would choose to believe such a theory, that there is a god and he created all of humanity. These people choose to believe something that has no evidence to back it up. I just think that's stupid.

[Tank101]

Originally Posted by blahblah18

Technically that's the premise in Christianity as well. The only sin great enogh to deny you entrance to heaven is the denial of Jesus in your life... But that does mean that all toer religions do go to hell... heh..... So basically, as long as you're Christian you''re going to heaven, and if you're not, you're going to hell.

Oh wow, what a great opinion!

I hate religion. People think, "Well, everyone that's not my religion will burn forever, b ut that doesn't mean I should exclude him, I will treat them as equals."

Religion sucks. It's the cause of almost every war. And the cause of people like blahblah18.

[Layla-Day]

Originally Posted by Bahamut-X

There is no physical proof that god is real, therefore we can assume he doesn't exist. Humans made him up. People are just scared of death and are afraid to die, and they need the comfort of religion to assure them that after death they will be able to live again in an afterlife. I myself find it extremely amusing that people would choose to believe such a theory, that there is a god and he created all of humanity. These people choose to believe something that has no evidence to back it up. I just think that's stupid.

well.....say you are studying for a test,and three bonus questions are worth 50 pts each, and youre kinda slippin in that class. and you dont know whether economics is going to be on the test or not. wouldnt you rather study for it anyway....and the next day..you look on the test and its there than to not study and miss the oppurtunity...and so far...it the only thing that makes so far. im sure that one day a man and woman didnt just decide to sprout out of the earth's surface.

And...at least learn about religion before you criticize it. You have to read a book to find whether is sucks or(excluding reading the summary on the back), so actually gather information about something before you criticize it, because im a christian and no christian I know has a mind like that. either you dont have a clue what you're talking about....or maybe youre hanging around the wrong people.

[Bahamut-X]

Excuse me, I'm entitled to an opinion too, and that is the way I see it. Just because I don't study religion doesn't mean I don't know a little about it. And you think I'm hanging around with the wrong people? Well apparently you haven't noticed that I am not the only non-believer of god. I'm just going by facts. You're going by sheer belief that has pretty much nothing to back it up. I'm guessing you didn't choose to learn about religion, you were probably forced to. I can't name even one kid that enjoys going to church. You were probably forced. If it was your decision things may have turned out different.