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What is Hell?

I

Irelandrulz2

Member
I have asked myself this question many times.
What I used to think of Hell is a place of evil, a lack of love. A place where bad people go who are tortured for the rest of their lives.
After reading a few articles online and peoples point of view on Hell, I have mixed messages.
1) Is that Hell is not a place, it's when you live a bad life sinning, without remorse etc and then dieing as an atheist person believes.
2) Hell has been created after Heaven for a place for people who lived a life of sinning etc, except it's just a place without God, it didn't really describe Hell as a negative place.

It's hard to explain what I've read.

What is Hell really?
 
outhouse

outhouse

Atheistically
hell isnt mentioned until the NT

before that the names they use generaly for it ment "grave" sheol or underworld as in hades

for me gehenna sums up where christians got hell from

Hell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gehenna refers to the "Valley of Hinnon", which was a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem. It was a place where people burned their garbage and thus there was always a fire burning there. Bodies of those deemed to have died in sin without hope of salvation
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Madhuri

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
Hell is a state of consciousness. A hellish place is where those surrounding you are purely selfish. This very planet is a mix of heaven and hell.
 
Midnight Pete

Midnight Pete

Well-Known Member
Hell has been created after Heaven for a place for people who lived a life of sinning etc, except it's just a place without God, it didn't really describe Hell as a negative place.
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If it's a place without the love of God, it's a negative place. Earth is somewhat like Hell in that the love of God is not evident in all places, but Earth is somewhat like Heaven in the places in which this love shines through. Satan has had the run of the place ever since he was thrown out of Heaven. Even people who don't believe there is such a being as Satan would agree that Earth seems to be a playground for evil.
 
Madhuri

Madhuri

RF Goddess
Staff member
Premium Member
Midnight Pete said:
Even people who don't believe there is such a being as Satan would agree that Earth seems to be a playground for evil.
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Actually I disagree.
It seems that way for people who have learned to see it that way.

I see Earth as a playground, certainly. But my philosophy leaves no room for 'evil'. Ignorance and selfishness are the result of lack of experience. Ignorance and selfishness are the cause of suffering.

Earth is a playground for self improvement and growth.

And for those who learn to see God everywhere, suffering is eliminated.
 
Breathe

Breathe

Hostis humani generis
What Madhuri said, both posts.


I do not believe in a place of torture or eternal unquenchable fire. Even if I did believe in a place of torture as hell, it would not be somewhere people end up forever.
 
S

smokydot

Well-Known Member
Irelandrulz2 said:
I have asked myself this question many times.
What I used to think of Hell is a place of evil, a lack of love. A place where bad people go who are tortured for the rest of their lives.
After reading a few articles online and peoples point of view on Hell, I have mixed messages.
1) Is that Hell is not a place, it's when you live a bad life sinning, without remorse etc and then dieing as an atheist person believes.
2) Hell has been created after Heaven for a place for people who lived a life of sinning etc, except it's just a place without God, it didn't really describe Hell as a negative place.
It's hard to explain what I've read.
What is Hell really?
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To put it simply, hell is separation from God and living under his wrath for all eternity.
 
ellenjanuary

ellenjanuary

Well-Known Member
Marketing scheme, like I said. :D

If you want to get Biblical about it - the flame shall not be extinguised, the worm shall not perish - which is obviously an extrapolation from the habit of Jews burning trash outside their houses. Really ain't got nothing to do with nothing beyond being the unpleasant stick associated with the carrot of - spread the Word.

In the Koran: A woeful scourge, the Fire. Koran is wonderfully poetic, if one hasn't read it, I'd recommend it.
 
jumpingjoy

jumpingjoy

Member
No one knows if an afterlife of any sort exists, let alone what it might be like. Those who reckon they KNOW are lying they can only assume without any data to back up their assumptions!
 
ChristineES

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
jumpingjoy said:
No one knows if an afterlife of any sort exists, let alone what it might be like. Those who reckon they KNOW are lying they can only assume without any data to back up their assumptions!
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If we limited our conversations to what only we know for a fact, then we would have very little to talk about or debate. Nearly everything we say is either a theory, a guess, or a belief. Sure, there are some facts and some natural laws that have been proven, but we still know very little about the whole things. :)
 
Caladan

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
Irelandrulz2 said:
I have asked myself this question many times.
What I used to think of Hell is a place of evil, a lack of love. A place where bad people go who are tortured for the rest of their lives.
After reading a few articles online and peoples point of view on Hell, I have mixed messages.
1) Is that Hell is not a place, it's when you live a bad life sinning, without remorse etc and then dieing as an atheist person believes.
2) Hell has been created after Heaven for a place for people who lived a life of sinning etc, except it's just a place without God, it didn't really describe Hell as a negative place.

It's hard to explain what I've read.

What is Hell really?
Click to expand...
I have heard all these things about hell too. I believe hell is a place of leisure and study, of grand politics and sophisticated natural born leaders, where those musicians who dare to sing about the filth of society end up, where veterans join in to have a glass of scotch with their buddies.
But in all seriousness, there are far worse places than hell here right here in our countries and in various regions across the world. hell would be a short vacation of entertainment for realistic sinners from the real world before going back to sing about the woes of societies and politics, before they go marching up that dune in full gear again, or paying the bribe to that Indian official in order to get your nation ahead in arms deals.
 
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outhouse

outhouse

Atheistically
Despite gehenna

I still think heaven and hell are for the living. When you shut your eyes that one last time and your life passes before you. You'll know.

my opinion is that the bible is a guide for the living on how to live a happy and decent life despite its scare tactics and its ancient outdated messages.
 
S

smokydot

Well-Known Member
Friend of Bill W said:
The doctrine of Hell as we generally think of it is not a Bible teaching.
It is a very useful tool for getting bums on pews though.
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--he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire
--will be in danger of hell fire
--and be thrown into eternal fire
--into the eternal fire prepared for
--where the fire never goes out
--and the fire is not quenched

In the NT, all these words are from the mouth of Jesus. . .he is the one who teaches about hell.
 
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