Alright so im an athiest, but like the whole idea of hell confuses me. Like for one thing wouldnt "satan" want you there since you are doing bad to get there? And even if you were tortured for all of eternity, one day wouldnt it get old? Like youll get used to that pain every single day right? Like wont you get bored?
If hell existed, you wouldn't be a person in hell, you'd be a spirit. And I asume it's more about eternal torment for your transgressions, and permanent separation from God. If the punishment is pain, you're a spirit, I would be willing to bet that the rules apply differently, I doubt you'd get used to other worldly pain intended to torture a soul.
[quote name='"DrSheldonCooper"']If hell existed, you wouldn't be a person in hell, you'd be a spirit. And I asume it's more about eternal torment for your transgressions, and permanent separation from God. If the punishment is pain, you're a spirit, I would be willing to bet that the rules apply differently, I doubt you'd get used to other worldly pain intended to torture a soul.[/quote] That makes total sense if that were the case. Even though Im not a person of faith or religion, I do find it all to be very interesting. Although I figure this satan figure wouldnt be what tortures you, considering you did something to get yourself there. I figured he would like assemble some sort of army of spirits or something.
I think the idea of hell came from primitive minds, volcanoes, and thinking there is something down there running the show. It's hot and evil and back then most everything had a "spirit" and religion today evolved from religion back then. Kind of like the flood myths, finding fossils of sea creatures far inland. First thought is a ton of water came and brought them in, but now we know that the land rose from the oceans.
to my knowledge, religions that where prevalent before Abrahamism defined 'hell' simply as an early grave with no mention of eternal torture.
This is hell The only tortures here for us are those we put ourselves thru within each moment... much like this raved about heaven..... Our hell is only what we make of it
Hell is 100% real. You've questioned the logic of the religious hell associated with it's dogma- that's good. There exists no such place. So what is hell? Hell is a very collective term, but simply put: it's a state of being, or state of consciousness. One can be in it, and only very subtlety aware of it. That is what makes it even more of a "hell."
This /\ In scripture it says the dead are unconscious, how can you experience pain in an unconscious state? The whole concept of hell fire came about during the dark ages when Christianity got taken over by the governments. It was stripped from it's intended purpose as used as a method of control. Original scripture states you'll simply be disconnected from the source of life (god) for eternity, meaning you'll be dead (unconscious) forever in the same state you were in before you were born.
Sin is separation from god and I find it really weird that the punishment for it is eternal separation from, eternal sin, at the hand of god. Just doesn't quite make sense...
There is no hell in Judaism, the original Abrahamic faith The popularized idea of "hell," as it exists in the minds of billions today, is an invention of post-Nicaea Christianity.
Honestly I wouldn't see it as that bad of a deal. I mean you're given the option of either livin' it up however you want in this limited life time and then you die and it's all over, or you can accept god and live your life by the golden rule, (which really is natural for most people in the first place) and receive the gift on an eternal life being able to watch this current system of war, greed and regulations come to an end and get to watch human civilization advance for as long as you want to live. The pleasures of the flesh may tempt some and that's perfectly fine, I would much rather choose the latter haha
The imagery of Hell reflects the desolation of the European Dark Ages. Perhaps it served as a catharsis.
Most of them are just trying to scare you into following their idea of what it all means....and think fear is the best way to enslave people.... Or have made themselves slaves to these propagated fears... There is fire in hell.....we burn beneath the sun most days....
[quote name='"dirtydingusus"'] Most of them are just trying to scare you into following their idea of what it all means....and think fear is the best way to enslave people.... Or have made themselves slaves to these propagated fears... There is fire in hell.....we burn beneath the sun most days....[/quote] Isnt that basically what theistic religions do? Enslave people with fear.
With the fears of long dead ancestors.... Best part is the guy many claim to follow....taught against a system of future punishment and/or reward....
So, basically it's just a construct of the Roman Empire to get people to swear allegiance and eventually transition into the even more powerful Holy Roman Empire? Oh, now it makes sense!
I mean I don't want to get all conspiracy theory with it...but yes, probably. If you take a look at the Aramaic and the Greek of the New Testament where Jesus seemingly preaches "hell," you'll notice that he's using Aramaic and Greek words which were already in the overall consciousnesses of the Jews listening to his message, and none of the 3 words he used that are now translated as "hell" ever carried the connotation of eternal damnation, like today's usage. Had Jesus meant an entirely different concept, he would not have used those words, or he would have expanded upon them. It's also interesting that none of the earliest Gnostic texts ever preach eternal damnation. It's either eternal life in heaven or annihilation: your soul is wiped out...no endless suffering, just endless nothingness.