HELL

[MTL]

In a different thread, I once offered my personal take on the concept of "Sin"
...and it applies to the concept of "Hell" too.

I said that, being Agnostic and Anti-Theist,
that I don't believe in the traditional Abrahamic concepts of "Sin".

I don't view 'Lust' as a sin at all, for example;

If God exists,
I would think He would be appalled that we view Lust as a Sin;
it is a gift!!

So is Fear.

And Lust and Fear are supposed to be in balance.

Every living thing Lusts, and Fears.

A dandelion pushing up through the cracks in the sidewalk is "lusting" after the sunlight, if you will;

Lust is the appetite that drives us forward....not just for sex, but Lust for Life.

Fear is the opposite:  It pulls us back, chastens us, keeps us safe.

It is fear of being hit by a car that makes me look both ways before crossing the street
...even though there is an ice-cream parlour on the other side of the road that I might be lusting after.

but when they get out of balance, it can be Hell.

Lust that runs out of check could be called "Addiction".

Fear that runs out of check could be considered "Phobia".

(Note: I always found it very interesting that in its "Seven Deadly Sins",
the Catholic Church makes Lust, in and of itself, a "Sin",
...but very tellingly does not make "Fear" a sin.

To my mind, for a Christian, Fear would be a sin....because Fear could be considered a lack of Faith.

If you really trust in God, you have nothing to Fear.

To me, it is obvious that the Church doesn't want you to even be fully conscious of the fact
that Fear is what they are using to manipulate you;

So the Church will basically allow you to sin against God by Fearing that which need not be Feared
...as long as it serves the Church's purposes.

True, there is the old adage of being "God-Fearing", yes...

...but that runs directly counter to the concept of God being Love and Goodness).

There's an old saying that the door to Hell is bolted from the inside,
meaning, we lock ourselves into it.

Both the concept I have offered,
and the concept that Catholic Lady offered,
agree on this...but from different perspectives.

The only part of what Catholic Lady said here, that doesn't sit right with me,
is where she said,

" ...upon dying, every person gets a final chance to "meet" with God, if you will. And from there they make a conscious and informed decision to either reject or accept Him. (And by accepting or rejecting Him, they are accepting or rejecting love and goodness. So the state of rejection is Hell, the state of acceptance is Heaven.)   "

My issue is this:

If God is simply love and goodness, who would reject that?  Why would they reject it?

Maybe they find God monstrous...so opting for Hell is paradise?

Is is impossible for an Agnostic like myself, to find love and goodness while simultaneously rejecting the Christian God?

(No, it isn't).

And, if God truly loves us, why would He forbid us from finding love and happiness, even without Him?