I think you're over complicating it.

God decided that there should be Hell, which is probably the most evil concept most people could imagine. If you'd like to describe a more harmful and evil act anyone could ever do than to create a place specifically for unending suffering, I'd be interested. Especially since he is more aware than anyone just how much suffering he is creating. He has no excuses, especially if he's meant to be the standard of good. He can just snuff people out after death if he doesn't want them in his club.

Hell has nothing to do with redemption or anything like that, since once you're in you can't get out. It is god's revenge and serves no other purpose than showing how evil he is and how much he will hurt you, to scare you into obedience.

Back in reality however, you die and then that's very likely it. Every second spent worrying about hell is a waste. You may as well worry that you'll become a goblin after death and you'll have to listen to really high pitched music 23 hours a day.

Hell sounds totally fun. Shame it's not real.

(January 24, 2016 at 3:38 am)robvalue Wrote: I think you're over complicating it.

God decided that there should be Hell, which is probably the most evil concept most people could imagine. If you'd like to describe a more harmful and evil act anyone could ever do than to create a place specifically for unending suffering, I'd be interested. Especially since he is more aware than anyone just how much suffering he is creating. He has no excuses, especially if he's meant to be the standard of good. He can just snuff people out after death if he doesn't want them in his club.

Hell has nothing to do with redemption or anything like that, since once you're in you can't get out. It is god's revenge and serves no other purpose than showing how evil he is and how much he will hurt you, to scare you into obedience.

Back in reality however, you die and then that's very likely it. Every second spent worrying about hell is a waste. You may as well worry that you'll become a goblin after death and you'll have to listen to really high pitched music 23 hours a day.

According to the fairy tales everyone will get out of the biblical hell on Judgment Day.  Some can then get into the golden cube.  Everyone else will be tossed into the lake of fire but they won't go back to hell.  Compared to the lake of fire hell isn't that bad.

In the Islamic fairy tale you can land in hell after Judgment Day.  Islamic hell makes the lake of fire look very nice.  Stay out of the Islamic hell.

Based on countless comments about hell it seems that people are actually thinking about the Islamic hell when they discuss hell.  It seems that there's been a substantial transfer of beliefs about hell among the various religions.

Wow, that's a lot of red tape! I hope god has a good admin crew.

I'm not surprised to hear of one religion leaking into another, they're all basically the same thing anyway.

(January 2, 2016 at 4:07 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Fuck the Bible, I want to know what Dr. Seuss has to say about Mordor.

I will carry this to mount of doom.
And throw its where its hot
Despite the dangers blocking me.
and itchy fungal rot.
I'll lug this ring.
Through forests wide and vast and empty plains.
Through deserts, rivers cold expanse while suffering chill blains.
I'll carry this my faithful friend until I reach my goal.
And cast it to the pit below in hopes it saves my soul.

Stop whining and get on with it then

Forgive me for not having read all 71 pages of this thread, so this question may have already been raised.


Does the Bible actually teach permanent torture in Hell?


Most of the usual quotes go elsewhere. The story of Lazarus and Dives is an adaptation of a well known Egyptian story (with a very meaningful twist at the end). As such, it's no more of a guide to the afterlife than the Pied Piper of Hamelin is to pest removal methods. Stories of weeping at being cast out refer to an in-this-life missing of the our-world Kingdom of God. Things said in Revelation belong to a genre known as Jewish Apocalyptic writing, and as such aren't close to being literal.


Given that Judaism didn't (?doesn't) really do 'Torture Hell', Jesus would have to be introducing a new idea into Judaism without unpacking it at all- and that's emphatically not how he did things.

(January 24, 2016 at 12:29 pm)Vicki Q Wrote: Forgive me for not having read all 71 pages of this thread, so this question may have already been raised.


Does the Bible actually teach permanent torture in Hell?


Most of the usual quotes go elsewhere. The story of Lazarus and Dives is an adaptation of a well known Egyptian story (with a very meaningful twist at the end). As such, it's no more of a guide to the afterlife than the Pied Piper of Hamelin is to pest removal methods. Stories of weeping at being cast out refer to an in-this-life missing of the our-world Kingdom of God. Things said in Revelation belong to a genre known as Jewish Apocalyptic writing, and as such aren't close to being literal.


Given that Judaism didn't (?doesn't) really do 'Torture Hell', Jesus would have to be introducing a new idea into Judaism without unpacking it at all- and that's emphatically not how he did things.

Jesus was a Pharisee.  He believed in all kinds of stuff that Sadducee Jews didn't believe in.

I would estimate that most of the mythology surrounding the Christian hell has been invented/stolen and isn't bible based. It doesn't really matter what the bible says, it matters what you can force a young child to believe.

But there's still some nasty stuff in there about it.