Still struggling.

[Socratic Meth Head]

I was watching a Richard Dawkins video, the virus of faith, and in that was a hell house. I started fearing. I dont want to go to hell, i dont think it exist but i still dont want to go. Muslims, Mormons, Christians, and Jews have hell though.

If there is a god would really send me to hell? Im not sending myself, saying "i have a choice" is like saying "a woman who was robbed had a choice to give up her money and live, or refuse and die". Ive lost a lot of interest in things, my favorite game, Halo, now is a bit dull, i cant do much for fun. My friends never end up coming outside and when they do they sit around. I need something to do so I dont dwell on things.

Also, the teacher that i know from elementary school who I said was dying, died today.

[deleteduser12345]

I was watching a Richard Dawkins video, the virus of faith, and in that was a hell house. I started fearing. I dont want to go to hell, i dont think it exist but i still dont want to go. Muslims, Mormons, Christians, and Jews have hell though.

If there is a god would really send me to hell? Im not sending myself, saying "i have a choice" is like saying "a woman who was robbed had a choice to give up her money and live, or refuse and die". Ive lost a lot of interest in things, my favorite game, Halo, now is a bit dull, i cant do much for fun. My friends never end up coming outside and when they do they sit around. I need something to do so I dont dwell on things.

Also, the teacher that i know from elementary school who I said was dying, died today.

I'm not an expert and I haven't read all the posts so I don't know if anybody has mentioned it but I've heard that meditation helps against anxiety, makes you happier and calms your mind. Maybe you can give it a try and see if it helps.

And I'm sorry that you have to go through this, goodluck in the future, man.

[KevinM1]

What you're feeling regarding hell is exactly why the idea of hell was created. It's the ever present, last ditch effort to keep asses in seats and minds turned off. The stick to heaven's carrot.

Any god that would send its creations to a place of eternal torment for simply being how it made us (imperfect, with various biological urges) isn't any god worth celebrating anyway. Might doesn't make right.

[truth_seeker]

I started a thread a few days ago which might be very relevant to what you're going through:
http://atheistforums.org/thread-42095-page-7.html

Hope it helps
good luck

[robvalue]

I was watching a Richard Dawkins video, the virus of faith, and in that was a hell house. I started fearing. I dont want to go to hell, i dont think it exist but i still dont want to go. Muslims, Mormons, Christians, and Jews have hell though.

If there is a god would really send me to hell? Im not sending myself, saying "i have a choice" is like saying "a woman who was robbed had a choice to give up her money and live, or refuse and die". Ive lost a lot of interest in things, my favorite game, Halo, now is a bit dull, i cant do much for fun. My friends never end up coming outside and when they do they sit around. I need something to do so I dont dwell on things.

Also, the teacher that i know from elementary school who I said was dying, died today.

Sorry to hear your teacher died

Kevin is right. Hell is a psychological trick, designed exactly to emotionally manipulate through fear. It relies on the argument from ignorance: you can't prove it's not real, therefor it is. That lingering doubt that it "might be" is enough to keep many people in line.

However, this is flawed logic, and it applies to any random hell you could ever think of. Or any heaven. Or any other total bullshit. It applies to Santa Claus. It applies to the tooth fairy. And it applies to the opposite claim: there is no hell. Since you can't prove this claim wrong (by producing evidence of hell), by this logic, the claim is correct. Therefore there is and there isn't a hell. Clearly, this logic is therefor flawed.

You're right, many religion have "hell". They're all as fictional as each other. I bet you've spent hardly any time worrying about Islam hell, or about "hells" for religions that haven't even been made yet which "could be the right one". An infinite number of possible hells. All with the same amount of evidence that they are real: zero.

It's perfectly understandable you have residual fear. For everyone I've talked to you in your position, it has lessened over time. The intangible threat becomes more and more ridiculous, and eventually your logical side overrules your emotional reaction. You put it in the same box as Mordor, Never Never Land, Heaven and the town Buffy the Vampire Slayer lives in.

And you're right, only a totally evil complete bastard of a god would even have a hell in the first place. It's the most immoral, disgusting concept imaginable. So such a being is unreasonably sick and twisted. There's no reason to think such a beast would stick to their word about "how to avoid hell"; even if we had any reliable information about what their word is, which we don't. Not even people from the same denomination in the same religion can agree. And whatever you do specifically to avoid it might be the exact criteria the real God uses to send you to hell. It's a hopeless endeavour.

It's all utter shite. But it works, as emotional manipulation. It doesn't work on me, because I've not been indoctrinated. It makes me laugh. I'm very lucky in that way. Hopefully one day, you'll laugh at hell too.

[Socratic Meth Head]

Is there any way to lock this thread, I really dont need to update this anymore. I thank you all for helping though. I will stay on the forums.

[KevinM1]

Just stop posting in it and it'll fade away