If Hell is Not Real

[Thor]

But what will you say if you find yourself standing in front of Woden and his mighty hall? You call out Allah's name and Thor laughs at you?

And believe me... I wil laugh!

[reverendjeremiah]

Besides that Rayaan...how do you know that Loki hasnt tricked you into making Woden and Thor mad so he can get some laughs at YOUR expense. How hard do you think Loki will be laughing when Thor strikes his mighty Mjolner twixt thine eyes with such fury that it smash thine head stem in twain? Mighty Mjolnir can kill any giant on contact, no matter how gigantic. You, being a mere mortal, should tremble at the thought of angering the thundering Thor! Perhaps you should attend the next Blot at your local Asatru trove and correct these short comings.

Me? Thor may be pissed at me..but I have been brewing my own honey mead for 3 years now (his favorite). And I am well versed in the poetic eddas, and unlike those middle eastern religions, they were exciting to read. That has to count for something.

[Rayaan]

If Hell was made up as a fear tactic only to control people's behavior, which all of you believe, then what would be the reason to control millions of people in the world and intentionally brainwash them just to make them obey the laws? I mean, do the religious authorities expect to get any benefit out of this after they're already dead?

There's no evidence for Heaven and Hell, but they don't sound that much improbable to me either because even in theoretical physics there are models of the existence of other "branes" outside of our universe. The Earth is quite an improbable place, too, and I think Hell would be even less improbable to exist since it is simpler than the Earth and just contains of a lot of fire, smoke, and boiling water. Nothing that complicated it seems.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Assuming that Hell is a man-made idea, why do you think someone would invent such a thing?

As it turns out, I answered a similar thread on another forum today.

Beginning with:The notion of an eternal hell is a Christin invention. It does not exist in Judaism nor is it to be found in the Torah.

I found this fascinating video,with a retired bishop: His claim is that the church invented hell to control people.This man remains a theist, but a less deluded one.

http://parabook.wordpress.com/2009/10/21...ol-people/

[Minimalist]

I mean, do the religious authorities expect to get any benefit out of this after they're already dead?

Rayaan, I refuse to believe that you are that dense.

It has NOTHING to do with any after life. It is to control them HERE and NOW.

Remember the words of Thomas Jefferson:

"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection of his own"."


Just substitute imam or ayatollah for priest in your case.

[Anomalocaris]

Rayaan, I refuse to believe that you are that dense.

But Ockum's razor would deem it wiser to assume nothing and take the evidence for density at its face value.

[Minimalist]

I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but you may be right.

[reverendjeremiah]

[Anomalocaris]

I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but you may be right.

The dubious practice of giving the benefit of the doubt to people of "faith" has much to answer for in the lamentable annals of human misery.

[DeistPaladin]

If you talk a bit with people, you'll find that most of them can't handle well with the fact that people that do wrong doings(depends on the perspective), sometimes get away from justice. The idea that an ultimate judgement will come for those people alliviates the installed anxiety that some crimes may go unpunished. This of course sells well amongst the more ignorant persons.

I admit the image of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, Rice, et. al. all whimpering and cowering as they stand at the gates of Hell, knowing they're about to receive justice for the untold misery, needless death and senseless destruction they brought to earth is an appealing one. Unfortunately, it's about as likely as there being any real-life accountability for them on this earth.