Can bible really be interpreted as if there is no torment but you cease to exist

[Godscreated]

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Hell is a spiritual place, not one God has to go out of His way to create. The torment we receive would be within our souls, not external fire. And by rejecting God, we have chosen it. He gave us free will. This life is meant to divide people who are grateful for God's creating them and those who are not. If you are not grateful, you don't want to be in heaven anyway. You'd rather be sent to hell.

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Hello Undeceived.
If I understand this correctly, Hell isn't a real place with fire and brimstone - it is just somewhere in your head. Did I get that right?
Heaven on the other hand, according to you, is a real place that you actually WANT to go to. Did I get that right?

I have two questions.
1. Why do you choose to believe that hell is just a spiritual place inside your head but heaven is actually a real place?

2. Assuming you go to heaven, how do you imagine spending eternity? Bear in mind that there may be some restrictions on sex, especially with multiple partners or same sex partners or even by yourself, you may even have the pleasure of healthy lust removed from you. There is no apparent plan to procreate and bring up children, no need to work, plan, build, create, invent, experiment, learn, travel, there may be some restrictions on alcohol, gluttony, drugs, etc and even if you can get a TV signal up there, you will probably get a bit fed up with all the repeats over eternity. You can probably learn to play the harp and I do hear that you get plenty of time to worship God. Is that your plan for eternity?

I suggest you read Mark Twain's book, 'Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven". It raises a few problems with the concept of heaven.

You're completely wrong about Heaven.

[RW_9]

You're completely wrong about Heaven.

Now that's what I call having a discussion.

[SilverFrog]

You're right RW9-typical believer comeback. After all christians did coin the phrase "Never let the truth get in the way of faith".

[Cinjin]

Hell is a spiritual place, not one God has to go out of His way to create. The torment we receive would be within our souls, not external fire.

The majority of christians disagree with you. Click here for one of a thousand examples. Your face turning pink?

And by rejecting God, we have chosen it. He gave us free will.

Which god? Just yours? Cause the Muslims think you're the infidel on his way to burn. I have free will?!? Excellent, I would like to choose not to go to hell and to believe in a god that doesn't care about bloodshed. I'm so glad I have this "free will" you speak of. Your face turning red now?

This life is meant to divide people who are grateful for God's creating them and those who are not.

Says who? You? You're telling me that your god has so far created 100 billion souls just to find out who likes his universe and who's willing to say so??? Your face bright red yet?

If you are not grateful, you don't want to be in heaven anyway.

So your god is going to burn billions of people just because they didn't know they were supposed to say THANK YOU?!?! And if that's the case, wouldn't you say his son showed up a little late on the whole timeline?? Better yet, why doesn't your god just show up so that we can all thank him at once?! Tomatoe anyone?

You'd rather be sent to hell. Why should He force you into a particular place just because we aren't sure what's best for us?

Says you --- and exactly who are you again? Pretty bold of you to claim that people WANT to suffer burning for all of eternity. I assure you, regardless of the total illegitimacy of your god - I do not WANT to burn anywhere at any time and it's insulting to our intelligence to make such a stupid claim. You ask why should he force you yada yada .... because that's what your god does. In fact that's his claim to fame - forcing people to do exactly what he wants. Imagine if I told you that I was going to burn you with a blow torch if you didn't want to be my friend. Guess what, I just forced you to be my friend. Your face has got to be red hot by now?

God is perfectly good but he is also perfectly just. We do horrible things everyday (lie, hate, covet) that plague our conscience and rip apart our relationships. This isn't about what God is able to do. Sure, He could send us all to heaven. But why should He be compelled to? Take this analogy: Your wife cheats on you. Instead of saying, "I'm sorry," she tells you, "I hate you and I'd do it again a million times over." She did wrong, but why should you forgive her if she doesn't want to be forgiven? God is like the husband, and we are like the wife. All we have to do is repent-- that means say we're sorry and ask for His forgiveness. God understands our pride, and knows this isn't easy to accept. He made us and the Gospel is about His quest to win us back. He sent Jesus to earth as an example for what real love is. We are the Lost Son described in Luke 15:11-32. The father gives the son his inheritance the day he becomes an adult. The son runs off and squanders every last cent. Eventually he comes back, poor and bedraggled, and begs to be taken back into the home. Is his father angry? No. Instead, he holds a celebration, overjoyed at his son's return. God is the father. He gave us the gift of salvation long ago. Many of us take years to come around, but that doesn't lessen the reward when we do. He still waits, the feast in heaven set and ready for our arrival. That is, if we accept Jesus and what He did for us. Once we do, all our sin and guilt is washed away as if it never existed.

This entire last paragraph of yours is utter lunacy. Your god is not perfectly good and he has NEVER been perfectly just. The scriptures have shown that over and over again. He is a self-absorbed douche bag created by other primitive douche bags so future douche bags could recruit other douche bags and call themselves sheep.

Your face should look about like a stop light right about now due to the humiliation. I mean seriously, that was some stupid shit you posted. Hell, most of it wouldn't even be backed up by your own people.

Sheep.

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You're completely wrong about Heaven.

...and you would know, right GC?

Christians are never wrong. Some even claim to have been to Heaven, visited, chatted with a few disciples, walked with jesus ... oh and don't forget they always see a ton of poor bastards being dropped into hell too.



Since your answer was simply, "You're wrong."
I'll simply finish with, "You're a brainwashed imbecile."

[kılıç_mehmet]

The "current" JW interpretation has changed many times in the past few decades (due to failed apocalypse predictions).

Not to mention their stance on blood transfusions, and the nature of Jesus, but the current interpretation has a whole different approach.

[Aardverk]

You're completely wrong about Heaven.

'Godschild' - given that I'm new here and 'Undeceived' doesn't seem to want to explain heaven to me, how about you having a go at it?

You say that I am "completely wrong about heaven", can I assume therefore that YOU are intending to have constant sex with multiple partners of both sexes, bring up children, work hard etc and NOT worship God? For an E T E R N I T Y !

Do tell me how YOU plan on spending eternity. Is 'Undeceived' right? Is heaven a REAL place but hell is just in your head? Whatever your answer - why do you choose to believe that?

You are presumably only here to help us poor heathens so please, let's hear the 'facts' from someone who obviously knows everything about heaven.

[Epimethean]

GC has frequent flyer miles to and from heaven. He tells us they have porch swings, KFC, and real sweet tea there!

[The Grand Nudger]

Don't forget jamming out with the big guy, playing rhythm to his solo, managing a galaxy...hehehe.

[LastPoet]

I think this idea of eternal punishment arises from the human sense of justice. If you look at it, people tend to cringe at the possibility of someone doing bad things and getting away with it. Religion grasps ths and uses it to get their fanbase.Its like an arms race where every religion tries to get the best punishment for those wicked ones that escape the justice of Man. I guess a bronze age guy could've came up with this kind of bullshit.

[Epimethean]

And GC is very Bronze Age. It's tres retro!