On Hell and Forgiveness

[polymath257]

So, people in hell are actively choosing eternal agony and suffering over god?  That doesn’t make any sense.  Are they sinning in hell whilst suffering?  What sins would someone who has already died and gone to hell not be willing to give up in the name of ending that suffering?

LFC, like I said, no one knows exactly how it is like. So I hope people can keep in mind that what I am about to say is my opinion only. I could very well be completely wrong, and I'm not presenting this as any sort of Church doctrine. These are my thoughts only:

I believe Heaven and Hell are more comparable to states of being, not physical places.

The blissfiulness of Heaven doesnt come from being in a tropical paradise with lots of good people, pleasures, and fun things to do, etc. It comes from being completely fulfilled due to accepting, and thus experiencing, love and goodness to its absolute fullest.  So you are blissful because you are in a state where you have rejected all evil. There is no selfishness, no pride, no envy, no greed within you. You have fully rejected those things, and fully embraced love and goodness. In doing so, you are liberated and left feeling completely fulfilled. Think of it as the blissful euphoric feeling of being in love.  

Hell, on the other hand, is the opposite. The person isn't being burned and tortured in a dark cave with little demons running around with pitch forks. Rather, your misery comes from your own decision to reject goodness and love. Maybe out of pride. Maybe out of lack of remorse for the wrongs you have done. Maybe out of bitterness of some sort. Maybe you have a sense of entitlement - thinking that you deserve to experience eternal happiness even while being selfish... rather than being humble and remorseful. Basically, you are caught in your own negative sentiments and your own darkness. It is miserable, because when you are not in this life anymore, the only thing you take with you to the next is your soul. So you don't have distractions. If your soul is in a dark state, that is the only thing you will have and the only thing you will feel, and it is awful. That is what I believe Hell is like.

A couple years ago, I actually wrote a thread about this where I went pretty I depth, and provided a link that also explains my opinions on it. You can read it here if you are curious: https://atheistforums.org/thread-35781.html

Truthfully, both scenarios sound perfectly dreadful. But then, I have trouble imagining a non-dreadful scenario that involves eternal life. Let's face it. After 10^10000 years, pretty much *anything* will have happened so many times it would be frightfully boring.

But, of the two scenarios you mention, I think I would have an easier time in the description of Hell. It seems that it would allow for much more time to peacefully contemplate whatever comes to mind. And that should be enough for the first 10^100 years.