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Christians, do you believe in hell?

Third Eye Open

Graduate Poster
Third Eye Open
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Mar 13, 2008
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It has come to my attention that some Christians do not believe in hell. Well, actually it has come to my attention that Radrook does not believe in hell:

Despite popular belief, the Bible isn't open to any and all interpretations whether it be from Christians or non-Christians. I can provide you with a host of interpretations which just don't fit in with the bible's message or theme and are untenable based on that.

The concept of a loving God sending people to be tortured forever is one of them because it makes him out to be some type of sadistic maniac in the eyes of people who have their moral detectors adjusted properly.
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But if there is one, I'm sure there is many.

I tried to ask Radrook about this in another thread, but he did not respond. It was off topic anyway, so I have created this thread.

So Christians, what happens to unbelievers like me when we die? Do we go to limbo? Purgatory? A lesser version of heaven? Are we reincarnated to try again? I'm curious to hear what you think and why.

Also what in the bible lead you to believe that there is no hell?

(I could be asking the wrong question here. I was raised Christian, but did not read much of the bible. It could be that there is nothing in the bible about hell at all?)

I'd appreciate your input!
 
Radrook is a mormon right? I guess he should believe in the "outer darkness" then (sort of the mormon hell), but only very few get there according to mormon belief.

"General unbelievers" and sinners supposedly gets to a lesser version of heaven, or to a place more reminiscent of current earth.
 
Bluefire said:
Radrook is a mormon right? I guess he should believe in the "outer darkness" then (sort of the mormon hell), but only very few get there according to mormon belief.

"General unbelievers" and sinners supposedly gets to a lesser version of heaven, or to a place more reminiscent of current earth.
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I'm not a Mormon. Do they base that belief on what John Smith wrote?
 
Radrook is a JW... I don't think they believe in hell... but they believe in Satan and demons walking around on earth and such. They live in the proverbial "demon haunted world".
 
You're actually asking two questions.

Q1 - I do not believe in an eternity of burning such as the popular image has it. Some people believe in annihilation for those who reject good, some see hell as a temporary metaphorical place of fire like a crucible, a place of refinement where the dross is burned away; it is painful but produces people who are more selfless and than selfish who then are able to choose the good.

Q2 - some Christians are universalists, saying all will be saved and some hope that all will be saved. I am in the latter camp, reckoning that what is important is choosing good. Yes, this is woolly, but that is the nature of speculating about stuff we don't know.
 
Before becoming and Atheist I went through a brief stint of Christianity without a belief in Hell (mostly based on the writings of Brian McLaren and Rob Bell).

The basic idea was that after a person dies they are ALL (sinner or saved alike) transported into Gods presence. If this person spent his/her life serving God, they would live out eternity in relative euphoria. If this person spent his/her life running from God, they would spend eternity tortured by the reflection of their former sinfulness in comparison with Gods glory.

At least that's how I came to understand it, but my interpretation is as good as any considering none can be verified.
 
My lot (Methodists) did not preach a literal hell of brimstone and fire, hell was simply the worse possible existence i.e. not being in God's presence.
 
Mr Clingford said:
You're actually asking two questions.

Q1 - I do not believe in an eternity of burning such as the popular image has it. Some people believe in annihilation for those who reject good, some see hell as a temporary metaphorical place of fire like a crucible, a place of refinement where the dross is burned away; it is painful but produces people who are more selfless and than selfish who then are able to choose the good.

Q2 - some Christians are universalists, saying all will be saved and some hope that all will be saved. I am in the latter camp, reckoning that what is important is choosing good. Yes, this is woolly, but that is the nature of speculating about stuff we don't know.
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I remember being quite shocked when I realised what some Christians held hell to be, I was taught that hell was simply the absence of God's love and the "saving" being your Q2 scenario. I.e. God judges us all but Jesus had died to save us all so God would still judge us but then forgive us all our sins and we will all live happily ever after. (And yes I was the kid that asked "why do we have to be good then?" at Sunday school.)
 
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