The Christian Hell

[The Atheist]

In a discussion on what happens after death, I notice a number of people saying that we either go to heaven or hell. Many mainline christians believe Hell isn't so much a place as a state of not-being - the Roman Catholic Church, for instance, do not hold the old-fashioned "hellfire & brimstone" which some sects still cling to.

I'm interested to find out what christians believe "hell" really is. Jesus had little to say on the subject, and the issue seems to be a peculiar one to me, because it says that all sin is equitable - no matter whether I'm a child-eating murderer or simply an atheist, I'm going to hell. It would be a strange contradiction that a god, variously described as compassionate, loving and caring for humans would inflict identical suffering.

Opinions?

[skasian]

I am a devoted Christian, and I have been asked similar questions about hell by many atheists or people that are interested in becoming a Christian.
We believe that hell exists as a realm that is inexplicable in terms of eternal suffering, pain and agony and because there is no sense of time or space, there is no way out forever. Hell is governed by satan and devils and they inflict abhorrent terrors unimaginable.
Now many people have asked the question who goes to Hell and why do people go there when God does cherish each and every one of us, and how come good people in the world that dedicate their life for other people can also go to hell.
The answer is that they do not have belief and faith in God, Jesus.
No matter how many good deeds you do in life, if you do not confess Jesus as your God then you go to Hell. Harsh, but true.
In order to be saved from hell, theres only one way, and that is Jesus once again. Jesus is the bridge between our world and Heaven, and without Him, you may not enter Heaven.
I know that God hates to see that His children have to suffer in Hell forever, but the ones that do not know him and love Him must be punished eternally.
I have been thinking about the people in the world, the ones that it is not their fault that they do not know God. I wondered what will happen to them. I thought it was not fair for them to miss out the good news about Jesus and how He can be their salvation. But it is evident in the Bible that it is us, Christians' duty to spread the good news about Jesus to these people that never heard about Him. I am still not sure what will happen to those people who it isnt their fault that they do not know Him, but one thing I am sure is that we must spread the Word about God.
Then it is up to them to whether to have faith with him and begin to have the greatest relationship with Him which will change their lives forever. See the love of God. See the glory of God. See how we are priceless in the eyes of the Lord. From then on, they will begin to get closer to God, and get closer to the His Kingdom where they will serve and share the joy together with God.

[JacobF]

I am a devoted Christian, and I have been asked similar questions about hell by many atheists or people that are interested in becoming a Christian.
We believe that hell exists as a realm that is inexplicable in terms of eternal suffering, pain and agony and because there is no sense of time or space, there is no way out forever. Hell is governed by satan and devils and they inflict abhorrent terrors unimaginable.
Now many people have asked the question who goes to Hell and why do people go there when God does cherish each and every one of us, and how come good people in the world that dedicate their life for other people can also go to hell.
The answer is that they do not have belief and faith in God, Jesus.
No matter how many good deeds you do in life, if you do not confess Jesus as your God then you go to Hell. Harsh, but true.
In order to be saved from hell, theres only one way, and that is Jesus once again. Jesus is the bridge between our world and Heaven, and without Him, you may not enter Heaven.
I know that God hates to see that His children have to suffer in Hell forever, but the ones that do not know him and love Him must be punished eternally.
I have been thinking about the people in the world, the ones that it is not their fault that they do not know God. I wondered what will happen to them. I thought it was not fair for them to miss out the good news about Jesus and how He can be their salvation. But it is evident in the Bible that it is us, Christians' duty to spread the good news about Jesus to these people that never heard about Him. I am still not sure what will happen to those people who it isnt their fault that they do not know Him, but one thing I am sure is that we must spread the Word about God.
Then it is up to them to whether to have faith with him and begin to have the greatest relationship with Him which will change their lives forever. See the love of God. See the glory of God. See how we are priceless in the eyes of the Lord. From then on, they will begin to get closer to God, and get closer to the His Kingdom where they will serve and share the joy together with God.

If Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth, and accepting him is the only way to get into heaven, then what did the people before Jesus do? Are they suffering in eternal agony? And what about the people who lived when paganism and idolatry was the mainstream belief? Are they going to perish for eternity because they simply didn't conceive of a monotheistic God? Or did they inherit a get-out-of-jail-free card?

I don't mean to personally attack you for your beliefs, but the whole notion of accepting Jesus as being the only way to the afterlife doesn't make any sense to me. If I'm a child rapist and I accept Jesus in my final hours, I can go to heaven. But if I'm a generous, selfless and moral human being who doesn't accept Jesus I suffer for eternity because of it.

I don't see the point in blind faith.

[Delta40]

Yes. Can you explain happy are the ignorant for they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven - doesn't this mean those that do not know about God shall be saved? I bloody hate the premise in order to believe you have to understand (SO NARROW MINDED) so these discussions piss me off actually but I accidentally clicked on the wrong post and accepted it as FATE!!! LOL

[skasian]

If Jesus is the bridge between heaven and earth, and accepting him is the only way to get into heaven, then what did the people before Jesus do? Are they suffering in eternal agony? And what about the people who lived when paganism and idolatry was the mainstream belief? Are they going to perish for eternity because they simply didn't conceive of a monotheistic God? Or did they inherit a get-out-of-jail-free card?

I don't mean to personally attack you for your beliefs, but the whole notion of accepting Jesus as being the only way to the afterlife doesn't make any sense to me. If I'm a child rapist and I accept Jesus in my final hours, I can go to heaven. But if I'm a generous, selfless and moral human being who doesn't accept Jesus I suffer for eternity because of it.

I don't see the point in blind faith.

Yes, I always thought it was "unfair" for thoes evil doers that do believe in Jesus in the final hours that can go to heaven while the good doers that do not believe in Jesus go to hell. However in God's terms, accepting your one and true God as Jesus outweighs whatever you do in Earth. I am not a pastor, and I am not an experienced preacher or any kind, therefore I cannot be certain on how God weighs our values in order to go to heaven. However I am sure that you must accept Jesus in order to go to heaven because that is the most important thing in ourlives. Think about it this way, if you do not hand in a research paper for school in the due date but have constructed the most ingenious paper that could earn you a place in Harvard, you dont get a chance to get in because you havent done the most vital thing. Hand in the paper by the due date.

Ah. The people before Jesus. You see because Jesus was the only way that could give an opportunity to go to heaven, well before that, the soul was rested after their life. This is proved when Jesus was crucified and died. In the exact moment when he died, he had given us a bridge to go to heaven. All the people that died before him, have rosen with Him, and then judged to see whether they could go to heaven or hell. Makes sense?
The question about paganism and idolatry, the same applies for the rest of us. Have faith in God, then life in eternal happiness with him. The truth of faith is in front of you right now. Its just up to you to have the faith of accepting God in to your life. Our salvation.

[skasian]

Yes. Can you explain happy are the ignorant for they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven - doesn't this mean those that do not know about God shall be saved? I bloody hate the premise in order to believe you have to understand (SO NARROW MINDED) so these discussions piss me off actually but I accidentally clicked on the wrong post and accepted it as FATE!!! LOL

Well do you have a precise reason that you do not want to believe in God? Let us have a discussion then. Why repudiate a being like Jesus that is recorded in history books as PERFECT, PURE, MOST RIGHTEOUS MAN that ever stood on earth. Isn't it logic to at least accept Jesus that he was infact perfect and Son of God? What wrong did he commit that will enable you to deprave the faith of God in this way? What did he do wrong to make you incredulous? What wrong did he do to you?
Christians and religious people are NOT narrow minded, you are. All religious people have deep spiritual states that cannot compare with the non religious. As the spirit is in balance with the mind, it makes the religious minds more powerful and stronger. We have fixed values and beliefs that anything in the world cannot touch. It is our God that makes our hearts, minds and soul stronger than any being in the world.

[blazeofglory]

[QUOTE
The answer is that they do not have belief and faith in God, Jesus.
No matter how many good deeds you do in life, if you do not confess Jesus as your God then you go to Hell. Harsh, but true.
In order to be saved from hell, theres only one way, and that is Jesus once again. Jesus is the bridge between our world and Heaven, and without Him, you may not enter Heaven.
[/QUOTE]

I can hardly find narrower sentiments than this. And if one has understood Jesus such obnoxious ideas would not be thought up.

Here the idea is so narrow that only Jesus is a savior, and that the rest are nothing.

I feel it is ridiculous. This idea is likened to working for the boss not for the organization. Or to put it differently if you work fro a company if you can please your boss and are a poor performer you are recognized.

Any rational thinker can not digest this idea. Of course the poster reserves the right to express his or her idea, and I too have the right to critically oppose the idea that is unpalatable to us and the rest of us.

[skasian]

I can hardly find narrower sentiments than this. And if one has understood Jesus such obnoxious ideas would not be thought up.

Here the idea is so narrow that only Jesus is a savior, and that the rest are nothing.

I feel it is ridiculous. This idea is likened to working for the boss not for the organization. Or to put it differently if you work fro a company if you can please your boss and are a poor performer you are recognized.

Any rational thinker can not digest this idea. Of course the poster reserves the right to express his or her idea, and I too have the right to critically oppose the idea that is unpalatable to us and the rest of us.

Once again, to the atheist, it is natural for one to believe the idea that having faith for only one god and leaving all the other religion is quite narrow, however for a religious person that does believe that their god is true and the only way for salvation, it is not a narrow as it is a fact. Any religious person will think their idea on their religion is a fact not an idea and thats the difference between a believer and an atheist.
Christians, as this thread is dedicated to the Christians belief in Hell, believe that Jesus is the only way for salvation. Again, for us it is not a narrow idea as it is a fact. Depict a lock and thousands of keys. A lock opens to heaven and only one key can unlock it. That key is Jesus and in reality, as only this key can open the lock to heaven, it is a fact.
I also think that for an atheist, the fact is hard to digest, but if one does gain belief in it, it instantly becomes a fact, not an idea.

[Delta40]

skasian, forgive me but you misread my post. I mean that people who need to understand the concept of things like say hell and gee, god before they are prepared to believe are narrow minded. I tend to go with believe and then you will see. Faith goes a long, long way sometimes. Assumptions, like yours don't.

[blazeofglory]

Once again, to the atheist, it is natural for one to believe the idea that having faith for only one god and leaving all the other religion is quite narrow, however for a religious person that does believe that their god is true and the only way for salvation, it is not a narrow as it is a fact. Any religious person will think their idea on their religion is a fact not an idea and thats the difference between a believer and an atheist.
Christians, as this thread is dedicated to the Christians belief in Hell, believe that Jesus is the only way for salvation. Again, for us it is not a narrow idea as it is a fact. Depict a lock and thousands of keys. A lock opens to heaven and only one key can unlock it. That key is Jesus and in reality, as only this key can open the lock to heaven, it is a fact.
I also think that for an atheist, the fact is hard to digest, but if one does gain belief in it, it instantly becomes a fact, not an idea.

In fact it is not just Jesus, there are others too the Buddha, Krishna, Mohamed and the like.

This idea that one's God is the only one that can be a savior and the rest are not leads to or led to all acts of Violence. We must have a wider perspective to love others' gods, beliefs. This idea is close to fanatics, fundamentalists.

I love Krishna, the Buddha, Jesus on an equal footing. I do not weigh up their significance as saviors incarcerated by narrow sentiments, geographical, racial or cultures. I can enter Guru Dwara, the Buddhist monastery, the Church and Masjid with the same feelings and warmth. Do you still consider me as an atheist by your standards or definitions.

[aBIGsheep]

Don't worry. Respawn in 10 seconds.

[skasian]

skasian, forgive me but you misread my post. I mean that people who need to understand the concept of things like say hell and gee, god before they are prepared to believe are narrow minded. I tend to go with believe and then you will see. Faith goes a long, long way sometimes. Assumptions, like yours don't.

Not necessarily. Not all non-believers and incredulous atheists are not narrow minded. There are many people that are very open and tolerant to accept a religion and accounts many religion while finding their true god, and these people are not narrow minded. Some atheists are not narrow minded at all, some have sound knowledge of various religions and have a variety views that may not always have to be against a religion.

Yes, faith does go a long way as it is one of the most difficult thing in the world for an atheists to have full grasp into.
I have never made an assumption as for all Christians, it is the naked truth and the only truth we all need to have in this world.

[skasian]

In fact it is not just Jesus, there are others too the Buddha, Krishna, Mohamed and the like.

This idea that one's God is the only one that can be a savior and the rest are not leads to or led to all acts of Violence. We must have a wider perspective to love others' gods, beliefs. This idea is close to fanatics, fundamentalists.

I love Krishna, the Buddha, Jesus on an equal footing. I do not weigh up their significance as saviors incarcerated by narrow sentiments, geographical, racial or cultures. I can enter Guru Dwara, the Buddhist monastery, the Church and Masjid with the same feelings and warmth. Do you still consider me as an atheist by your standards or definitions.

Of course there are many religions that respond to multiple gods and please, let me point out that Christianity does not promote violence, ever. We respect other religions no matter how contrasting they can be.

Let me define atheist. It may mean one that do not believe in the existance of any god. However it may also mean one that do not FAITH in god. If you do not accept any god as your savior, then you are still classified as an atheist.

[skasian]

Everyone, may I please remind you that this thread is for the discussion of "CHRISTIAN HELL" not the discussion that Christianity is the only religion people must have in order to go to Heaven. I am not advocating or preaching Christianity, as I am providing the Christian view on hell.

[blazeofglory]

Not necessarily. Not all non-believers and incredulous atheists are not narrow minded. There are many people that are very open and tolerant to accept a religion and accounts many religion while finding their true god, and these people are not narrow minded. Some atheists are not narrow minded at all, some have sound knowledge of various religions and have a variety views that may not always have to be against a religion.

Yes, faith does go a long way as it is one of the most difficult thing in the world for an atheists to have full grasp into.
I have never made an assumption as for all Christians, it is the naked truth and the only truth we all need to have in this world.

Jesus was not a Christian. Christianity creates sectarian feelings and of course it creates voids and distances. It is divisive not integral idea.

We know there are follies among popes and some are even molesters, gay and the like and this is an open secret.

These popes are the pillars of Christianity and they are shaky.