what if hell is simply a metaphor and in the end, is not eternal, but all people have a choice in the end and all go to heaven (through Christ)?
2006-07-04 14:21:13 · 26 answers · asked by aznjwang 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am not an atheist nor a holy roller. But I do believe that there is no eternal hell. I think that an all-loving God would not be so vindictive as to send us to such a place. It seems to me that if we do wind up in a hellish place then that would be a last chance to accept Jesus. Also, when arriving at this crossroads the options are pretty obvious. If you deny Christ then you get what you paid for. Not good. The only exception would be suicide. You are not ment to take your own life. That is not yours to decide. It is a cop-out. You quit the game. You failed the test. In this instance I think that your soul wanders eternally serching for the answer that is no longer there. That would be Hell.
2006-07-04 14:43:41 · answer #1 · answered by dudezoid 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, Hell is a very real place. In the book of Luke there is the story of the rich man and Lazarus which makes mention of hell. What we need to ask (and you did) is is Hell the final place? the answer is "no." The book of Revelation makes mention of the second Resurrection (I think Rev 20) and during this event death hell and the sea give up their dead and everyone is judged by Christ. All of the books are opened Including the book of life and people are judged according to what they have done. Everyone whose name is not found in the book of life is thrown into the lake of fire along with death, hell, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. This judgment is final. I would suggest you check it out for yourself in revelation 20 through the end of the book.
Jesus said that he is the way the truth and the life, therefore the only way to get on the book of life is through covenant relationship with Him. A book could be written on this subject, if you have any further question please ask me.
2006-07-04 14:37:59 · answer #2 · answered by Fish 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are a born again Christian, part of the reason why you have received Christ is so when you do die, you don't go to hell. The Bible describes hell as a burning lake of fire where the flesh eating worm does not sleep. Through repentence of your sins and receiving Jesus Christ as your Saviour, His holy sacrifice saves you from condemnation. If you choose to reject His love and disobey as a son or daughter, you deserve punishment. His love is merciful but people want to believe in other things instead of their Creator. What do you expect?
2006-07-04 14:33:51 · answer #3 · answered by Cesi's_wisdom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thats kind of like picking the options you want and ignoring the rest. You're kind of saying that you want to go to heaven, but also want to do all the things that could get you into hell, so if you don't believe in hell, you go to heaven and have fun. Pick a side and stick to it. I'm an aethiest so I don't believe in heaven or hell, and I do what I want.
2006-07-04 14:27:38 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anyone who believes in a place filled with flames with devils walking around has either:
1. been on drugs too long.
2. been brainwashed if they do have a brain.
or
3. does not possess a brain.
Of course, it's a metaphor, designed to scare the s**t out of children during the brainwashing period of their lives. And some of those children grow up still believing in it. That, and Santa Claus, and Heaven, the bible, and God...
2006-07-04 14:31:53 · answer #5 · answered by Evil Wordmonger, LTD LOL 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some Christians do not believe in a literal Hell but believe that it is ametaphor for eternal apartness from God
2006-07-04 14:26:36 · answer #6 · answered by October 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ummm... no offense, but Christianity is based on the belief of Heaven AND Hell and the fact that you need salvation to go to Heaven. If you don't believe the founding principles of Christianity, you are not Christian.
2006-07-04 14:28:45 · answer #7 · answered by wldntulike_2know 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If hell is not real, what does that say about heaven? If you are a christian you must believe in hell. It is talked about in the bible. If you do not believe the bible, then how do you even know what a christian is?
2006-07-04 14:44:56 · answer #8 · answered by proudmatriarch 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If a Christian denies the existence of hell as a real place, then they are in direct opposition to what Jesus had to say on the subject. He mentioned hell more often than heaven.
In the source link, there's a great article about it.
2006-07-04 14:50:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I were to get angry at my daughter and had the ability to make her suffer for ever and ever what would you call me?
Among other things a cruel, heartless SOB.
I refuse to believe any God of mercy would punish anyone for an eternity for whatever sins we'll committed on earth (I'm not talking about monsters like Hitler, I'm talking about most people.)
If there is a hell it will be a hell of the mind created by our own consciences and we will lock ourselves up and keep ourselves until we've redeemed ourselves and received forgiveness from those we've sinned against.
Or something like that.
2006-07-04 14:29:25 · answer #10 · answered by Doc Watson 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋