Why does your God make Hell so extreme, instead of individual punishment for everyone it has to be infinite for all those unlucky.
Newtonian physics? Determinism? Reductionism? Any of these thing make sense to you? I don't believe in free will, I believe we are not intelligent enough to understand certain complexities and predict the outcome of events, when in fact the outcomes will come about in a very specific way following the basic laws of nature. So some born will supposingly go to hell, whether they want to or not, and some go to heaven.
So explain how the free will thing works and explain why the concept of heaven and hell are so extreme. I already have my explanations lets see if anyone can match up.
I would appreciate any serious posts you have.
2006-07-25 19:43:26 · 17 answers · asked by mathcore321x 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Hell was actually not a construct made at all by God, neither extreme or other wise. Hell is something made by Christians as a matter of fact. Most notably the Catholic and Orthodox churches and adopted by other Christian churches as they sprung up. The harshness of hell was created by people and nothing more. It is man made. Take the devil, for instance. If you take the Hebrew word for the devil is is actually translated into English as 'The Accuser', or one that accuses. So by all means just one person who accuses another. As well, in the in the Old Testament hell isn't actually referenced for the most part. There is a place, instead, called 'Sheol' which is just a darkness. It is a kind of hell but not quite. Old Testament scripture says from Psalm says: “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.” Psalm 139:7-8 (NRSV) So in that, even God is in Sheol. God is everywhere.
2006-07-25 19:52:27 · answer #1 · answered by dogmatitans 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
The bible says that everyone will be made known of God's existance. Even those in remote islands that never see an outsider will be made known of his existance by the beauty of nature. Christ will not come back until the whole world is made known of his existance. So we do have free will. We have to choose to believe what we are told.
There aren't individual punishments for everyone because sin is sin. God doesn't see it as this person killed and that person stole. When God looks at an unbeliever thats all he sees, that he is an unbeliever. So all unbelievers get punnished the same way.
You don't believe in free will? You have never made a decision for yourself your entire life?
If we didn't have free will then it would not be possible for a good person to do bad things or a bad person to do good things.. but it is.
Hell is mentioned several times in the bible, not just in revelations where John as a dream about the end times.
1) Everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15).
(2) Everyone has only one life in which to determine their destiny (Hebrews 9:27).
(3) Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them (John 3:16, 36, etc.).
Key Passages About Hell
(1) Hell was designed originally for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
(2) Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).
(3) Hell is conscious torment.
Matthew 13:50 “furnace of fire…weeping and gnashing of teeth”
Mark 9:48 “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched”
Revelation 14:10 “he will be tormented with fire and brimstone”
(4) Hell is eternal and irreversible.
Revelation 14:11 “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night”
Revelation 20:14 “This is the second death, the lake of fire”
Revelation 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”
2006-07-26 02:53:24 · answer #2 · answered by rccola1979 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If we are intelligent to understand complexities, and know the outcome, we are still able to make rational choices. We choose daily how we live, what we do, and do that based on what the outsomes may be, and what results we want, or dont want. THAT is still free will, in that noone but our own selfs decide our outcome and fate.
As for religion, we have all heard, non belief may lead you to hell. And yet, some choose to take their chances, and others choose to believe. THAT is a choice.
Heaven and Hell are extreme, but with a good reason. God made the ultimate sacrifice, byt giving his only Son, to die for us, and asked us to do only one thing, accpt him. If we do, there is GREAT reward. How can there be great reward without a great punishement. If punishment were easy, if it was livable, why bother, there would be no risk. To give us great reward, the punishement must be just as suiting, for those who choose not to follow.
Everyday, to wake up alive, is a day you make a choice. That is free will at its very core.
2006-07-26 02:50:58 · answer #3 · answered by sweetie_baby 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone born is born headed for hell as it is the wages of our being born into sin - the option that comes along in life, frequently called free will, is conviction of the Holy Spirit, at which time we can accept or reject Jesus Christ as the only begotten son of God and the redeemer of our sin and the only means by which we may enter into heaven. So the free will concept is that people are given the choice of going to heaven or hell - and this is not scripturally based at all - it just takes a little reading in John 3 the verses following 16 to confirm the fact that hell is the choice made for everyone - heaven is the option we are given once convicted - it is God's desire that all enter into heaven, therefore all are under conviction at some point in there life.
2006-07-26 02:49:59 · answer #4 · answered by dph_40 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
problem with this question is your involving too many ideas in the same question. Now if you not just read the bible but actually engage your mind into what is beign said. You will find some interesting things, That this is either Heaven, or hell. Fact one. Now know that Christ said some people have made themselfs enouch for the sake of the kingdom. Enouch means basically unable to bear children. Now why would someone not want this. Well it is simple to explain. Why bring another soul to be tested cause you are tested I am tested Why bring another soul to be tested that is NOT love!!!!
It is written in the bible someplace I am not sure where it states it at. But it states this "Blessed be the womb that CANNOT bear children" Hell my friend well guess what christ said to the pharrisses you make them two fold the child of Hell that you are! So guess what with all of this This is hell! And only one way out. And please do not enjoy your stay here cause if you do it will get worse.
2006-07-26 02:54:28 · answer #5 · answered by Brother John 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our actions are either right or wrong: good or bad. These are two extremes. Yes, heaven and hell may be seen as two extremes, but how many different levels should there be if not just two? If you were to hit someone and cause a bruise, is that any less wrong than hitting someone and causing a broken bone? Of course not; both are wrong! Christ has been introduced to almost all of the world and we are given the choice to choose to follow Christ or not. That is our free will. We do not go to heaven or hell just because of something predetermined. We go to heaven or hell because of our choice to either follow or not follow Christ. If you want a real specific answer to why God created the extremes of heaven and hell, you will have to ask Him yourself. Only God knows the true answer to that; the rest of us can only speculate.
2006-07-26 02:51:38 · answer #6 · answered by karinlovespooh 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure about Heaven and Hell being so extreme, I guess to attract people toward one and away from the other. The free will thing....well, God knows where we will go, but....we determine our own fate, God gave us the choice to choose Him or damnation. Something the angels do not have. Without that choice to serve Him or not, life would have no point. I hope this has made some sort of sense or helped.
2006-07-26 02:52:49 · answer #7 · answered by dgabe50 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are consequences for all of our actions. If you touch a hot stove, you get burned. How bad you get burned depends on how hot the stove was.
Compare hell to prison here on earth. If someone were to say that they "served time" for the crime they committed, what would that mean? Did they stay overnight in the county jail? Did they serve 50 years in solitary confinement in a federal prison?
I believe hell is not necessarily a place, but a punishment we receive. There are different punishments for each of us depending on the severity of our sins and our awareness/knowledge before committing the sin. For example, God will not punish someone for coveting, if they've never heard that coveting is a sin. Or He's not going to punish anybody for not reading the scriptures if they were never exposed to the scriptures.
The concept of heaven and hell are generally taught in an extreme way for simplicity's sake. There are different rewards and punishments for all of our actions.
2006-07-26 03:14:58 · answer #8 · answered by Dave S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seriously, God made the earth for man and man for the earth. He formed it to be a paradise and all the systems he put on it will ensure it continues forever. From the earth, he let Jesus purchase 144,000 co-rulers to rule with him in heaven so that humans can have rulership by others who have lived on earth and faced the same hardships and temptations that have influenced their decisions. That is so lovingly fair of him to have done that. In order to keep the earth in a peaceful state once Satan has been done away with, God knows he must get rid of those humans whose heart condition will never allow them to be anything but selfish and so he will destroy them, not torture them forever and ever. This is the truth of what the Bible teaches--not just my opinion.
2006-07-26 03:22:52 · answer #9 · answered by Sparkle1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you read in the Bible, you will see that Hell was never meant for God's Children, it was made for satan and his demons.heaven was prepared for us, so that we can live with God our Father and Jesus His only son. Our "Free will" comes in play, with the fact that you have a choice. You can choose God and thus go to heaven, or you can decide to ignore the Fathers call, and go to the destination,that is "With-out God" and for me that would be Hell.I'd rather choose Jesus over this world that we will be departing some day , and live in paradise. Its your free will to decide- Whats your heart telling you?????Because one day you will have to say yes to God or understand the other destination.
2006-07-26 02:57:03 · answer #10 · answered by Cosmo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋