Personally, I don't believe in evil. What we consider evil is anything that threatens our well-being whether it be in the mortal or immortal world. Hell, Satan, and demons are human fears personified.
If I may add, in the Old Testament [aka the Torah] there is no mention of hell. I believe it is only referred to as being far away from god. That can be interpreted as a pschological hell instead of a physical one.
I don't understand why God needs a contrast. God is all-powerful; so why can't he be good and "evil" at the same time? Plus he is all-forgiving...so wouldn't he forgive you if you honestly deserved it even if you did something really really horrible?
So shouldn't hell be unneccessary?
2006-07-27 13:37:50 · 45 answers · asked by Nat 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
When people continue to reject God daily they made the choice to live eternally in Hell therefore Hell is not unnecessary when you have been given freewill! God is sinless and cannot be evil even those he created it. To judge God on this is a sin within its self. You say that Hell is not in the Old Testament (Torah) but that is not true. You really need to do your research.
Bmw
2006-07-27 13:59:15 · answer #1 · answered by Pashur 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How do you know that God is "all-forgiving" and "all-powerful"? Did you just make that up? Did you talk to God personally (if so, tell him "hi" for me)?
I'm assuming that you got your ideas from reading the Bible (incidentally, the "Torah" refers only to the Law of Moses, not the entire Old Testament with the prophets & writings -- but I don't want to seem nit-picky).
The same Bible that said that God was all powerful and forgiving also says that there is a Hell, and a Devil. Hw can you decide which parts are true, and which parts are false? Just some gut feeling?
Not trying to be a smart-mouth, just asking.
And if you don't know why God needs a contrast, then ask him why he bothered to create Satan the next time that you see him. You can tell him in person that you think that his book is silly. I'm not.
2006-07-27 13:57:39 · answer #2 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OK, first, I can't really speak for God. But I'll say what I think, even though I'm almost definitely wrong when I speak about who God is, even just to me. And this is a very deep philosophical question that probably doesn't have any "answer", but obviously there are going to be ideas that people have about it.
Hell is being out of the presence of God, to me. It is both physical and psychological, and in so many other dimensions/facets/aspects.
About defining evil, again from the religious viewpoint, IMO it is everything that is against God. In other words, it is "sin". Some humans may have a different definition of "evil", but this biased definition can often contradict an absolute definition. For example, a person reporting you for a crime may be "evil" to you, because it threatens your well being, but no matter what it is always "good".
And about God. The short answer, IMO again, is that he has chosen who he is. And he is a good, loving God. I have an issue with the descriptor "all-forgiving". He is a loving, forgiving God as defined in the Bible to my understanding. He first loved us, the Bible says; if you love him back, he will love you regardless of what you've done. If you reject him, you go to hell. That's the only way you can go to hell; no sin or evil act by itself can send you to hell (and separate you from God).
Hope this makes sense, and that it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings or put down anyone's beliefs.
2006-07-27 13:48:10 · answer #3 · answered by miestersean 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, Hell is translated from the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades. Both of them mean grave or pit. The Bible teaches that the dead are conscious of nothing at all.
God's ultimate punishment for unrepentant sinners is death, knowing nothing, feeling nothing, and no chance of a resurrection. The Torah is not the whole old testament. It is basically the first five books of the Bible and Psalms. Most of the old testament books are not included in the torah. The first five books of the Bible are also called the Pentateuch.
The idea of hell was borrowed from the Greek Story Dante's Inferno.
God is not even going to punish Satan that way by burning. Fire is used in the Bible to stand for complete destruction, and the lake of fire we read about in the Bible is not literal because death and governments are thrown into it. It is symbolic of destruction and Gehenna was a garbage dump outside of the city where garbage was dumped and the bodies of dead criminals were thrown there because they believed they were not worthy of a burial.
God IS LOVE. God would never ever punish unrepentant ones with a fire any more than you would hold your child's hand in the flame from your barbecue or your stove.
In conclusion and through much Bible study, Hell is simply the grave; no fire to it whatsoever.
God can't be evil because everything that God does is Good. People tried to call Jesus Good and He told them No!! Only the Father is Good. We can't see Satan or the demons but God is giving Satan enough time to prove that he can't rule the world before he has to be put to death. When Satan is put to death, he will cease to exist; never to plague humankind again.
People believe in hell only because their preachers scare them into being good and doing it to get more money in collection plates that their ministers can take a lot of for themselves. God is NOT the way they paint Him to be. God is Love and there is no evil in Him whatsoever.
2006-07-27 13:59:33 · answer #4 · answered by fingerpicknboys 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You say evil (anything that threatens our well-being whether mortal or immortal) does not exist.
If a person kidnaps and rapes someone... what is that? I believe most people would consider that to be evil.
Your assertion that the Old Testament contains no mention of hell is very incorrect. One answerer above has listed those out for you to read so I won't repeat them. However, for the sake of arguement, let's assume that you're right about that...
You refer to the Old Testament in reference to hell's existence, which tells me that you regard it has holding truth. If you believe there is no hell because there is no mention of it in the OT, then why don't you believe in Satan and demons' existence when they ARE mentioned in the Old Testament. You only contrast yourself when you pick and choose which parts of the scripture are true and which are false. Of course, due to some of the statements and questions you've made here I doubt that you've spent a considerable amount of time studying the Bible and what it has to say. Either way it really doesn't matter that it's not mentioned in the Old Testament because it is mentioned in the New Testament, which is also the Word of God. However, since you referred to the OT as the "Torah" I suppose perhaps you may be Jewish, in which case my point about the New Testament won't matter to you... but the points I've made regarding your logic should.
You say God doesn't need a contrast. He should be good and evil at the same time. Wouldn't that be a contrast? God doesn't NEED a contrast... but He's got some contrasts. In fact, everything in this world, due to its imperfect state, constrasts with God, due to His state of perfection.
God is a forgiving God. Christ's execution paid for the forgiveness of anyone who asks for it. A person who does not realize they need forgiveness will not receive it and will therefore miss out on spending an eternity with God. God does not condemn people to hell... but when a person chooses to not follow God they basically put themselves there... and I truly believe it breaks God's heart to see a person go to hell. The Bible tells us that Christ died so that ALL may be saved.
Hell is necessary. Hell is eternal separation of God with no hope of ever going to heaven. We only get one shot... follow Christ or don't. That one decision determines whether we spend eternity with Him... or in the same place Satan is bound for.
2006-07-27 13:55:28 · answer #5 · answered by mywifeisbetterthanyours 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
obviously everyone believes differently about this, but i think that God is all forgiving. however, He only forgives those who come to Him and ask for that forgiveness. Those who dont will experience a type of hell just like you said: a separation from God, which (once you learn that god really does exist after all) is a hell in and of itself. I do believe that there is a real fire and brimstone hell, though, that is reserved for people who have had a good realtionship with God then decided that they like Satan better and turn against Him. That's pretty rare though, since most people are too good to be that evil.
2006-07-27 13:45:27 · answer #6 · answered by dolphin_chic_15 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Albert Einstein said it best:
evil is the absence of God.
1. To say that evil doesn't exist means that everything going on is good. Stealing, murdering, et al., is all good. This is the absence of good and morality.
2. Hell is a real place. Jesus mentions hell twice as much in the Bible as He did heaven. It mentions the rich man desiring a touch of water to quench the fire. Hell is a place where God cannot reach those who have rejected Him.
3. God cannot forgive unless you ask and humble yourself. You must acknowledge the sin and repent before He can forgive you.
4. If someone lives their life on this earth denying God, this person will spend eternity living without Him. I certainly would not allow someone to live with me if they continually denied my existence.
5. The Bible says that satan can manifest himself as an angel of light. Do not take him lightly. He is a master of deception.
2006-07-27 14:04:36 · answer #7 · answered by n9wff 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a difference, didn't you know God is a JUST God and although he is all forgiving there were times in the Bible where he would have just destroyed all man kind if it hadn't been for men who interviened. Hell is what we get if we do not 'believe that Jesus died on the cross to erase our sins' all we must do is BELIEVE in him and ask him to save US and voila! We have a home in heaven. Simply not believing in Hell won't make it go away. Evil is evil and there is no changing that, as horrible as it makes us feel. Won't that make it extra important NOT to get there? The only way to stay out of it is as I stated above, not because I say so, but because the BIBLE says so. No one is perfect and no one ever will be, simple as that. You can't EVER be good enough to go to heaven. (sorry) God is a simple God who created a people to love him whole heartedly. That is what salvation is, believing that GOd loved US SO much that he died for us. Isn't that powerful? Sure is to me !
2006-07-27 13:45:09 · answer #8 · answered by Troopers_Gurl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God forgives those who seek forgiveness. God is also just: He is the "Just Judge." He will forgive those who seek forgiveness, as mercy is the better form of justice, but, for those who don't seek forgiveness, God will judge all actions.
Hell is not necessarily a physical place. Some say that Hell is standing in the presence of God, but being unable to receive His love. It is not in God's nature to hate, it is his nature to give Himself, and "God is love."
Existence comes from God, and God is good. Therefore, inasmuch as something exists, it is good. The only truly evil thing, then, is that which does not exist. As God is pure being, He cannot be evil. The further removed a thing is from God, however, the more evil it is because it lacks goodness. Think of light and darkness: Darkness is the absence of light, just as evil is the absence of goodness. So while there is no truly evil being, there is such a thing as evil: Evil is something that lacks goodness. Of course, there is much more than this in the nature of good and evil, but this is a basic primer.
In summary: Evil does exist, God cannot be evil as He is pure goodness, and Hell exists, but not as represented in mythology.
2006-07-27 13:55:34 · answer #9 · answered by Stephen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God is NOT "all-forgiving". That is not a Biblical attribute of God. God will forgive all sins for those who turn to Jesus as Savior, but God will not forgive those who do not.
H7585
שׁאל שׁאול
she'ôl she'ôl
sheh-ole', sheh-ole'
From H7592; hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranian retreat), including its accessories and inmates: - grave, hell, pit.
In the KJV, "hell" is mentioned 31 times; in the HCSB, "sheol" is mentioned 64 times.
God's standards of forgivenes are His standards and are not subject to your desires. He will forgive those who seek forgiveness according to HIS design.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
2006-07-27 13:51:33 · answer #10 · answered by steve 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋