Who's more likely to have come up with the idea of everlasting torture - A human or a god?

Question

I can't really imagine why an omnipotent god who created the universe would feel the need to torture for ever the humans who died unconvinced of his existence. On the other hand, it's *exactly* the kind of idea that a human would invent and threaten other people with, if he wanted them to follow the religion he had created, and which was the source of his power, prestige and wealth.

So, who's more likely to have invented the idea - a deity with no vested interest or the human with very real and very venal interests?

Answer 1

Oh a human invention no doubt about it. Unless the god in question is some kind of sadistic egomaniac.

Of course I believe all god belief is a human invention

Answer 2

It is most likely, that it was a human, who felt like he was under an eternal curse from God. Job. Don't discount the pain and suffering of billions of people as abberant psycology, it may be reality. And if suffering is all that some people experience, shouldn't the logical conclusion that eternity would be the same? Enter the messiah...out of pain, and into paradise. I can understand if a person doubts heaven, reality screams it's non-existance. But, if you can get out of this world of pain, could that exit be created by humans? Could the eternity of heaven come from a finite mind, heart, or soul? I doubt that. It is likely to have come from an eternal, infinite God...

Answer 3

You're coming up with some great questions today...

Can't really actually answer the question, other than to agree with you - an omnipotent, omniscient and all good God could never have come up with such a notion, even if he had the attribute of existence to make it possible.

Mankind, on the otherhand, is of course not omnipotent, omniscient or all good... and is particularly vengeful...

Answer 4

Its like a robot can never exceed the intelligence of its own creator! The robot only knows what the creator put inside its circuit. So Humans are like robots, and God is the creator!

How can humans exceed the intelligence of its creator?

Answer 5

Human. The hellfire doctrine is of early church origin. Not scriptural. Wording was changed in the Gehenna account to support the hellfire doctrine.

Answer 6

A human.

Answer 7

There are none so evil as those who seek to do good in the name of their God(s).

Being good needs no excuse; humans need God(s) to justify their evil.

Answer 8

human

Answer 9

there is no everlasting torture mentioned in the bible. Definately God is a loving Go. nor there is any hell. it is a whole explanation which you won't the false preachers preaching.

go to www.prophecycode.com the lesson you need to take is lake of fire. based on the following:

20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.
20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.
20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Chapter 21

21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.
21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light [was] like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
21:12 And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
21:16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred [and] forty [and] four cubits, [according to] the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
21:18 And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass.
21:19 And the foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
21:20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21:21 And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Answer 10

i would think a god would because we humans have no real concept of eternity