What do you think of this argument regarding the topic of hell?

Question

In fact, people hardened in wickedness could take real comfort in the thought that they would simply cease to exist at death rather than having to answer to God for their sins. What must surely have consoled Adolf Hitler as he saw the inevitability of the German defeat was that he could annihilate himself as a center of consciousness by committing suicide just before the Russians overran his bunker in Berlin; he must have scoffed at the idea of ever having to answer before God for the millions he had had killed, and to be punished accordingly. So his certainty of annihilation must have made it easier for him to carry on his wickedness. Nor can any of us justifiably classify as "terrible" the non-existent state in which all of us were for the countless ages before our births; though without any center of consciousness, no one remembers that time as at all undesirable.

thewolfskoll - Thats between you and God. God knows how you respond to your own conscience, and your own knowledge of right and wrong. And reasoning in your mind in an effort to justify sin is exposed by God, and is evil in and of itself.

Rance D - You are not a baby. You are reponsible for your decisions. And there IS accountability to God. And God's judgment will be just because he IS. You can take that to the bank.

Answer 1

The concept of annihilation, non-existing souls, the extringuishment of one's being at death sounds inviting if, as with Hitler or even common criminals or generally mean and malicious people, we have no consequence to face after this life.

The concept of annihilation does rob those of hope of a better existance afterwards, or even those believing in reincarnation who hope for a better chance on their next reiteration of life.

The concept of annihilation, however, does have some terrible and disserving consequences when the Bible account of a final judgement comes about. Revelation 20, if true, makes the potential of a hope in annihilation a really cruel thing:

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. 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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

This subject reminds me of a couple of lines from a song a few years back--"I swear that there's no heaven and I pray that there's no hell." The nice thing is that the same Bible that described that hell also described its escape.

Answer 2

In this present time, even in the West, you will find many people adopting an sceptic attitude or going completely into the agnostic/atheistic precipice.
For a wayward, hard-to-heed person, it is a must for him to continue existing while doing nefarious activities without thought of their consequences, to adopt a belief system (rather a "non-belief" system) that negates any notion of recompense. Here, I am addressing one of the points you have raised.
On the more general topic, I subscribe to the concept of no physical hell. Man have travelled into outer space but then we do not know where is "up" and where is "down". He did not find hell.
Hell is a state of existence--we are generally "in hell" when we are in a "state of suffering"--whether it be physical, mental or spiritual.
You have also assumed for the existence of hell where we had been for countless ages but that without any seat of consciousness, we have no way of finding the "experience" undesirable, to say the least.
To address some made by other repliers, the remedy seems to lie in abolishing the word "penal". Instead, we have to develop a realistic rehabilitation system that see these transgressors are sick mentally. To do this, a stringent set of spiritual practices must be instituted and implemented that caters to develop the whole human dimension that touches his subtle and causal spheres through knowledge of the subtle aspects like kundalini, chakras, etc. and down to the more physical aspects of glands, subglands, hormones, etc.

Answer 3

incorrect. you're reading the Bible with your carnal concepts. The Bible is a non secular masterpiece that changed into made to be study via the HOLY SPIRIT; 0.33 man or woman of the trinity. you do not recognize what you're speaking about. end dropping a even as. you haven't received something; Jesus Christ has already conquer this international and He has already received the conflict. what's left for you is your Judgment; you've to respond to and elements an account of your existence to Jesus quicker or later, more beneficial valuable have self assurance that. Repent.

Answer 4

The flip side is those who claim Righteousness would be opposed to a "lack of punishment" simply because of a vendetta of revenge toward those they believe have wronged them?
Is "you will be judged" the ultimate case of "I'm telling??" Is the thought of "You will be Judged" nothing more than a bloodthirsty need of revenge?

Reward and Punishment are only motivational factors in the most base sense of reasoning. Doing good for good's sake is truly the most noble thing as well as being the utmost beneficial idea for a society. Thoughts of a "reward" for doing a good deed are nothing but a selfish and impure motive leading to negativity should said 'reward" or evidence of said reward fail to appear, as is so often the case.

Answer 5

I don't really see much of an argument for hell here. Your argument basically states that it would be unfair for someone to simply "cease to exist" has they would not have to face God to be judged for eternal punishment. Your argument assumes that the universe must be "fair." I have a hard reality for you. The universe is not fair. It cares nothing of fairness.

Personally I feel that it would be far more unjust to punish anyone for an eternity for sins committed within a single small life time. A persons lifetime is just a speck in the grand expanse of eternity. Would it be fair to punish a person for their entire life because they screamed for once instant when they were born? No. This is not fair. The punishment does not fit the crime. The punishment of hell is a very cruel act unbefitting of a "benevolent" god.

Answer 6

Your argument is similar to the tenets of the Jehovah's Witness and the Seventh Day Adventists.
The word 'hell' is mentioned at least 37 times in the New Testament. Jesus mentioned it several times in His teachings.
We cannot prove there is such a place, nor can we disprove it.
The New Testament was written in Greek. One of the words used for hell is 'Gehenna'. Which was what we might call today the garbage dump. It was outside of town, so you have the isolation and separation. Fires were constantly burning to consume the trash, which included corpses of dead animals and those who were executed by the authorities. There were also worms (maggots) that Jesus spoke of, the natural result of decaying flesh.
Jesus did speak in parables, which He used everyday places and circumstances as examples for His teachings.
The subject of hell is complex and controversial. Another NT word for hell is 'hades'. Which is related to mythology, that place being referred to as the underworld. The realm of Pluto the Roman god of that gloomy place. The Greek personification of
Pluto was Hades. In some places in the NT it means the common grave. Namely because it is hidden and dark, and subject to corruption.
For me, Jesus spoke of it. That's enough for me to do everything I can to avoid going there. Continue to study this subject.

Answer 7

...if we didn't exist, we weren't in a "state" of anything... things that aren't real or haven't come into being can't be described as possessing attributes of things that have come into being.

You can't have it both ways, you see; saying that something didn't exist but then describing that something in a way which assumes the premise that it did exist in some form at the same time as it is being described as not existing is nonsensical and contradictory.

God, Satan, heaven, hell, they aren't in a "state" of nonexistence, they just don't exist. Before death and after death, we don't exist (in the sense that our sentience and sapience and consciousness will be forever extinguished).

It may seem terribly unfair that Hitler wasn't given his due comeupance, but life and death doesn't have to be fair. Just because it comforts us to think that the wicked will suffer and the decent will rejoice in the afterlife doesn't mean it's plausible or possible.

Answer 8

Annihilation or ceasing to exist is a Jehovahs Witness concept among other fringe groups. Jesus taught about eternal suffering for the wicked, but left room for mercy. Not existing is really not a punishment. Even with that your not aware of your seperation from God.

Answer 9

You are going on the assumption that Hitler or any other lunatic even understands they are doing something wrong. They would have to have your belief system and your way of thinking in order for that statement to be true.

Answer 10

That is no argument, that hell does not exist. That is a mere failure to face facts.
If you believe in God, it is a fact.
If you don't believe in God, it's a matter of opinion.

Fact is this, we are all going to die and find out. This is a fact.
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