Why do you believe that there is no hell?
2006-10-04 06:44:48 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jehovah's Witnesses believe in what the bible describes as hell.
The Hebrew and Greek word literally means grave, or pit.
Ez 18:4 says the soul dies,
Matt 10:28 Jesus said the soul can be destroyed.
In old English to put one's potatoes in hell didn't mean to cook them, it meant to put them in the vegetable cellar to keep them cold.
Rev. says that Hell is to be done away with, so hell is not a permanent place.
Jesus said the dead are sleeping.
It's not that we don't believe in hell, it's that we don't believe it is a place of torment.
www.watchtower.org
2006-10-04 07:21:15 · answer #1 · answered by TeeM 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Quite simply, the idea of a fiery hell is not taught in the Bible.
The KJV and many other mainstream Bibles translate four words into "hell": hades, sheol, gehenna, and tartarus. Sheol, in Hebrew, just means a collective metaphorical grave that everyone goes to. Absolutely nothing happens in Sheol (Eccl. 9: 5, 10) It is not an actual place. Job wanted to go there when he was enduring trials, "until my compulsory service is completed," or until the resurrection. (Job 14: 13) Hades is the Greek equivalent of Sheol. Jesus went there, but didn't stay ("You will not leave my soul in Sheol.") Gehenna is named for a place in ancient Jerusalem where a constant fire was burning. It was for disposing of trash, and of the dead bodies of those who the Jews felt weren't deserving of a resurrection. Everything in there was completely destroyed, not preserved for torment. Gehenna fittingly represents eternal destruction, with no resurrection hope. Tartarus is a Greek word which means something like a "long storage tube," like for storing wheat. The demons are placed there for a while so they can't influence humans. The Bible says that you pay for your sins by dying, and that once you die you are aqcuitted of your sin. (Rom 6:23; Rom 5: 12; Rom 6: 7, 23) There is no need for any further punishment. It is no coincidence that the Greek mythological ideas of an "underworld" are very similar to the popular belief among many of those who want to follow Jesus. The modern day church was started around a strong Greek influence, and the hell doctrine, among many other things, was taken directly from the pagan religion of the Greeks.
And as for the Revelation account which talks about the fire burning, and smoke of their torment rising forever and ever (sorry I don't know exactly where it is), look again at the account. It doesn't say anything about the people being dead. This prophecy actually refers to those opposers of God who are still living. Also, look to a very similar prophecy regarding ancient Babylon (I'm sorry, I don't know exactly where that is either, but I'm sure you can find it.) That city did not go to some fiery place; it was completely destroyed. The smoke, which is the aftermath of fire, represents the utter completeness of the destruction. How do I know that the fire is not literal? Because I already know from the Bible that you pay for your sins by dying. That is why there is a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, so the unrighteous have a second chance after paying for their sins. (Acts 24: 15)
***Side note: Satan told Adam and Eve "you positively will not die." after Jehovah told Adam he would return to the dust, which is where he was before he got the breath of life, which is nothing. Satan is still trying to say that to us today by means of this eternal soul teaching.
***Also: the word "hell," actually just means something that is under something else. It comes from the same root word as "hole" or "heel." The fiery connotations associated with the word are only because of the culture we live in.
2006-10-05 08:51:03 · answer #2 · answered by Nothin wrong 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, JWs believe in "hell" but not as other people belive it. The original Greek & Hebrew word for hell is Hades and Sheol. You can find these words in the NWT,e.g. Rev 1:18. We believe it is a common grave for mankind and not a fiery place where God will torture somebody forever. Jehovah is the God of Love and not a God who is a torturer. God is a God of justice who won't torture a bad person forever in a fiery hell if that person only lived 20 years. It is like saying you gave a gift of $20 to somebody and you asked them 20 billion dollars for the money you gave. Is that fair? In the case of hellfire teaching, you think God will ask back an unpayable charge (forever) for the years a certain person lived?
We don't want to invalidate God's justice.
2006-10-06 03:56:07 · answer #3 · answered by trustdell1 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jehovah's Witnesses do believe in the biblical "hell", which is simply the common grave of mankind. The bible does not teach the "hell" ("Sheol" or "Hades") is a fiery place of torment.
There is no suffering in "hell", or the grave. Sometime after Armageddon and the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20020715/article_01.htm
2006-10-04 08:12:40 · answer #4 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no such place as a fiery hell.
A loving God wouldn't invent such a place
The word is mistranslated & means the common grave of mankind
What does the Bible say the penalty for sin is?
Rom. 6:23: “The wages sin pays is death.”
After one’s death, is he still subject to further punishment for his sins? - No
Rom. 6:7: “He who has died has been acquitted from his sin.”
Is eternal torment of the wicked compatible with God’s personality?
Jer. 7:31: “They [apostate Judeans] have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart.” (If it never came into God’s heart, surely he does not have and use such a thing on a larger scale.)
Illustration: What would you think of a parent who held his child’s hand over a fire to punish the child for wrongdoing? “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Would he do what no right-minded human parent would do? Certainly not!
To teach that God would torment people forever in a fiery hell is misrepresenting God. He is a God of love
Thank you for asking the question
2006-10-04 08:49:19 · answer #5 · answered by New ♥ System ♥ Lady 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
would a loving parent teach their child that a stove is hot by putting their hand on a hot burner? NO... so why would any one in their right mind think that a loving god would throw his children into the fire.. if that is what you believe hell is.
Also Jesus was a perfect man an yet he said he was in hell for 3 days!! an yet he was perfect man then what would be the standard for determining who would go to hell?
2006-10-04 06:51:52 · answer #6 · answered by Tupperware Lady 1 · 4⤊ 1⤋
No Christian should teach there is no hell.
Hell is a state of mind we are born into. When you read the ten commandments and look at your own desires, you will see that we are born in evils of all kinds and thus in hell. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can teach us from the Word of God and pull us out.
FAQ: How could a loving God cast people into hell?
"And I have the keys of hell and death, signifies that He alone can save. By "keys" is signified the power of opening and shutting; here the power of opening hell, that man may be brought forth, and of shutting, lest, when he is brought forth, he should enter again. For man is born in evils of all kinds, thus in hell, for evils are hell; he is brought out of it by the Lord, to whom belongs the power of opening it. That by "having the keys of hell and death," is not meant the power of casting into hell, but the power of saving, is because it immediately follows after these words:
Behold, I am alive for ages of ages;
by which is signified that He alone is eternal life (n. 60); and the Lord never casts anyone into hell, but man casts himself. By "keys" is signified the power of opening and shutting, in Revelation also (3:7; 9:1; 20:1; also in Isa. 22:21, 22; in Matt. 16:19; and in Luke 11:52). The power of the Lord is not only over heaven, but also over hell; for hell is kept in order and connection by oppositions against heaven; for which reason, He who rules the one must necessarily rule the other; otherwise man could not be saved; to be saved is to be brought out of hell" (Apocalypse Revealed n. 62).
2006-10-04 07:00:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you study each Jehovah's witness & Pentecost type people you'll discover they all look & act alike & that they have no more intelligence than monkeys. Got to feel sorry for poor idiots like that
2006-10-04 07:19:02 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
You should go check out http://www.religionfacts.com/
I learned alot about other religions from this site. I personally think that anyone who has read the Bible and doesn't believe in hell is in denial because of their own personal sins that they won't acnowledge.
2006-10-04 06:51:58 · answer #9 · answered by mama 5 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Hell is a big gimmick
Why, do you believe in hell?
2006-10-04 06:46:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 5⤋