Makes no sense to me, could someone explain to me why a loving god needs a place to punish beings that are vastly inferior to him? Isn't that immoral? Isn't that like a man throwing his disobedient dog into an incinerator when the dog refuses to sit?
2006-10-04 22:27:59 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It's all a crock. Many decades ago the Catholics said that it was a Mortal Sin for eating meat on Friday Imagine that, your bowling Friday night and you have a slice of pepperoni pizza and Wham! You have the suffering and torment of hell for eternity because you didn't confess that sin before you died. Then one day the Catholics said,that it's no longer a Mortal Sin for eating meat on Friday and you don't go to Hell. And I said, "Wait a minute, what about the millions who burned their butts off and the torment? and your just going to say, "Never Mind". But they don't want to talk about it. God did not create man but ancient ignorant man who created God and man also created Hell.
2006-10-05 00:28:06 · answer #1 · answered by The professor 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Hello!! :o) Probably the biggest struggle that I have always had with my Christian faith IS the concept of Hell. Like you - I think it's UNreasonable to punish a person [FOREVER - at least] for an infraction that may have only taken a second or two to commit. And still just as unreasonable [and unfair] if the 'sin' continued on for a PERSONS lifetime. [meaning 70 or so years] To punish someone forever serves absolutely no purpose and makes GOD the ultimate 'revenge monster'. This is why I have looked into this extensively over the years. I now believe [or should I say - I'm 90% sure] that 'Hell' [as we have been lead to believe] is NOT a place of never-ending torment. 'Hell' is actually a holding place - if you will - for the 'unsaved' until 'Judgment Day'. If you are 'saved' - you go to heaven. If you are unsaved you are thrown into what it known as the 'Lake of Fire' - where you will be ANNIHILATED. [As in - exist no more] How long it takes for one to BE annihilated is anyone's guess. But I would think that Hitler will take longer to 'exist no more' than someones unsaved, yet very nice Aunt Elsie. [If you know what I mean] That said... I don't think that God does love 'unconditionally'. At least not in the sense that WE often think that word means. God loves us - but where WE end up depends upon whether or not WE love GOD. It is God's desire [So we are told in the Bible] that NO ONE should perish. [i.e. 'Be thrown into the lake of fire'] The scariest thing to accept is that WE decide OUR 'after-life'. Have a great day!! Craig!! :o)
2006-10-05 00:11:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Christian hell you refer to actually doesn't exist, but that don't mean you won't 'go through hell' if you deny God & Jesus.
First, nothing can burn forever ... everything eventually burns up and changes it's mocular structure.
We don't know exactly what hell will be like. Our primitive minds cannnot conceive what Heaven or hell will be like. It could very well differ with each individual. And God is not trying to punish inferior mortals. If that was true, no one would escape hell.
You can't compare a disobedient dog with a human, btw. Animals have no soul ( understanding of God or a greater Diety, we are their 'so called' gods as far as they know ) but they can truly love their master. Our Master loves all of us and in time you will discover Him.
Mack
2006-10-04 23:14:30 · answer #3 · answered by Mack 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First of, hell wasn't created for man. Hell was created for Lucifer and the other fallen angels.
God created us with free will. Its our choice whether we want to serve Him or not--we are not robots. Because of this, if we chose to rape, we can. If we chose to murder, we can. If we chose to allow children to starve, we can. But if we chose to be good, to love God, to follow His commandments, we can do that too.
He created us that way because He is moral, and so we can truly love Him, not by force, but by choice.
The downfall to that is sin and the results from sin. Sin is the separation from God. The more sin you have in your life, you more separated from God you become. Complete separation is hell. There in hell, there isn't the presence of God. There isn't any hope. We only reach hell after we die because until we die, there is hope, there is a chance.
And God is willing to tolerate the "sin" in the world just so you can choose to have a relationship with Him. You are that important to Him.
2006-10-04 22:38:13 · answer #4 · answered by firerookie 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ahhhh... exactly.
In my opinion:
The Christian version of God is NOT Unconditionally Loving,
and is therefor also a hypocrite.
The Christian view of God is not the only one.
AND in addition, there are views of Goddess.
If Christianity doesn't make sense to you,
then leave it to those who feel good about it,
and search out your own individual faith.
Blessings,
Lady Ament
2006-10-04 23:25:05 · answer #5 · answered by Apple A 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Reasonable argument.
God has given us free will. It is not free in the sense of being free of influences, but is free in the sense that we are free to choose. God has said Thou Shalt and Thou Shalt Not. We have the freedom to choose to obey or to choose to disobey. God says that when we die we will be judged concerning those choices. Now hell was made for Lucifer who fell from his goodness and became evil. He came to earth to influence us to join him in his evilness. So we have the classic battle of good versus evil. God looked down and saw we were not doing too good. We were busily making bad choices and God saw trouble up ahead for us. Namely judgment and punishment. So he devised a way to save us from that end. The price he paid is very, very huge. The price he paid is so costly to him that I reckon nobody can choose to ignore it, and live to talk about it, as it were. Let's just say, that that is a big one with God.
2006-10-04 22:57:10 · answer #6 · answered by pshdsa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its called "Free Will". We were given this albatros to do with as we choose. God does not choose to be adulterous, he does not choose to be decitful, he does not choose to be greedy, he does not choose to be hateful, nor does he choose to be unmerciful. we as humans choose the path to travel and we are always free to change course.
A dog does not have free will. A dog only chooses to please and be part of a pack, He will love you wheither you are rich or poor and does not judge you for what you have done, he will be by your side without question and will always be happy to see you.
In some ways dogs are better that humans!
Now if I can only teach mine to flush.......
2006-10-04 22:37:55 · answer #7 · answered by John H B 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I didn't make hell, The former arch Angel Lucifer is responsible for that one (and he's in serious need of some decorating tips let me add). And I don't punish anyone, I simply give them a choice of how to live their lives in full awareness of the consequences of their actions. Knowing this, the choice is ever yours.
2006-10-04 22:32:53 · answer #8 · answered by God 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Hell is not Christian. It was created for Satan and his followers.
I Cr 13;8a
10-5-6
2006-10-04 23:27:04 · answer #9 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christian? All religions have hell. God punishes people who don't repent. You won't permanently stay in hell though.
2006-10-04 22:30:35 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋