Instead of saying it will be constant fire burning you and your teeth chattering and so on, if it were described as something more fathomable, such as "you'll be stuck in a prison that you can't get out of and you'll be sick and severely depressed."
For me, the latter sounds scarier, perhaps because I can actually imagine what that would be like.
2006-11-03 16:55:26 · 23 answers · asked by Heron By The Sea 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
As children we envision a devil who sits among the flames and sticks our burning body with his pitchfork. We think we are hurting so badly from the constant burning that is neverending. That's enough to make a child at least try to keep the Ten Commandments.
When we grow up, we can hardly believe in that concept anymore as we believe God has a plan for "hell" and the way it will be. I have no idea about what hell is going to be like. Some people say we are living it. If we didn't believe there was a punishment for unrelenting evil people, there would probably be more because there is nothing to dying and just not exist anymore.
2006-11-03 17:04:41 · answer #1 · answered by nobluffzone 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The best description of hell that I have read was by Umberto Eco.
I think the book was called "The Island of the Day Before" or something like that.
Honestly I find the Greek versions of punishment like what Tantalus or Sisyphus got more scary.
Now I believe that heaven and hell after death miss the whole point. You should realize that heaven and hell can be right here on earth and need no gods to manage them. If you live a just life and are fair in your dealings with others you should enjoy a good life. If you lie, cheat and steal, abuse drugs and are generally an evil person then expect your life to be hellish.
2006-11-04 01:02:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, I think being in a prison doesn't matter. Some people think that suffering on earth is inevitable so either on earth or prison in hell makes no difference...it would be just as bad for those people.
As for depression - that is only a state. People are depressed for a reason and human beings are able to change their attitude towards even the most dismal events.
"Man's Search for Meaning" - by Viktor Frankl, a very good short read.
2006-11-04 00:58:27 · answer #3 · answered by leikevy 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hell through the ages has been desribed as a place of fire, ice, and a void. It has also been described as the eternal separation from God. The physical pain descriptions that Dante used or the psychological tortures that others have suggested all lead to the idea of pain in some sense. Originally Lucifer was the most beautiful angel and the most God-like, actually His favorite. Lucifer decided he wanted to take the throne of heaven, God stopped him and the angels who fought with him and sent them to Hell as a punishment. Temptation always looks good because it comes from a beautiful angel who fell from grace and wants the souls of others to be with him. If the Devil were shown as beautiful instead of ugly and vile, we would not fear him or Hell, so artists and Holy texts began to show him as ugly and frightening, a visual artistic methaphor for evil. If Hell were not a place of pain we would not fear it either, (a void does not sound so bad) so it is described in a way to warn us.
2006-11-04 01:05:17 · answer #4 · answered by fancyname 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Not at all.
The concept of hell is based on our physical reality/existence and it is based on that reality that we focus our concept of "hell" into a place of suffering and pain. I for one find it idiotic that people would believe that after you die you go to hell and live in eternal torment and suffering to pay for your "evil" actions. It is not like that- when you die, you loose not only your brain but also your nervous system- so at this point it does not even matter what kind of punishment lies ahead. When you are dead you no longer have the capability of thoughts, feelings, or any of the senses, whatever happens to your corpse is irrelevant- so no- hell is not scary.
And if you believe in souls better start inventing a brain for it. Maybe then the concept of hell will at least seem.... logical.
2006-11-04 01:14:13 · answer #5 · answered by Delusional- Ignore me 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most of us have a misconception of hell. You see, the most tragic statement that was or could ever be made in all of history was "ELOI ELOI la' ma sabach' thani?" oir ---My GOD, My GOD WHY have you forsaken me?
These words were spoken by Jesus Christ from a cross. Leading up to this, He prayed for this to be taken away from Him if there was any other way for us to obtain salvation. It was not the pain of being beaten, nailed to a cross or anything else that He feared...what Jesus feared the most..was being forsaken by GOD.
Death is separation. When we draw our last breath our bodies are separated from our soul and spirit. For those who have not trusted in Christ, eternal death is being separated from GOD for eternity. Yes, they will exist forever apart from any of the goodness GOD has to offer and they will be given every evil satan has to offer....and this is hell.
I would not want to exist for a moment without the presences of my LORD. He is with me always giving me comfort in the midst of some major storms. Every need I have ever had, HE is the answer. He is the bread of live when I have been hungry, the living water for those that are thirsty, a shelter in the time of storm, the comforter, a friend that sticks closer then a brother, my counselor, my redeemer and my king.
The most scary thing about hell...is that the LORD will not be with those there..but I know I will never never have to worry about that even when demons have threatened me with it..because my LORD went to hell itself....to cancel MY reservation!
If you do not know for sure what your destiny will be...check the link below to make sure your reservation for hell has been canceled too.
2006-11-04 01:18:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It describes in detail in Revelations what life on earth is for those who were not taken up to heaven, and it's pretty gruesome. That's not even Near Hell. The scary part about Hell is that it is unemagionable. It's beyond the short range of human concept. Just like Heaven is millions of times greater than the best thing we can emagion on earth, hell is millions of times worse, millions! It makes life in the apocalypse smell like roses. Let me just describe some stuff out of Revelation's apocalypse...
The seven bowls of God's wrath include ungly and painful sores, seas of blood, rivers of blood, sun scorchings, gnashing of teeth, and some more stuff.
The three Woe's include paragraphs of scripture that is the same kind of stuff like my example of part of the first woe. "They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And they agony they suffered was like that of a sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them." - revelation 9:4-6
Enough said.
2006-11-04 01:13:06 · answer #7 · answered by Lord_French_Fry 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
nope i think it is plenty scary just the way it is described .. i'v handled sickness and pain i'v handled depression,and being locked up (not in jail, in a behaviour reform facility).... i'v gotten through all that... but burning in eternal hell fire and screaming for eternity in a pain and suffering that will never end?.. that i havent experienced and says right in the description there is no getting out of that one its not ending....that to me is much scarier then anything this earth has to offer
2006-11-04 01:06:55 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, I don't really believe in Hell ... but if I *did* I think the fiery Hell would be far less appealing than being in prison. I could handle prison easier than a lake of fire.
Geez, look at all the earthlings that aren't fearful of the threat of prison. Our prisons are FULL! (lol)
2006-11-04 01:03:20 · answer #9 · answered by MyPreshus 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes it will because i imagine people burning even more by saying that i am not saying you hun im just saying if thats how it describes it in the bible then the worse it is the more people get saved by not wanting to go there, because if you tell them that it will be like a boring time out they will really not care! Thats why!
God bless
2006-11-04 01:00:02 · answer #10 · answered by Gdschild 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋