Hell is a controversial subject. Who is going to hell ? Is hell for eternity ? Is it a literal fire ? Do souls feel physical pain ? What does it mean in Revelations when ..... death and hell will be thrown into the Lake of Fire ???
2007-02-16 20:11:56 · 12 answers · asked by burlingtony 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
no such thing as real hell it is a symbol for eternal death with no hope of Resurrection
2007-02-16 20:14:45 · answer #1 · answered by boo 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Who is going to Hell? No one can say. I'd like to think that I'M not going, but I just can't know for sure. :S
Is Hell for Eternity? So they say.
Is it literal fire? Don't know. Is Hell a real place, or is it merely an alternate reality that our damned souls dwell if we don't make it into Heaven?
Do souls feel physical pain? Probably not "physical" as we humans know it. Without our corporeal beings to no longer be burdened with, I think that we might eventually get used to extreme physical pain instead of just blacking out like we would on Earth. But if nothing else, the extreme disappointment of just BEING there the rest of eternity must be harsh enough on you to feel painful. <:S
2007-02-16 20:21:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a Born Again Christian I'd say that heaven is an eternity spent in the presence of God. An eternity spent without Him would indeed be Hell. Spiritually, there can be no greater torment.
2007-02-16 20:23:35 · answer #3 · answered by movedby 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a Christian, but for most of my life I was.
I used to believe in a literal hell, with physical torment, burning, bruising, lashing, lake of fire, etc etc. Then when I was in my early 20s that changed. I realized that hell is a state of being where God is completely absent from. No mercy, no love, no warmth, no friendship, no companionship, so it's 100% loneliness, depression, sadness, crying, etc.
Now I'm a Baha'i, and I still believe that hell is a state of being, but it can exist in any plane of existence, whether in this Earthly life or beyond. Hell is remoteness from God, and heaven is closeness to God. There are different degrees of hell and heaven as well, as there are different degrees of remoteness and closeness from/to God. There are infinite degrees of both.
The difference now is that I do not believe "hell" is eternal. It's not a punishment, it's one's own choice. And yes, you can come out of it by becoming closer to God.
2007-02-16 20:20:24 · answer #4 · answered by Dolores G. Llamas 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I can only tell you what The Orthodox Christian Church teaches me...
First, God doesn't send people to Hell...God did not even create Hell.
Hell was created by Man, using his free will to turn away from God and seek out a godless place for his pride to swell and to discard his humility.
So, those who end up in Hell are those who are getting what they desire, a disconnect from the Cosmic Mind of God. They may not realize the pain they will cause themselves, but they also refuse to trust the God of The Universe and take Him at His Word...so Hell becomes their "default" setting, instead of returning home to The Creator, The Light, The Word, The Logos, Christ Eternal...even the incarnation and revelation of God in Christ Jesus, our Savior, Lord and God.
Eastern Theology does not mimic the West in providing rational explanations for every phrase or word in Holy Scripture. Many things are accepted fully as mystery.
And so it is especially with The Revelation of Jesus Christ (John's Revelation). Only in the west, where Rome has given birth to so many denominational branches is there a pressing desire to join in with Augustine of Hippo and rationalize all of the mysteries of The Church.
If you begin to explore the commentaries of The Church Fathers and other Eastern Theologians, you will come to see that there is speculation without dogma on some of these issues.
For myself, I wonder if the grace of God is so wonderful that a time could come when Hell would be consumed and creation would be fully restored. For Christ Himself has revealed through The Holy Spirit and John The Theologian:
Revelation 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.
We say that Christ "trampled down Death BY Death" so we already know that those who share in His death so share in His Resurrection. Perhaps the verse you mention is showing us something "through a glass darkly" as Paul wrote, and we may not be meant to fully comprehend it until we see "face to face".
In any case, I wouldn't worry too much about obscure things like that. Much better to discover the ancient Creed of The Church (The Nicean Creed or The Symbol of Faith) and ponder it, for it is the collective agreement of the early church as to what we ought to belive and embrace as Christians.
May God save us all through the prayers of The Body of Christ Jesus, our Lord, Saviour and God!
Gordios
2007-02-16 20:47:14 · answer #5 · answered by gordios_thomas_icxc 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why would only Christians believe,why not other religion like the hindus, sikhs,muslims,jews,buddhists and lots more other religion.
Its what you have been thought by your religion.
What if a priest have been cought in a building or a room and killed by fire,is that hell????
Well i am a free thinker, but in do respect other religion.....
2007-02-16 20:19:07 · answer #6 · answered by harry d 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How can literal fire burn a "soul"? ...Maybe I should switch to using people's souls when I get a fire going in the fireplace.
2007-02-16 20:34:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
My belief is that it is a metaphor for eternal separation from god, the part of us that always feels that there is something missing-or perhaps something more.
If you die without god in your life, it is an eternal "knowledge" of what you are missing.
2007-02-16 20:19:47 · answer #8 · answered by Sweet T 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The only reference we humans has to fire is we know it's hot and hurts. I am led to believe it'll be beyond human comprehension.. just like trying to describe Heaven.... we can't.
2007-02-16 20:18:38 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
hell is a spiritual place like heaven is, so no, probably not. But souls will suffer there.
2007-02-16 20:23:39 · answer #10 · answered by IKB 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋