...not yet at least, and it's not going to be endless. It is said by denominations like Adventists that "forever" or "eternity" in the bible is actually relative and would be translated better as Eon (an unknown duration of time). It is also said by these folks that the soul is your physical breathing self (animals are souls too, but they aren't lost in sin). That means the durationof burining depends on how long it takes for you to be ashes.
Hell is a debatable term. It is often translated from sheol or hades meaning grave. This is the first death and is called a sleep because although there is no conciousness, God can still resurrect the dead soul. Sometimes hell is from the word gehenna which is a junkyard symbolizing a second death where the soul dies (ceases existing).
2007-04-05 07:45:43 · 21 answers · asked by Cyber 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Probablly because ever since the creation of this religion, sects from it have been responsible for over 200 million innocent deaths, so HELL is of their creation. To answer whether there is a "hell" or not, I can assure you as one who has lived a life full of illnesses that it is THERE, having had many near death experiences and one death experience. Have you ever heard, "rather to rule in hell than to serve in heaven" come out of rebellious people. "In" hell "we" the peons mean nothing to the demons or the devil and ARE the "servants" and subjected to the LOWER existances, such as the possession of lower creatures outside that of human. The demons (worse 'spirits') and the devil are the only ones to possess as "hosts" beings of our kind. HELL is on the "other" side of this world or "plane" and why many see "ghosts" or spirits that are not at rest of which explains why "Jesus" offered a way OUT of it. When he was murdered, his resurrection was to assure us that "life" exists after we die and his "ascension" that, "that" life is in HEAVEN if we are of the faithful........
2007-04-05 08:04:54 · answer #1 · answered by Theban 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sounds to me your getting soul and spirit all mixed up, we are all breathing creatures that is what the Hebrew would for soul means, the big difference is we have spirit and dont run on instincts.
Secondly your right with the translation on Hell, its an English word made up for the King James Bible, the same bible that has the word Easter in it.
Hell comes from the description of the pit that the devil is locked up in right now, a place where we will all go to burn for an eternity with the rest of the ungodly horde. The thing is we do die done and dusted, asleep in Jesus, we dont ascend or even descend until Gods time says so.
2007-04-05 07:53:55 · answer #2 · answered by simon b 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It wouldnt suprise me one bit!
There are so many "sects" of Christianity that all will not believe the same thing, though, most of them read it out of the same bible!
I guess thats the reason why there are getting to be so many different versions of the bible also, so that they can "write in" what they want, and leave out those parts that dont interest them any.
Its wrong, and its distateful, but there isnt a thing you can do about it. Bring it to thier attention and they will simply say that they are right, or, that you are a "newbie" and you dont know what your talking about.
Radicallism is getting to be just as bad. Look at the Westboro Church in Kansas I believe it is... A bunch of nuts who go around saying that everyone is a homosexual, and GOD hates us all! It boggles the mind at what people who "think" they are Christians and are far from it, can put by anyone.
I wish you well...
Jesse
2007-04-05 07:52:52 · answer #3 · answered by x 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
THANK YOU!!! Finally someone who did their homework!
And Where did Jesus talk about hell, exactly? I seem to recall many mentions of "death" but never hell in those words, as a place of eternal fiery torment. I remember John mentioning a dream he had.. The book of Revelation, that mentioned a lake of fire, sure, but as was stated in the above it was a mistranslation. If people could see how badly translated the KJV was, it'd curl your hair. It had to be cross translates so many times, it's lost much of it's meaning. Not to mention the number of times it was changed outright to reflect current doctrine and policy. Which is sad, because I remember a line right there in Revelations that mentions that changing the Bible is an instant ticket to not entering heaven.
2007-04-05 07:53:26 · answer #4 · answered by Goddess Nikki 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Standard stuff; They do say "Hell" Exists, but not in the sense that "Christendom" means it.
They even re-define , or are more "Precise" about the "Unquenchable fire", saying that it means that it is a fire that shall not be out , in other words a fire that will burn until its task has been done ( i.e. all the fuel, the bad people) have been burned up.
And etc....
They have much the same terms, but they are redefined.... the events after death these "Christians" talk about are called "Soul Sleep" by some, but it just means a kind of non-existence that we had before Birth/conception. So many groups believe this sort of thing....
2007-04-05 07:49:08 · answer #5 · answered by Mictlan_KISS 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Unless I'm mistaken, Pope John Paul II said that a literal Hell did not exist (although Benedict says that it does).
I've met many Christians that believe that Hell is just the grave.
2007-04-05 07:54:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not since I read a book titled, "How to be a Christian Without Believing in Christ", written by an Anglican bishop, no less.
What those Protestants can come up with has ceased to surprise me.
As for no hell, well, if you're a Christian the final authority should be the very words of Jesus and HE certainly accepted it as a fact of reality! Called it a "lake of fire", "an everlasting torment", He did.
2007-04-05 07:50:35 · answer #7 · answered by Granny Annie 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
No I wouldn't be surprised.....seeing that I'm one of the one's who don't believe in burning eternally in hell.
And thank you for putting the correct usages of the word hell as referring to sheol, hades, and gehenna.
2007-04-05 07:55:05 · answer #8 · answered by ♥LadyC♥ 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
But God said it's a place of "everlasting" torment, where there will be weaping and gnashing of teeth. Believe God and His word, or believe man. Your choice. But I still don't want to stand before God and have to explain why I chose not to believe Him, because I promise you, He's not going to look HIS answers up in the doctrines of man.
2007-04-05 07:51:08 · answer #9 · answered by Steve 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i wouldnt be surprised at all.... in fact, some people think that all you have to do to be a christian is go to church when your denomination requires it and you are good to go... they don't tell them how to change their lives for Jesus, they don't 'allow' them to read the bible for they tell them they will not understand it... many 'christians' depend more on their understanding of 'christianity' from a priest or pastor or deacon or whatever than they do from Jesus Himself.... if they read the bible and ask for God to show them what is truth and what is real and how to live, a whole lot of people would be changing a whole lot of stuff in their lives!
2007-04-05 07:52:01 · answer #10 · answered by livinintheword † 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋