Afraid of Literal Hell?

Question

I'm worried about going to hell, and the whole prospect of hell. Although I am Catholic, lately, I have been more philosophical and I believe in a unity with all religions. I think that religions sometimes cause unneeded conflict due to extreme beliefs about who's right or wrong. I sometimes wonder if hell is literal or metaphorical, whether in the mind belief we are creators of own realities, so with higher consciousness we sort of are God. Some people said that Jesus was a mystic, and that his teachings were said on a literal when they were metaphorical. I'm divided by what I should believe in. I beleive in possibilities and not really conclusions. I'm afraid that because of these beliefs, if there is a literal hell and God will put me there, I just don't know what to think? My purpose is to bring love in the world, and I love everyone...I wouldn't want anyone (despite what they may have done) to go to eternal hell. I don't want to live in this fear..

Answer 1

No one has this figured out, we might say we do, but we don't. go with your heart. whatever puts you at ease and feels right for you. if you feel right about it, then you are living from your center. that's the best that anyone can do.

Answer 2

God/Jesus does not want you to go to hell either. This is why Our Loving Father made a way for us to go to Heaven forever. Thru His Son, Jesus. Just because you claim a religious affiliation, does not save you. But Catholicism does believe in Jesus as The Christ who saved us. ALWAYS believe in The WORD of God, no matter what anyone else tells you or what you learn from any religion. Discern everything with The Word of God. It is our manual to live by while on earth. God left us with His Word, Truth, so that you could believe in Jesus who is The Truth, The Way and The Life. Only this will eliminate confusion and all doubt. Do not listen to the world that tells you anything that conflicts with God's Word. You will be judged and have good reason to fear The Lord with reverance. Sorry, but even tho, I too do not want anyone to go to hell, the bible teaches differently. God's thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways. He is far superior than us. Walk on the path that God paved for you thru His Son, Jesus, or you will get lost!! Email if you have any further ques. In Christ's love

Answer 3

There is no hell. It's all imaginary. These are stories humans invented to explain the world before we had science to help us understand life and death and everything in between.

If you doubt, study religion - yours and others. The more you know about religions, the more clearly you will see that it's all manmade. How do they know anything about "god" or "hell"? Relying on ancient stories written by desert nomads and madmen for your worldview seems kind of silly, doesn't it? Just because you - like many of us - were brainwashed at an early age, doesn't mean you have to continue to accept those teachings. It's time to take off the blinders.

The feelings of oneness with all life that we get when we consider the marvel of the universe have to do with the miracle of life. That doesn't require a supernatural being to explain.

See the links below for a good start.

Answer 4

Fear of a literal hell is simply an indoctrination of religious christians. According to esoteric lore (remembering it existed well before the Bible) the only place where pain is felt is the physical plane (where we are) and therefore in that regard it is hell, however to simplify, esoteric lore does state there are three main areas to the spiritual world: Heaven (the heavens - 6 planes above the physical, some interpenetrate it others don't), The Physical (like I said, where we are), and The Talas of Avichi (also known as Density, and in some texts Hell, which also contains 6 planes - as above, so below).
This all links in with re-incarnation, so be patient, I'm getting to the point, I think.
Essentially to become one again with 'God' we all travel the downward spiral away from the one-ness (this is when our soul becomes an individual entity) through the physical and into Density, then it must make the return upward spiral back to one-ness with 'God'.
So, and I'm not sure this will really comfort you, we all spend time in 'Hell' so to speak, it is the only way we can evolve into a truly complete spiritual being.

Answer 5

i assume you are talking about people whom after the ressurection have been found guilty and so on....
i have seen little reason to believe that hell is an eternal place of torment, when i read the bible and look at the meaning of the word "hell" i do not get this idea. It is my belief that after the ressurection (although it is possible there may be some "torment" for a brief time for them) They will be killed.
Just remember that the price of sin is death NOT eternal punishment or anything else.

Answer 6

Hell is not eternal in the sense that you burn forever. But it is eternal as in final. The Bible describes the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the same way as hell. It is an eternal death, but that does not mean you are alive while you are dead. Dead is dead. Eternal destruction just means you are dead forever.
God is just. The wicked will be destroyed. But anyone with a brain can tell you that burning for eternity ( as punishment for less than a hundred years of sin) while you are alive and dead at the same time makes no sense. Plus that is not the Biblical concept of death. If I was just saying this because it is what I wish it were like, then I have no basis for my belief. But if you study what the Bible says about death and the judgment, you would realize you have not been taught the truth. You obviously have a lot of confusion right now about what you believe. What you need to do is search the Bible. Don't look around for a feel good church or one that seems nice. Search and pray. Read the Bible. Pray that God opens your eyes to the truth, then with God's word in your heart. Search for a church that agrees with what you know is true.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD......

Answer 7

Nobody here on earth really KNOWS!!! Faith is believing even though there is no proof. I would rather live my life as if there is a God when there isn't, than to live as though there is no God and there is. You're headed in the right direction to want to bring love into the world.

There are some people that I hope are suffering in hell. Otherwise, what real justice would there be for the murderers, rapists and child molesters??? Especially the ones who don't get convicted and pay for their crimes here on earth.

Answer 8

Catholics teaching of hell is not biblical.. like quite a few other things..I do not mean to offend you in any way, but it is true.
This is the truth from the Bible about what happens to the wicked..those who are not going to be in heaven.

Hell in the Bible
The word “hell” is used 54 times in the Bible. It is translated from several different words with various meanings, as indicated below:

In the Old Testament:


31 times from the Hebrew “Sheol,” which means
“the grave”

In the New Testament:

10 times from the Greek “Hades,” which means
“the grave”
12 times from the Greek “Gehenna,” which means
“a place of burning”
1 time from the Greek “Tartarus,” which means
“a place of darkness

Psalm 37:20, NIV. "But the wicked will perish: The Lord's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke."

Malachi 4:1, NIV. "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them."
Jude 7, NIV. "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire."

The fire will be unquenchable, but when there is nothing left to burn it Matthew 3:12, NIV. "His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering the wheat into His barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Jeremiah 17:27, NIV says, "But if you do not obey Me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses."
will go out.

II Peter 3:10, RSV. "And then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up."

Revelation 20:15, NIV. "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Revelation 20:9, NIV. "But fire came down from heaven and devoured them."

People are destroyed by fire..when there is no more fuel..the fire goes out..all is destroyed..as if it never was...there is so much more..so many more texts etc etc...please check out this website where there are so many more texts etc....

http://www.helltruth.com/

Answer 9

I dont think theres any good reason to believe in Hell. If this God of yours is such an all-just God how is it fair that he would make his children suffer INFINITE punishment for finite actions of rebellion against him? If this is an all-loving God this certainly has some bizarre implications. Such as, why would he be satisfied with the smell of blood from burning poor innocent animals on an altar?

Answer 10

Hell itself is literal, but some of the things the bible says about it are metaphorical. For example, the bible says it is both a lake of fire and a place of darkness, but it cannot be both literally.
Furthermore, "God sending people to hell" might be nothing more than an anthropomorphism.
And ultimately, there cannot be "unity with all religions", because there is a basic disagreement about such matters as God, sin, human nature, etc.

Answer 11

If you believe in God, and you find that you can't believe in the literal truth of doctrine or scripture, I don't think He'd send you to Hell for that. If Christianity is what you want to do, then do it: be obedient, be faithful. If you do that and God still send you to Hell, that's really on Him. There's nothing more you can do. You can't force yourself to believe something you just don't.