Do you feel that Hell is really for all eternity or is there some point that you can ascend from Hell to Heaven?
It seems strange to me that suffering would be for eternity because you would not learn from it and it seems that god making you suffer forever would just harden your soul even more against him. I am just looking for people thoughts on this.
2007-05-30 05:54:25 · 17 answers · asked by John C 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am an Atheist but I am just looking for what people general beliefs are in regard to this question. So please don't pipe up with it doesn't exist etc. it does nothing but waste space
2007-05-30 06:07:15 · update #1
Jews don't believe there is an eternal torment. Many Jews (most?) believe there is a short period of cleansing following death.
A Chassidic master once explained to his disciples the difference between Heaven and Hell. In the afterlife, he said, all souls' hands are bound by splints and heavy ropes. This is done so that they cannot bend their arms. Then each soul is given a ridiculously long utensil and told that it is theirs to attain what ever they desire. Above the souls hang great quantities of food and delights, but they cannot bring the food to their mouths for their hands cannot bend. In hell, the souls are emaciated and starving; breakfast is served, but since their hands cannot bend, and their utensils are too long to feed themselves, they starve. In heaven, however, it is paradise. Souls are smiling and enjoying the delights. In heaven each soul uses his or her own fork to feed the soul sitting across the room!
The afterlife is a fundamental of Jewish belief.
The creation of man testifies to the eternal life of the soul. The Torah says, "And the Almighty formed the man of dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the SOUL of life" (Genesis 2:7). On this verse, the Zohar states that "one who blows, blows from within himself," indicating that the soul is actually part of God's essence. Since God's essence is completely spiritual and non-physical, it is impossible that the soul should die. (The commentator Chizkuni says this why the verse calls it "soul of LIFE.")
That's what King Solomon meant when he wrote, "The dust will return to the ground as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:17)
For anyone who believes in a just and caring God, the existence of an afterlife makes logical sense. Could it be this world is just a playground without consequences? Did Hitler get away with killing 6,000,000 Jews? No. There is obviously a place where good people receive reward and bad people get punished. (see Maimonides' 13 Principles of Faith)
The question of "why do bad things happen to good people" has a lot to do with how we look at existence. The way we usually perceive things is like this: A "good life" means that I make a comfortable living, I enjoy good health, and then I die peacefully at age 80. That's a good life. Anything else is "bad."
In a limited sense, that's true. But if we have a soul and there is such a thing as eternity, then that changes the picture entirely. Eighty years in the face of eternity is not such a big deal.
From Judaism's perspective, our eternal soul is as real as our thumb. This is the world of doing, and the "world to come" is where we experience the eternal reality of whatever we've become. Do you think after being responsible for the torture and deaths of millions of people, that Hitler could really "end it all" by just swallowing some poison? No. Ultimate justice is found in another dimension.
But the concept goes much deeper. From an eternal view, if the ultimate pleasure we're going after is transcendence - the eternal relationship with the Almighty Himself, then who would be luckier: Someone who lives an easy life with little connection to God, or someone who is born handicapped, and despite the challenges, develops a connection with God. Who would be "luckier" in terms of eternal existence? All I'm trying to point out is that the rules of life start to look different from the point of view of eternity, as opposed to just the 70 or 80 years we have on earth.
So what is the afterlife exactly?
When a person dies and goes to heaven, the judgment is not arbitrary and externally imposed. Rather, the soul is shown two videotapes. The first video is called "This is Your Life!" Every decision and every thought, all the good deeds, and the embarrassing things a person did in private is all replayed without any embellishments. It's fully bared for all to see. That's why the next world is called Olam HaEmet - "the World of Truth," because there we clearly recognize our personal strengths and shortcomings, and the true purpose of life. In short, Hell is not the Devil with a pitchfork stoking the fires.
The second video depicts how a person's life "could have been..." if the right choices had been made, if the opportunities were seized, if the potential was actualized. This video - the pain of squandered potential - is much more difficult to bear. But at the same time it purifies the soul as well. The pain creates regret which removes the barriers and enables the soul to completely connect to God.
Not all souls merit Gehenom. It is for people who have done good but need to be purified. A handful of people are too evil for Gehenom, and they are punished eternally. Pharaoh is one example.
So what about "heaven?"
Heaven is where the soul experiences the greatest possible pleasure - the feeling of closeness to God. Of course not all souls experience that to the same degree. It's like going to a symphony concert. Some tickets are front-row center; others are back in the bleachers. Where your seat is located is based on the merit of your good deeds - e.g. giving charity, caring for others, prayer.
A second factor in heaven is your understanding of the environment. Just like at the concert, a person can have great seats but no appreciation of what's going on. If a person spends their lifetime elevating the soul and becoming sensitive to spiritual realities (through Torah study), then that will translate into unimaginable pleasure in heaven. On the other hand, if life was all about pizza and football, well, that can get pretty boring for eternity.
The existence of the afterlife is not stated explicitly in the Torah itself, because as human beings we have to focus on our task in this world. Though awareness of an eternal reward can also be an effective motivator.
For further study, see Maimonides' Foundations of the Torah, "The Way of God" by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto, and the commentary of Nachmanides to Leviticus 18:29.
2007-05-30 06:34:37 · answer #1 · answered by Hatikvah 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
From what I understand from the Bible, Hell is a place where nothing else is. There will be a time when those in Hell are taken out for the Judgement. I do not believe that people can leave on their own accord.
2007-05-30 06:06:52 · answer #2 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, we have our time on this earth to either accept or deny God. If we do accept him and repent of our sins, he will forgive us for all of our sins and we will spend eternity in heaven for believing in him through faith while we were on this earth. If we deny God, and do not repent of our sins, we will spend eternity in hell because we are being punished for our sins and we didn't take the time we had on this earth to seek God and ask him to forgive us. Once you are in hell, of couse you know that God exists, but then you are just believing in him because you have your "proof" and are not because of having faith that he is real even though the proof isn't right there in front of you and others persecute you. Why should that be rewarded? You will either spend eternity in heaven or hell and once you go to whichever you go to, you are there forever.
2007-05-30 06:03:14 · answer #3 · answered by Sparkles 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
In hell, you learn the lesson every day that rejecting Christ is a capital-punishment-worthy offense. Eternality is just a by-product of Christ's resurrection. Hell is not the end. If we die today, we go to heaven or hell. Heaven is a temporary place for us until the judgment. Hell is the same way. The lake of fire spoken of in Revelation is the final destination for those presently in hell. For those in heaven, a new earth will be created, and we will spend eternity on it.
2007-05-30 06:05:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Well, i do feel that it is unnecessary to say "hell" in most situations..AND ALL of us Americans do not do it. Its very generalizing. I am American and we are not ALL about John Wayne. That was a long time ago and not in this generation. We do not all ride horses and shoot bow and arrow. That is an old stereo type of Americans. Its sort of saying all Brits have bad teeth..NOT all Brits have bad teeth.. I suppose a small population does..but not ALL.
2016-05-17 05:11:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Judith 16:17 - in the day of judgment the Lord will take vengeance on the wicked and they shall weep in pain forever. Hell is a place that sinners have prepared for themselves by rejecting God, who desires all people to be saved in His Son Jesus Christ. God sends no one to hell.
2007-05-30 06:25:23 · answer #6 · answered by Gods child 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God reaches out to us while alive to make the right choice,cuase once you go to eternity,there's no turning back.
2007-05-30 05:58:35 · answer #7 · answered by Maurice H 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
It's a "life" sentence without possibility of parole!
2007-05-30 07:19:44 · answer #8 · answered by jasmin2236 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
hell is eternal and if you don't accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, then you WILL spend eternity in Hell, and there is no way that you can get to heaven after that. If you accept Him, then you won't even have to think of going to Hell. You will get to spend the rest of your life with Jesus in Heaven! :-)
hell is real, don't go there!
2007-05-30 05:58:06 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 4⤋
I do not believe in a literal hell. The bible says "life or death" not "heaven or hell"
Just something to think about. The bible has spiritual meanings most of the time; not literal.
2007-05-30 05:56:53 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 5⤋