Why does anyone honestly believe in eternal fiery hell?

Question

If you believe that God has created us in his image, then we would logically posess his attribute of reason. Do you think he would rather have us worship him because of our love for and appreciation of him, or simply because we fear retribution? True faith is more a trait of those who are drawn to God because of his love, which he wants reciprocated, instead of morbid, unreasoning fear of punishment. Any fear that would be shown to God should be a fear of making him feel hurt by disobeying him. (Please, serious answers only).

Answer 1

So you have become wiser than Jesus Christ?
If only He had known you, you could have spared Him so much grief.

Answer 2

Romans 2:13-15
For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;


All mankind, therefore, intuitively knows it is sin, that is, a transgression of God's law, to murder, to steal, to commit adultery, etc. He also intuitively knows that someday he must answer to God for his sins. Therefore, every human being tries to find a way by which he can be reconciled to God. That is, he wishes to find a way whereby he can escape the awful consequence of his sins, which is eternity in hell.

Some try to solve this awful problem by convincing themselves that there is no God to whom they must answer. In that case they try very hard to be an atheist or an evolutionist or an agnostic.

So if you didnt understand the answer i'll reword it everyone believes in hell thats why people reconcile the fact by clinging to the thought that there is no hell because deep down they know thats where they are going.

Answer 3

Many books deny Hell. Some embrace universalism, the belief that all people will ultimately be saved. Some consider Hell to be the invention of wild-eyed prophets obsessed with wrath. They argue that Christians should take the higher road of Christ's love. But this perspective overlooks a conspicuous reality: In the Bible, Jesus says more than anyone else about Hell (Matthew 10:28; 13:40-42; Mark 9:43-44). He refers to it as a literal place and describes it in graphic terms—including raging fires and the worm that doesn't die.

Christ says the unsaved "will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12). In his story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus taught that in Hell, the wicked suffer terribly, are fully conscious, retain their desires and memories and reasoning, long for relief, cannot be comforted, cannot leave their torment, and are bereft of hope (Luke 16:19-31). The Savior could not have painted a more bleak or graphic picture.

How long will Hell last? "They will go away to eternal punishment," Jesus said of the unrighteous, "but the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). Here, in the same sentence, Christ uses the same word translated "eternal" (aionos) to describe the duration of both Heaven and Hell. Thus, if Heaven will be consciously experienced forever, Hell must be consciously experienced forever.

C. S. Lewis said, "I have met no people who fully disbelieved in Hell and also had a living and life-giving belief in Heaven."

The biblical teaching on both destinations stands or falls together. If I had a choice, that is if Scripture were not so clear and conclusive, I would certainly not believe in Hell. Trust me when I say I do not want to believe in it. But if I make what I want—or what others want—the basis for my beliefs, then I am a follower of myself and my culture, not a follower of Christ.

"There seems to be a kind of conspiracy," writes novelist Dorothy Sayers, "to forget, or to conceal, where the doctrine of hell comes from. The doctrine of hell is not 'mediaeval priestcraft' for frightening people into giving money to the church: it is Christ's deliberate judgment on sin. . . . We cannot repudiate Hell without altogether repudiating Christ."

In The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis writes of Hell, "There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lord's own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason."

Answer 4

Because Jesus taught more on hell than any other person in the Bible. There is no doubt that God wants our love and obedience. If the Holy Spirit is leading us through every aspect of our life and we are totally surrendered to Him, then the fear of the Lord is not needed. However, if we are claiming to be a Christian without being born-again with the Holy Spirit inside purifying and refining us, then we have great reason to fear. Many believe in God and reject Jesus. If we deny Jesus, Jesus will deny us.

The Bible says that all have sinned (Romans 3:23) which means all have qualified themselves for death (Romans 6:23) and nothing more! Salvation is a gift from God. We are to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

God has bestowed on America unparalleled blessings beyond what any other nation has ever enjoyed. This nation turns its back on God and you think that we should not fear God! We are an unthankful nation for our blessings and they came to us when we had done absolutely nothing to merit them. God wants our obedience, our loyalty, as well as our love. When God shows up as a consuming fire who can stand before Him? We forget who God truly is. He was so fearful on Mt. Sinai that the Israelites begged Moses to not make them talk to God. They said that they would do whatever God told Moses, but they feared God too much to talk with God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Answer 5

I believe because of this Verse from the Holy Bible.

Matt. 25:41 ; Matt; 22:13 and Luke 13:28.
God says: Depart from me, ye cursed, into the internal fires which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

John 3:36. He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Only the un-believer will fear the coming of the Lord and death. The Believer will not fear death or the coming of the Lord. He/She will live in ease and not worry.

Answer 6

The question you ask is very complex: it is not just about one who lives a good life and one who does not. It gets to the matter of ones faith in Jesus Christ.

I will try to sort this out, and hope I do okay. First, heaven and hell are not just places people will spend eternity, they are destinations for where people will chose to spend eternity.

heaven is for those who love, emphasis, love righteousness and love Christ. Who seek everlasting life and the righteousness that comes from a relationship with Jesus.

hell is for those who reject Jesus. By his words, Jesus says you die in your sins not because you don't believe in God, but because you do not believe in me (as God).

Do not think of God as some kind of saddist who is looking to cause harm. On the contrary, he is moving heaven and earth to have you find the love of Jesus who died on the cross for you that you might escape the punishment that was for satan and his angels, never meant for man.

Answer 7

You need to put your reasoning aside and believe what Jesus himself taught. I'd say a little Bible study would help. From a Christians point of view, you're correct. But from the point of view of the unbeliever it isn't. How many times is the word Believe used throughout the Bible referring to those who God blesses and rewards? If no Hell, why even do what God said to do. We can all do as we please when we please. According to your reasoning, it makes no difference. I do not know of any Christian who fears Hell. Why would they if they know they are heaven bound.

Answer 8

I belive in hell because I have known the path of destruction and now i walk the narrow road of peace and have come to understand that god loved me first so my obedience is a way of expressing my appriciation for that.

Answer 9

Fear is a lie of the devil. The fear of death, failure, or whatever is not from God. God removes fear.
Funny how every straw man argument is a** backwards.
And should the wicked go unpunished, wow, a** backwards.

Answer 10

Because that is the only truth everlasting, God keeps it very hot With a boiling pot of water for Christians to wash their feet in. He likes to chunk little baby's in the fire and watch them sizzle. And if one of his Heavenly Christians doesn't scrub his dirty feet he just thumps them on down into Hell with the rest of the sinners.
Kisses Betty B.

Answer 11

Look around you - people love the game called 'Poor Little Me'.
So having such a thing as Hell - you can continue the game for eternity!