Supposedly God sends people to heaven or hell depending on wether or not they CHOSE a life of evil or CHOSE not to repent. But why would a person choose these things? One is that they were born willful or with evil tendencies, in which case it wasn't their fault. The second possibility is that one day, presented with the exact situation as someone who accepts God, they just arbitrarally decided to choose evil or not to accept God. If this is true then anyone could have such a random episode. And, once again, it's not really their fault. Now, this doesn't mean we have to like evil or even tolerate it. But the very idea of sending someone to burn in hell for eternity for their actions on earth seems to not make sense to me. Isn't the whole concept of punishment so we can learn from our mistakes? To do better in the future? Eternal punishment would not achieve this end.
2007-08-24 05:55:36 · 20 answers · asked by LG 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The choice of heaven and hell is liked to a young girl and boy. The girl wishes the boy to like her for herself and not the riches of her parents, so she plays hard to get and had the boy pursue her. The boy realizes that the girl is manipulating him and wisely realizes that to continue courting her would bring riches but also a bad marriage, so he departs to find a better love. Unfortunately for him, she is made angry by his leaving and hires a hitman to seek him out and kill him.
Moral: a choice between great riches and suffering is not a choice, nor does it show true love.
2007-08-24 06:06:56 · answer #1 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 2⤊ 4⤋
The first thing that you need to understand is that it is not our occasional good deeds or bad deeds that decide our fate. It is a life lived in constant rebellion to God that makes a person fit for hell. You and I are not in a position to say who is fit for heaven or hell. Only God knows a person well.
Secondly, according to the Bible it is the justice of God that is at question in this conflict between good and evil. Whether God is just in His dealings or not. So you can rest assured there is not going to be any questions about His justice once every case is decided.
Thirdly, you are correct - a lifetime (70 years or so) of evil deeds does not deserve an eternity in hell. If you read Bible carefully you will find that the Bible talks about an eternal PUNISHMENT and not eternal PUNISHING. The Bible says that a day is coming when those who do wickedly will be burned up "that will leave them neither root nor branch" (Mal.4:1).
God is a God of love and not a God of terror - 'If you don't do what I say I'll roast you in hellfire for eternity'. That's not God of the Bible. So don't worry about an eternally burning hell with all the smoke, sights and sounds and smells!
2007-08-24 13:37:58 · answer #2 · answered by Andy Roberts 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is simple - not complex. God gave a free offering of total salvation when His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON died for the sin we committed individually. The cost to God's Son was cruel rejection, cruel mockery, and brutal death. Because we are mortal we can't comprehend the depth and depravity of our sin, but the death of God's Son should show us how deeply our sin grieves God and what He was willing to do to provide a remedy for undeserving humanity.
Your doctor tells you that you have a disease that may lead to your death but he has the cure. You ignore him and die. Is it the doctor's fault that you died?
God tells you that you have a fatal disease called sin in your life, and He has the remedy. If you repent of your sin and you receive the cleansing blood of Christ shed for you you will be with God eternally in peace and joy. You choose to reject this precious gift knowing that the possibility exists that you will face eternal damnation and punishment. You refuse to accept this generous offer and you die and go to Hell and then eventually the Lake of Fire. Is it God's fault that you made the wrong choice since he offered you the cure?
The length of the sentence is not the issue. God is perfect and just and the punishment fits the crime. You may not see why eternity is necessary now, but everyone will understand it clearly on the day of judgment. One thing that may help is to know that all souls must live forever because they cannot die.
It is the choice of where you will live that rests with you. God will not make you choose the cure.
2007-08-24 13:13:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I agree the idea of burning for an infinite amount of time for sinning for a finite amount of time is insane.
However, the concept of sending people to Hell based on their actions is not nearly as insane as the concept of sending people to Hell because they made the mistake of choosing the wrong invisible, undetectable deity to worship.
If you are going to send people to Hell just for picking the wrong god to worship, then you might as well just flip a coin to see if they should go to Hell or not.
2007-08-24 13:31:21 · answer #4 · answered by Azure Z 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smart conclusion you came to. Why would God sentence a human to an eternity of torment for a relatively short lifespan of evil that lasts 70-80 years?
If you do some research you'll find that Hell is another name for mankind's common grave. Hellfire also means a belief in an immortal soul which is something the bible does not teach.
Check out this link: http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/7/15/article_02.htm
2007-08-24 13:05:44 · answer #5 · answered by Josh P 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
God does not send people to Hell for choosing to sin. They go to Hell because they don't truly believe in his son Jesus. Now, this belief isn't like what you think. When you believe there is bomb under your chair, you don't just sit there and do nothing. There are things that you do when you believe in Jesus, because lets face it, even the demons believe and shudder, so mere belief is not enough. Now, I'm trying to keep this simple, because it is impossible to teach you everything you need to know. Of course you could study it out for yourself in the Bible, instead of listening to people's opinions. Now, if you truly believe in Jesus, his blood cleanses you daily. Therefore, you are sinless and able to go to heaven. This gets very complicated because in our simple minds some think - whew hew! Sin city here I come. But, again, it is not that way. Study it out. Good luck
2007-08-24 13:17:37 · answer #6 · answered by Brain 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The decision to kill someone is a choice.
Hardly ever a mere random episode.
But actually a lot of Christians believe hell to be merel eternal exclusion from heaven.
You can repent right up until your last breath.
2007-08-24 13:00:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yes I totally agree with you. That 's why I don't believe in heaven and hell. Hell is where we are right now. :) Once we perfect ourselves, we don't have to come back here! That is if you believe in reincarnation of course...
2007-08-24 15:34:38 · answer #8 · answered by chloe 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People obtain heaven by cooperating with God's grace, swearing faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ, and loving as he asks us to love.
All the other stuff is mere static.
2007-08-24 13:14:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Don't get your knickers in a twist. God judges the heart, NOT the activities.
The only way to avoid Him is to jolly well refuse to accept Him all the way unto death and beyond. Since He gave you free will, He'll abide by that decision and you don't get to go home with Him. And since you chose not to, where's the beef? He just gave ya what ya wanted.
2007-08-24 13:02:25 · answer #10 · answered by Granny Annie 6 · 4⤊ 3⤋