I know you will say it's God's will and they had a choice but do you really like the idea of people being tortured forever for choosing the wrong religion or not believing in a God.As an atheist I think some of you guys get a kick out of the whole sick concept.
2007-09-22 01:05:59 · 32 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
including the majority of Christians according to Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. 22 Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ 23 And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew YOU! Get away from me, YOU workers of lawlessness"
but of course is false to say that God torture people the sin is payed by dead according to Romans 6:23.
2007-09-22 01:09:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
There is no hell.The concept was created by some preacher to scare more butts into the pews.More butts in pews translates into more money in the collection plate.On that day of judgment if a spirit has been found unworthy of the kingdom, then into the lake of fire they will go,where they will cease to exist.It will be as if they never existed.Just as at a barbeque when the fat that drips into the fire is consumed away but the smoke goes up forever and ever.The wages of sin is DEATH,not eternal torture. However I can speak only for myself when I say that I take no pleasure from the fact that so many will perish.At the same time, knowing that there will be no wickedness in the world any longer is a comforting thought.
2007-09-22 01:22:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Truely religious people do not take such pleasure. Through out history, regardless of the religion, including paganism, used violent methods to gain control of people.
As to the idea of being eternally tortured, I think it depends on the situation...
If you have been in posession of knowledge of what your options are, then you will know the suffering you will endure...
If you have never embraced or have been informed in a truthful manner, then you will not really realize that you are suffering. It will be more of the worst you suffer in life magnified 1000x1000x1000x1000 fold.
I think the most torturous component of it all is never knowing the possibility of love ever again. Most people, regardless of faith, are seeking a deep revelation of love. In essence, Hell will be a total severence of even the remotess possibility of hope for even a glimps of that love.
Still, there is another line of thought that says the level of you sin will determine whether you suffer or not. In fact, one line that I have recently encountered indicates that those who are "hell bound" will simply live during the worst part of the rapture, the period where Satan will be allowed to take all who have been decieved unto death by him into a final conflict against the Holy City of Zion, that will arrive from Heaven to the place that Jeruselum now resides. The soldiers of satan will be vanquished into non-existances, as though never having existed at all, not even suffering. Yet it will be Satan that will have to suffer the fullness of hell in all its eternal hateredness.
I suspect it is something in between. Those who are not evil, but have not embraced the truth that is God will be given the eternal non-existance. No joy, but no sorrow either. The evil ones, like Adolf Hitler, and the like, they will be the ones to suffer eternally in the fire and brimstone of Hell.
It goes the same for the ones who are "saved". While they will all know peace and eternal love, the level and length of time they have been faithful will determine the final role they will serve. The greater the service they are here, the closer to God in the final here-after.
"And He who desires to be greatest must be servant to all." -- Jesus Christ.
2007-09-22 01:24:06 · answer #3 · answered by Vman 2040 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's a ridiculous assumption. Why would a Christian set himself up for so much ridicule and discord trying to tell the gospel message? It's out of love for the lost. The easy thing would be to never share our personal experience with others (and frankly, there are some like that), but for the most part, Christians are compelled by the love of God to tell others about salvation through Christ. It is a wonderful gift you want to share. And, of course, the purpose of even mentioning eternal death in hell is not to frighten or get any joy from the fact, but to warn the lost.....like a parent warns a child not to touch the fire........it's out of love, a higher love than human love.
2007-09-22 01:27:20 · answer #4 · answered by Joyful Noise 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they took pleasure in it then they wouldn't put forth any effort to attempt to save people from it. This is why they seek your conversion and tell you what is to come if you don't.
Personally, I don't believe as many people are going to hell as some would have you believe (I have met a few people who think everyone is going to hell except for them) I believe everyone is a mix of both good and bad and that it is only those who are truly evil that go to hell and yes if God sends them to hell they deserve what they get.
As a atheist you will be in total shock when you come face to face with Jesus and all the hosts of heaven, I believe you will be ministered to by the angels.
God is not what you try to make him out to be (although it is funny that a atheist would make him out to be anything at all) God is good, God is holy, holy, holy. God is merciful, loving, understanding. God is many things. God is Just. (I got a BIG GOD) It is your concept of things that is sick, only you don't know it.
Don't be angry that would be silly, as silly as a atheist arguing over a God that they don't believe exists.
2007-09-22 01:24:02 · answer #5 · answered by LaptopJesus 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have to admit there is an amount of satisfaction seeing people who embrace injustice get justice.
Not all Christians believe that universally and exclusively all unbelievers suffer forever. I personally believe that people of only a certain measure of evil will suffer for a time and then be annhilated. I didnt just make it up either, there are a number of refereces in Scripture to lead any reasonable person to presume this. It just never made its way onto the big stage for fear that people who think they have less than an eternity to lose.
2007-09-22 01:36:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have always found it extraordinary that people who profess to be Christians believe that God is the very personification of love. Yet this same God, according to them, tortures people for literally billions of eons, in an agony of hellfire for what amounted to 70 or perhaps 80 years of a sinful life. These same people would have me up on charges if I put my elderly father in an oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. I am an imperfect human so we could chalk this up to my imperfection; still I would be arrested. Yet, according to them, a perfect, loving and just God would torture billions endlessly in agony and anguish. They think people deserve that and they seem to look forward to it.
The Bible does not teach any such thing. The penalty for unrepentant sin is, and has always been, everlasting death. Death is not another kind of life. Death is the absence of life. And it is ludicrous to believe that God will grant everlasting life to a person just so He can torment them everlastingly.
The teaching of hellfire as punishment is unscriptural. It also matches the personality of the demons – not the personality of God. So you are right in that this concept is sick.
Hannah J Paul
2007-09-22 01:17:56 · answer #7 · answered by Hannah J Paul 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It depends on the religion. Wicca -- and indeed most of the NeoPagan faiths -- have no concept similar to Hell and are very tolerant of other faiths, believing that there are many paths to the Divine and that all are potentially valid.
But I do agree with you -- Christians who salivate at the prospect of their enemies burning for eternity are very scary people.
2007-09-22 07:56:14 · answer #8 · answered by prairiecrow 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, Christians do not get pleasure that some are going to hell. I can not think of a more terrifying thing than to see God in His glory and realize that your eternity will be spent seperated from God, in torment, in total darkness and without hope. Who can get pleasure from that?
2007-09-22 01:30:40 · answer #9 · answered by Bug YA 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That goes to show that you as a atheist don't really know us Christians, No we don't take pleasure in anyone going to hell, If it was not for God, I would be one of them also going to hell. But I do know that you as a atheist think us Christian are a sick concept, that is why athesist gets on this sight & try to pick at the christians.
2007-09-22 01:12:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Well! unless you have clear idea of some religion or similar concepts how can you ask questions like this. I mean to say if i am not a scientist, how can i ask questions like young scientists do? So i think your question is based on wrong assumptions. Religions does not feel happy to see you in hell, but it warns you.
2007-09-22 01:11:38 · answer #11 · answered by Ali 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋