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Well, actually it is Christianity. Or it least it has been for well over 1000 years. Plenty of fire and brimstone is directly attributed to Jesus himself.
You mean like Jesus reportedly rebuking his disciples when they wanted to call down fire and brimstone to destroy the people of Jerusalem who rejected Jesus?
You mean like Jesus reportedly rebuking his disciples when they wanted to call down fire and brimstone to destroy the people of Jerusalem who rejected Jesus?
You were raised in the LCMS like I was. How can you not be familiar with all of the times Jesus preached about hell? He even went as far as saying we should mutilate ourselves in order to avoid hell. There's also the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. He also talks about how it will be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah for a town that rejects him (a direct contradiction to your example above).
You were raised in the LCMS like I was. How can you not be familiar with all of the times Jesus preached about hell? He even went as far as saying we should mutilate ourselves in order to avoid hell.
Actually to avoid the Valley of Gehenna (the garbage dump where dead bodies of criminals were thrown, not living beings). Why did the translators take a word that was obviously a real place and substitute the word hell? The word "hell" actually is Hades, and means the grave.
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There's also the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
Yes, a parable ... a symbolic story that is obviously not literal.
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He also talks about how it will be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah for a town that rejects him (a direct contradiction to your example above).
Well, he didn't say it was about rejecting him but about not repenting. And he said the city would be cast down to hades (hell, the grave) after having been in heaven. Sounds metaphorical to me (unless you think that Capernaum was literally in heaven) -- you know, the idea that there are consequences for bad behavior. But I know you're still in the LCMS mindset of needing to take things very literally.
You mean like Jesus reportedly rebuking his disciples when they wanted to call down fire and brimstone to destroy the people of Jerusalem who rejected Jesus?
Maybe Jesus said that to the disciples because they were requesting something which Jesus only is given the authority to do and is more than capable without help.
Maybe Jesus said that to the disciples because they were requesting something which Jesus only is given the authority to do.
That's not how it's recorded in the bible, Twin. It says that Jesus rebuked them and said they didn't know what spirit they were of, for the Son of Man didn't come to destroy lives, but to save them.
I personally don't take any of it seriously. To me, most of it is nothing more than the ranting and raving of a religious fanatic.
It's not just the LCMS that takes those verses literally. Much of Christianity takes those passages literally. A literal hell is still a major doctrine in mainstream Christianity. And they teach that stuff to children.
Yes, some liberal denominations have (thankfully) found ways to "explain away" hell and turn it into a metaphor for X, Y, or Z.
Clearly the OP was raised in a denomination that teaches a literal hell.
My recommendation to the OP: don't worry about hell or trying to get into heaven. Neither place is real. Both were invented as a way to keep the masses under control and content with misery and injustice.
You were raised in the LCMS like I was. How can you not be familiar with all of the times Jesus preached about hell? He even went as far as saying we should mutilate ourselves in order to avoid hell. There's also the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. He also talks about how it will be worse than Sodom and Gomorrah for a town that rejects him (a direct contradiction to your example above).
So, Jesus mentioned Gehenna in the sermon on the mount 3 times (Matt 5), once in Matt 10, and once in Matt 18. This is confirmed by Luke and Mark who record the same things. So, that's 5 times that Jesus mentions Gehenna (which the translators chose to change to "hell"). Does that seem like a lot to you?
I personally don't take any of it seriously. To me, most of it is nothing more than the ranting and raving of a religious fanatic.
It's not just the LCMS that takes those verses literally. Much of Christianity takes those passages literally. A literal hell is still a major doctrine in mainstream Christianity. And they teach that stuff to children.
Yes, some liberal denominations have (thankfully) found ways to "explain away" hell and turn it into a metaphor for X, Y, or Z.
Clearly the OP was raised in a denomination that teaches a literal hell.
My recommendation to the OP: don't worry about hell or trying to get into heaven. Neither place is real. Both were invented as a way to keep the masses under control and content with misery and injustice.
You say "thankfully", yet you argue with those who understand those passages in the non-literal way I believe they were intended, and seem to be very opposed to them doing so. Why is that?
So, Jesus mentioned Gehenna in the sermon on the mount 3 times (Matt 5), once in Matt 10, and once in Matt 18. This is confirmed by Luke and Mark who record the same things. So, that's 5 times that Jesus mentions Gehenna (which the translators chose to change to "hell"). Does that seem like a lot to you?
Apparently it was enough times to make the doctrine of eternal punishment a significant part of Christianity for a long time. Revelation speaks of non-Christians being thrown into a "lake of fire" forever. The creeds speak of Jesus "descending into hell" and rising on the third day. Some churches talk about eternal punishment in their liturgies as you well know.
Again, I am aware that some modern Christian groups have done away with the doctrine of hell. All businesses must evolve to accommodate changing consumer tastes, so it is not surprising that some denominations have tried to make their doctrines more palatable.
Apparently it was enough times to make the doctrine of eternal punishment a significant part of Christianity for a long time. Revelation speaks of non-Christians being thrown into a "lake of fire" forever. The creeds speak of Jesus "descending into hell" and rising on the third day. Some churches talk about eternal punishment in their liturgies as you well know.
Again, I am aware that some modern Christian groups have done away with the doctrine of hell. All businesses must evolve to accommodate changing consumer tastes, so it is not surprising that some denominations have tried to make their doctrines more palatable.
You might want to let the person who started this post (WHO IS A BELIEVER AND IS SUFFERING) know that you are just an atheist who likes to hang out and confuse people.
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