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I just cannot believe that in this day and era, that people still believe in an unimaginably cruel, sadistic G-d who would send his children to an eternity of torment. That was something *humans* invented and inserted into the Bible to instill mortal fear of their followers. I will say it once, I will say it a million times - there is no Hell after you die.
Hell is that that deaf school in Argentina where those deaf kids were brutally raped - and that's plenty bad enough.
I just cannot believe that in this day and era, that people still believe in an unimaginably cruel, sadistic G-d who would send his children to an eternity of torment. That was something *humans* invented and inserted into the Bible to instill mortal fear of their followers. I will say it once, I will say it a million times - there is no Hell after you die.
Hell is that that deaf school in Argentina where those deaf kids were brutally raped - and that's plenty bad enough.
Religion is an absolute curse on humanity.
I'm not willing to be quite as conclusive as you, but I think you're on the right track.
I think you could make a scriptural case for both sides of the argument, but I have taken a non-traditional view. I think the authors were just trying to describe in terms relatable to their physical world or culture at the time, much like they refer to God sitting on a throne. If I had to convey visual the most horrible place imaginable, it would be burning alive forever. I believe hell is either physical or spiritual time realm where God wipes out the unsaved from existence. There is no coming back from that death. It is eternal in that you will never be created again. I based this on Matthew 10:28
"Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.”
Jesus clearly says that everything about us, body and soul will be destroyed. Plus, it just doesn't make logical sense for God to keep people alive forever to torment them. This would mean God would have to create a new physical body with nerve endings that will experience the fire pain but the body does not get consumed. This is a great article that covers it in more depth
At any rate, the thought of being told you will no longer exist anymore while knowing others go on to eternal life would be terrifying and horrible enough.
The above-boldfaced comment made me think of something I came across on the web somewhat recently. That is, I stumbled across a quote from the late scientist and prolific author Isaac Asimov (about death and reflecting on the probability, in his mind, that there may be no so-called “afterlife”). He said:
"What could be better, after a long life, than an endless, dreamless sleep?"
I'm not asserting here, in definitive or absolute terms, that there is or isn't an "afteflife" by whatever definition (I don't claim knowledge about this pro or con). His statement just made me think to myself:
"You know, to know that, at the end of your lifespan, your brain-mind-spirit will be 'blank' (i.e., non-existent) and hence there will be no more struggles, worries, concerns, fears, boredom, the continual need to sustain yourself and possibly others in life, the continual need to keep yourself preoccupied meaningfully, the challenges of living life overall, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. will all be over and you are finally in a permanent state of rest (free of all concerns and struggles) . . . . . . . . THIS can actually be a calming and relaxing thought (or at least to some of us). Do you all reallyreallyreallyreally want to live FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER without end??? What will you do forever and ever and ever without end? I and some others (even yourself, possibly?) might actually find that you'd welcome simple extinction or expiration of body/mind/spirit after whatever passage of time . . . instead of living forever and ever in what OTHERS have labeled a 'paradise' (or 'heaven'). Would I myself actually experience it as being a 'paradise'-like way of existance to my own discernment? Maybe God has labeled it as a 'paradise' or 'heaven' from His own perspective but any of us might come to feel otherwise if we actually experienced it over whatever stretch of time and may actually come to welcome an 'endless dreamless sleep' instead of eternal existence."
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"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
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I didn't read the whole thread, but I'm intrigued by people's reports in after near-death experiences.
My sister experienced a near death experience on the surgical table, as a small child, where she rose above the room and was able to witness what was going on with the doctors and nurses while she was being revived. She was able to see them, and describe them, although they had entered the room after she was under anesthesia and her eyes were closed. She didn't enter the realm where the light was calling her, as many near death patients do, but still, she was out cold and was observing the behavior in the surgical room correctly.
SO. There are books about people in life after death experiences. MOST are wonderful experiences, but many are horrific. And the wonderful ones are very similar, and the horrific ones are similar. Fire, pain, horror, unbelievable stench.
I believe it. When you hear the same story over and over, I give it credibility. It is worth noting that nearly ALL the life after death accounts are positive, not negative.
Then how could you even pretend to love such a God?????
Well done Mystic. Problem of Evil. You don't think that God is evil - you don't think That kind of god could exist. Neither do we atheists. You do believe in a god that is not like that; we don't. But we agree an a lot more than we might think.
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