That is exactly how I choose to see it. It clouds my mind though when I hear people tell me non christians and gays etc are going to hell and it makes me doubt this, but yes that is how I choose to see it. To me, God is love, and love is God. I don't know for sure if Christ is the son of God. If he is, sure I accept him. But as far as my essential beliefs go, God is love, and to love God is to love one another, treat them with respect and dignity, never hate. Christians, tell me if I'm wrong. Of course that will only make me resent and doubt more, but go ahead, correct me.
Okay I'll correct you. Everybody who dies goes to Hell, because hell is the common grave of mankind. The "Hell" you keep referring to is a Pagan concept not found in the Bible.
explain? what about salvation? are you saying hell as we generally think of it (ie, eternal punishment, suffering, fire, satan, demons etc.) does not exist?
why is it that heaven seems a little gay with angels, flowers, harps and clouds... and hell seems like a spinal tap concert!!!??? :frown:
Ditto. And I don't think you're in the wrong forum, maybe if this were the Santuary but even then it's absolutely fine. Disagreeing isn't the deal breaker sort of speak it's mostly about remaining civil and you have done that
Hell as is generally thought of does not exist. The Bible plainly states that the dead are conscious of nothing, so even if there was a burning, painful, eternal punishment, suffering, fire, satan, demons, Hell, which there is not, if the dead are conscious of nothing they wouldn't know it was happening, so what would be the point? (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 146:4)
Hell is separation from God (according to Christianity). If you are conscious of nothing, then how can you be aware of your separation from God? So, in your view, those who go to hell merely die and are not conscious of anything? Doesn't Christianity preach an eternal soul? When a soul is damned (or whatever you call it, basically when a soul is not allowed into the kingdom of God) what exactly happens to it?
I don't know who's going to hell but I think they must be very small because many go in hand baskets.
I should have phrased the question differently... What exactly makes a person unworthy of the Kingdom of God? Or rather, what makes someone unworthy of being covered under Jesus' sacrifice? And how do we know this? CAN we know?
The Hebrew word that is translated by some as hell is Sheol. The word Sheol means grave or pit and has nothing to do with separation. So, yes those who go to "hell" or the grave are dead and are not conscious of anything. (Ecclesiastes 9:5) There is no such thing as an immortal soul. (Ezekiel 18:4,20) When a soul is "damned" it dies.
This is some of what the Bible says on the matter; "What! Do YOU not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men, nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit God’s kingdom. And yet that is what some of YOU were. But YOU have been washed clean, but YOU have been sanctified, but YOU have been declared righteous in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
This verse has always confused me. Who can honestly say they are free from every one of these sins? Who is never greedy for example?
The Bible makes a distinction between sin and a practice of sin, between willful sin and an occasional sin, between actually trying to get better at sinning and trying to move away from it, just giving up and your keeping on struggling against sin. This Scripture is interesting in that it says; "And yet that is what some of YOU were", so it is not a matter of God always holding against you what you have done in the past but that if you no longer practice sin, you are acceptable to him.
Me, for having regular girl-wanks and fucking guys I wasn't married to. Also for stealing sweets, feeling jealous, feeling proud, supporting gay people, supporting people who get tattoos, not worshipping the biblical god, working on a Sunday, saying that god is a ****, and so the list goes on...
This is utter bullshit. Sorry, man. It's about time these kinds of vague myths were stamped out. There are people in Africa right now who are in hell, and I can tell you for sure it's not because they didn't do enough positive thinking.