Hell does not exist, according to the bible!

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by skaught, Sep 25, 2008.

  1. skaught The field its covered in blood Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,103
    Yep its true. A few years ago, I got into a discussion with a distant cousin of mine who went to school to be a minister. He claimed that, according to the bible, hell existed! I told him that the Bible mentions nothing of Hell at all. He scoffed and laughed and asked me what do I know? He was the one who went to school and studied the bible intensely for years.
    I remembered a time when I had a discussion with someone who made the same claim, and encouraged me to study the bible in depth and seek out evidence for Hell. Upon a strong investigation, I came to conclude that indeed, there is no mention of the word Hell in the bible. Some modern bibles have replaced the words "Sheol", "Tartarus," "Hades", and "Gehenna" with the word "Hell". But the bible, in its original language only used the former four words to describe a place that people go when they die, (aside from heaven).
    Determined to prove my overly religious cousin wrong, I engaged in an intense study of the bible and wrote up the following essay. I often now quote it to religious nuts when the conversation turns to hell. My cousin was angered and annoyed by it and couldn't come up with a reasonable argument other than "All that really matters is if we believe in the Christ." He seriously couldn't even approach contradicting anything in my essay.

    My alternative to the theory of Hell, is that the options god gave us are to either go to heaven, or be destroyed forever and cease to exist. Heaven is more of an option that god is offering us, not forcing it upon us saying "believe or be tortured for eternity". No, god is saying "If you do not believe, you will not be punished, you will simply cease to exist. You will 'return to dust'" Heaven is more a gift that he offers us, however, we are not punished for not taking it.

    This is really the first time I have engaged some topic in the religion thread, because I usually tend to avoid religious discussions. But I have seen a lot of threads about "Hell" lately. And, biblically speaking, there is no such thing. Early Christians did not have a concept of Hell. The idea of hell came from northern Europeans who got The Word but wanted to retain some of their own mythical beliefs which included a belief that a deity named Hel consumed the dead in a fiery underworld. European proselytizers started to incorporate this belief into their teachings as a means to "scare" people into believing.

    Without further ado, here is the essay I originally sent to my cousin:

    Thoughts:
     
  2. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. Betrayer0fHope MY COHERENCE! IT'S GOING AWAYY Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,311
    By being turned to dust God meant nailing all the hot chicks you never got to hit.
     
  4. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. skaught The field its covered in blood Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,103
    Thats it???
     
  6. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. azriel Registered Member

    Messages:
    49
    hell does not exist

    As much as I vowed to dissassociate myself from this site, I'm compelled by my desire for true knowledge. I confess making reference to hell in a previous response but was in error of the word. In my near death experience what I referred to as seeing hell, was in truth merely the utter blackness of death and likewise my reference to seeing heaven was in truth the brilliance of the light of redemption. While I meant no deception and it was an erroneous use of words, I recognize the truth of your essay from my own biblical research that I had forgotten. I stand corrected, however since I would never claim to be the authority of God's word, I am curious to the passage (and forgive me for not recalling book, chapter, and verse) regarding the mark of the beast (and I quote) whoever receives the mark of the beast, the same shall drink the wine of the wrath of God. The smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night, whoever receives the mark.

    It's difficult to discover truth in a world of sanctimoneous hypocrites, over zealous know it alls, blatant blasphemers and wicked people, which may be one reason that you tend to avoid religious discussion. My only desire is to discover all aspects of God and while I've discovered the blasphemy of christianity, that in no way diminishes the truth of God or his word. Thank-you for taking the time to reveal your discoveries about Hades, Hel, sheol and the rest of it, I appreciate the enlightenment and while I like to think that I know more than the average person, a seeker of truth never assumes that they know it all, that's the position of the idiot. Even the smallest morsal of truth suppliments the feast.

    Thank-you again
     
  8. skaught The field its covered in blood Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,103
    Read Revelations 13:17. The whole chapter of 13 talks about the beast.

    Thanks for the praise. I put a lot of work into this essay. I don't even know for sure where I stand on the whole god issue. (this will have to be my coming out as a theist thread) I do believe that a power greater than myself exists beyond my or other humans comprehension. Whether or not the bible is the word and wish of this power I do not yet know. I do know however, that the power that I believe in would never ever take part in any form of punishment upon anyone or anything. Coming up with this essay helped me to see some truth in the bible, and makes me wonder if perhaps my higher power did indeed have something to do with its authorship.
     
  9. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    15,396
    If there is no soul or consciousness living on after death, there is nothing. No thing. Not only no light but no dark. 1 wouldn't feel anything or see anything. 1 wouldn't be. No utter darkness. People have said "I wonder what nothing feels like." Nothing doesn't involve any feeling because the person isn't there to feel or see or whatever.
    "I wonder what nothing feels like." "You won't be there to feel." "Where will I be." "You won't be."
    What god's word are you talking about? If it can't ensure proper translation, it isn't much of a god.
     
  10. superstring01 Moderator

    Messages:
    12,110
    I love this line. I will add it to my list of succint quotes and re-use it often.

    ~String
     
  11. Enmos Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    43,184
    I like this one: “His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.”
     
    Brooke Oliver likes this.
  12. Captain Kremmen All aboard, me Hearties! Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    12,738
    I like the old Scottish Joke about the Scotsman who went to hell.
    A good old Calvinist hell with flames and pitchforks.

    The Scotsman said to the Devil:
    "Mister, no-one told me about this. I didnee noo" (I didn't know)

    The devil replies:
    "Weel, tha' noos the noo" (You know now)
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2008
  13. azriel Registered Member

    Messages:
    49
    Your belief in a higher power (12 step program) as opposed to God, further sustains the fallacy and blasphemy of religion. Christianity was born in Babylon after sun worship, hence christmas and easter, Islam is a religion created by the sons of Esau and all the rest is just bullshit.

    Have a good life buddy
     
  14. joepistole Deacon Blues Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    22,910
    I do not think Hell is all that important in the theology. That is why references to it are few and far between. It is more important to the religion than it is the the core theology...in my humble opinion. Hell has been and is still frequently used to bring in and control followers. From a theology perspective, it is just a seperation from God which by definition is not pleasant.

    I think the link below defines Gehenna/Hell/Hades fairly well.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gehenna
     
  15. phlogistician Banned Banned

    Messages:
    10,342
    Quite well argued and well supported. I had a similar discussion about Hell not being eternal here at Sciforums, and found supporting evidence to show that God did not abandon people for ever, ah, here it is;

    Lamentations 3:31-32 (NIV):

    31 For men are not cast off, by the Lord forever.
    32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love

    But of course the definition of 'Hell' as you point out is still not certain. I agree with your points, that 'Hel' has been brought into the mythos, and the whole thing re-interpreted.
     
  16. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    15,396
    We're all dead & this is hell.
     
  17. nietzschefan Thread Killer Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    7,721
    It was only the devil (satan/the dragon/ lucifer) and his antichrist that are condemned on "the lake of fire" to burn eternally.
     
  18. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    13,433

Share This Page