itsamysteryhuh

If you read and study the original Biblical texts in their original languages, you will see there are several mistakes when it comes to terms such as "hell."

Hell = Sheol; Hades; the pit; the grave.

as compared with...

Gehenna = The lake of fire and brimstone where those unsaved will experience the "second death" in.

Of course, it's easier to make up arguments against Christians if you use the commonly-used definitions of words such as "hell." However, it's not so easy to argue about such terms if you are truly educated about their meanings.

makerowner

It's not quite as simple as that. Remember that the Bible was written over the course of 500 or so years, so religious beliefs changed a lot over that period. The word 'hell' in English translation doesn't always mean 'the grave', see for example Mk. 9:47-8: "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." (RSV).

itsamysteryhuh

Sure it is. Just look at the original term for "hell" (in the original language it was written in, not in the English translation) in that verse and see what the correct interpretation should be. What's so hard?

Furthermore, the terms "worm" and "fire" could also be translated differently. It's important to read and study these terms, not just take them at face value.

Dogfish

How ironic is a post from a christian titled, "Get the definitions right"?

I need to buy irony-meters by the gross!

Dogfish

Seems like it's more important to twist words to fit your pre-concieved notions.

itsamysteryhuh

Sorry, but the words aren't "pre-conceived" ("i before e except after c") if they are from the original languages (there is no "pre" before the original).

Good try, though.

juergen

That would mean we're all gay for part of the time, except for people with homosexual orientation, a lot of time a lot of them aren't gay. I am also not straight, I hunch over slightly when walking. Some people said it made me look cool, but I don't know about that. I feel pretty hot. Which doesn't mean women find me attractive necessarily, though some do, even though I am not made out of magnets.

martini

that is an interesting interpretation, albeit solely Christian. have you looked at what the Jews -- those crazy kids that formulated this stuff -- have to say?

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/vi...search=gehenna
All that descend into Gehenna shall come up again, with the exception of three classes of men: those who have committed adultery, or shamed their neighbors, or vilified them (B. M. 58b).

"Of course it's easier to make up arguments against [Jews] if you use the commonly-used definitions of words such as "hell." However, it's not so easy to argue about such terms if you are truly educated about their meanings."

the irony is not lost on me, anyway.

Dogfish

I didn't say the words were pre-concieved, you assumptions are.

Go ahead, pick apart the spelling and grammar and ignore the meaning - makes you feel like you're making progress huh?

Doug Shaver

I don't argue against Christians. I argue against what Christians believe. Many of them believe in a hell that exactly fits the commonly used definition.

If you believe in some other kind of hell, then we can discuss your belief, if you care to defend it. But I suspect you don't.