Spaz

Exactly what kind of pain would people suffer in hell? With a literal interpretation of fire, etc. it would be physical of course, and with an interpretation that sees hell as separation from god then would you be in some kind of void and feel bad because you're not in paradise? Some of these are probably answered but regarding physical pain, we know that pain is just a nerve impulse to the brain to tell you that you have an injury or whatever so this wouldn't be possible without your physical body, no? And also with the pain of separation wouldn't that be ineffective to atheists anyway since we think this god would be a dick? I'm new, so if you could just respond without flaming I'd appreciate it

Marduk

Well let's see...after death God loads your mental program into a holideck of sorts were anything horrible is possible, pain with no damage to the holideck body etc.
In the other case, separation form God, who is all things fuzzy and nice, leaves you in a chaotic world of bad vibes, desparation whatever.

beyelzu

Personally, I am all about separation from god. I would be perfectly happy if the Dickhead and his followers would quit fucking with me.


So hell just aint so hellish if its the separation from god version.

I also figure that after a few million years of physical tortue you would get used to it. So the physical option isnt that bad in the long term either.

Either way, in hell you would get to avoid god and fundies. so count me in.

Seraphim

hmph ... Heaven where everything is set and everyone agrees with each other IS hell by itself ...

babelfish

The theory is, I think, that if one separates one's self from God, one can enjoy a sort of hell-on-earth, here and now, even before one's physical body dies.

So if I have already done that, then how I feel now is how I will feel in hell.

I feel pretty great separated from God here on earth, therefore, hell has lost its power to strike fear in my heart.

atheist_in_foxhole

How can one be "separated" from a god that is omnipresent? Does god just put us evil atheists in a dark room somewhere and forget about us? It makes no sense.

But then again neither does xianity.

Spaz

lol, I forgot about that, maybe he just hides you from him

true

Shake

Hence the Evil Atheist Conspiracy. ®

Bree

You hit it right on the head. Most Christians believe that, when you're truly separated from God, He turns His back on you and you suddenly become painfully aware of what life is truly like without God. Supposedly God has never turned His back on anyone yet - and that's why we don't know what Hell is really like.

Seeker630

From Spaz:

"Exactly what kind of pain would people suffer in hell? With a literal interpretation of fire, etc. it would be physical of course"

This is my interpretation also. It is also the reason, as I recall, that for centuries the Catholic church forbade cremation upon death. They literally believed that the body would be physically resurrected at Judgement day and God would then do his thing. You really need to accept that concept to also accept the notion of "burning in a lake of fire", purgatory, Limbo and so forth. The superstitious ancients could easily be led into such a train of thought. After all, if you don't buy into this scenario, then how does God punish a dead person? As in a physical body? Does he repair the disintegrated one you had in life? Or does he manufacture a new one specifically for the purpose of being tortured for eternity? (What a guy).

" and with an interpretation that sees hell as separation from god then would you be in some kind of void and feel bad because you're not in paradise?"

This is to me a much more interesting notion. As an Atheist I must now be separated from God. Yet I seem to feel no more pain about anything than anyone else. How would it be any different after death I wonder? In addition, there seems to be no clear vision among believers as to just what one does if they do get to Heaven in some form. I mean what does a "soul" do for all eternity in heaven?

"Some of these are probably answered but regarding physical pain, we know that pain is just a nerve impulse to the brain to tell you that you have an injury or whatever so this wouldn't be possible without your physical body, no? And also with the pain of separation wouldn't that be ineffective to atheists anyway since we think this god would be a dick?"

I agree and I think I've partially answered this point above. The other unstated thing here is the punishment of a "soul". Since no one can demonstrate that there is such a thing, no one has ever been able to come up with a consistent, meaningful definition of it either. But even assuming it could exist, why can anyone assume that it can in any way be "punished"? I mean how do you burn a soul?

Christians have to do some heavy duty mental gymnastics to even try to pull off the heaven and hell thing. It's just nonsense.