Mageth

Magus:

I have no need to spread the danger of Hell to justify my own faith. My faith is justified by God himself, not by Heaven or Hell. Sure I don't want to go to Hell because I don't want to be separated from God forever. And i certaintly don't relish in the idea of unbelievers being in Hell.

An odd statement from someone who uses the Hell stick of the carrot-and-stick incentive around here a lot.

Biff the unclean

e•ter'ni•tyn....2 endless time

My little Webster's New World says you are mistaken. Eternity isn't outside of time as we know it. It's never ending "time as we know it." Never ending punishment can be for no other reason than to punish. There can be no result from it because there will be no time after it. Which makes your mythical God a monster.

Amos

That kind of sounds like heaven and hell are like a place on earth. Perhaps a vision, or a state of mind (mind of God)?

Amos

Eternity is in the absense of time. Time as we know it is not known in the right brain so we are already eternal in our right brain.

winstonjen

My guess is that rewards like that are designed to appeal to the bloodthirsty, vengeful part of our nature.

Howard

Actually, it's not. But the idea of floating around for all eternity with a bunch of sanctimonious religious zealots sure as hell is.

It kills me when theists play their "you're going to hell if you don't accept Jesus" trump card and it falls on deaf ears. You'd think they'd eventually figure out that you can't scare people with something they don't believe exists.

Personally, I find the idea of going to hell quite liberating. Once you accept it, it's pretty much party time all the time. I mean, what's God gonna do, send you underneath hell for being a total fuck-up?

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Biff the unclean

No, just the opposite. Eternity is the absolute presence of time. It is now and forever, torture without end ahmen. It is God the monster.

fromtheright

I am a Christian and to some extent I guess I'll understand this "by and by" BUT, this is a part of Christian doctrine (along with original sin) that I find exceedingly unjust, from a perfectly just God.

1. Someone above raised the point about eternal separation being the point of hell. Then, as that poster, said, are the flames just "icing on the cake"?

2. As Baptists, we believe in an age of accountability, which is an individual thing, at which point one can choose salvation and before which, if one dies, one is not subject to hell. As it goes, I think that such age makes sense. The problem is for those who may die just after having reached it without salvation. Should a 13-year old be tossed into hell for shooting spitballs?

winstonjen

Should anyone be subjected to eternal torture for shooting spitballs? Or for simply being born human, something for which they have no choice in the matter?

Magus55

You aren't being punished for being human, you are being punished for breaking God's laws, sinning against Him - and then when He offers you a pardon, you turn it down.