A Philosophical Look at Hell

[Radiant_Owl]

If the professing Christian continues to sin are they then not truly renewed? Aren't we told that the Christian does not sin?

[Jewels7]

There is a lot to be said for the fact that in Judaism there is no fire and brimstone afterlife awaiting the unrepentant.  Separation from God for all eternity awaits those who do not reconnect with God through Jesus Christ. 

Hell's fire and brimstone is said to be the concoction of the RCC. And they demonstrated it awaited the damned when the church burned people alive at the stake. Saying as excuse, that burned away the sins they'd otherwise have to suffer when damned to the firey pit. 

 

[Jewels7]

On 3/17/2017 at 11:52 AM, Radiant_Owl said:

If the professing Christian continues to sin are they then not truly renewed? Aren't we told that the Christian does not sin?

We are. 

That doesn't mean we're perfect. It means when we make mistakes we have an advocate for us who is between us and the Father in Heaven; Jesus. 

  1 John 3:9"No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

[rjs310]

On 3/21/2017 at 0:48 PM, Jewels7 said:

There is a lot to be said for the fact that in Judaism there is no fire and brimstone afterlife awaiting the unrepentant.  Separation from God for all eternity awaits those who do not reconnect with God through Jesus Christ. 

Hell's fire and brimstone is said to be the concoction of the RCC. And they demonstrated it awaited the damned when the church burned people alive at the stake. Saying as excuse, that burned away the sins they'd otherwise have to suffer when damned to the firey pit. 

 

Well in the OT scriptures not much if anything is said about heaven or hell.  The Hebrews understanding is lessened because if that.  It was Jesus who first introduced a deeper understanding if both.  And since he is God I trust his thoughts in the subject.  The RCC did not invent or concoct hell.  Jesus spoke of it himself and he's the one that gave the greatest descriptions of it.  Even Revelations does not have a lot to say about it in comparison.  So, we gleen what we know about hell from Jesus.  At least most of it.  I trust him and I trust what he had to say.  

[Happinessity]

On 4/14/2013 at 1:48 AM, ByFaithAlone said:

I have a question I have been wrestling with and I was wondering people's thoughts on the matter. Hell, commonly understood, is a place of eternal separation from God which is going to be the worst possible experience that anyone can ever hope to achieve. The major philosophical problem I am running into was posed to me by a deist friend of mine who was questioning whether the idea of hell was in some manner an injustice. His argument was as follows in roughly the order of the conversation we had (this is not a logic argument and is not in proper premise-conclusion form - I realize this).

 

(1) God creates human race

(2) The human race is finite

(3) Through actions of their own (this is assumed as I currently am holding a Molinist position of free will), part of the human race is justly condemned to separation from God.

(4) To be just, the punishment must fit the crime

(5) Eternal punishment is never a just punishment for a finite crime

(6) Even if original sin, the sins of all humanity was taking into consideration, based on (2) we would still require a finite punishment

 

(5) and (6) are particularly intriguing to me and have kept me thinking. I was wondering people's thoughts on the matter.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. As always, I look forward to dialogue.

 

Regards,

BFA

Sheol is the abode of the shades, the dead. Hell isn't yet opened to receive anyone. Sheol is separation from God. Those who die in their sins suffer soul death. Ezekiel 18:4. 

The righteous dead go to be with God as soon as they die. "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."Ecclesiastes 12:7

[visitor#88]

On 4/14/2013 at 1:06 AM, gdemoss said:

It all went wrong here:

 

Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

 

The opinion was born. After that it only mattered whether people were willing to let God be the one who was right. End of story. Due to mans personal opinion, he is capable of judging God immoral for creating an eternal hell and tossing in those who refuse to see things his way.

I love the story of Adam, and his wife Eve?

Did you get the message?

 

Its a truly remarkable message.

[SkyWriting]

On 4/14/2013 at 12:48 AM, ByFaithAlone said:

Hell, commonly understood, is a place of eternal separation from God which is going to be the worst possible experience that anyone can ever hope to achieve.

Even worse....you don't trust in "a god" and don't believe a god exists.

Now, you are sent to Heaven and have to endure what you don't believe or trust in for eternity.
Isn't that just mean? 

That would drive you insane.   That's mean.   God allows for separation for nonbelievers.  Seems fair to me. 

 

[SkyWriting]

On 4/14/2013 at 12:48 AM, ByFaithAlone said:

(5) Eternal punishment is never a just punishment for a finite crime

(6) Even if original sin, the sins of all humanity was taking into consideration, based on (2) we would still require a finite punishment

Even Hell will be destroyed in the Lake of Fire.  So your friend is correct! 

Edited November 6, 2017 by SkyWriting

[eriphos]

 Jesus went and preached to the Spirits in hell (grave/pit)    "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and “preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient”, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight souls were saved by water." (I Pet.3:18-20).  

[Unfailing Presence]

This seems to be a very popular subject on this site . 

I have seen variations of  it offered up for discussion under more than a couple different forum titles 

And why not , as is so typical of our human nature in that at the heart of it this is all about what WE WANT .

How WE WANT the confines and conditions of hell to be .

The question is consistently posed almost as if only hell contained the smoother , user friendly attributes WE DESIRE , then we could be okay , maybe even happy with it's existence .

I am sad every time I see this question posed because it is so obvious that behind the question  is a life desperately  lived in fear .

As though hell being constructed to their liking would somehow enable harmony ,  peace , release from fear to happen .

What a desperate formulary for existence .

No desired , expressed,  condition of heaven or hell  will ever provide release from fear within ourselves and allow growth . 

Only the Spirit of God's love can cause release from fear within ourselves, satisfy all spiritual hunger . and vault  our spiritual vision into a sphere of joy where the fruitlessness of

obsessing over the temporal conditions of hell will be obvious .

                               "  If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children , how much more shall your heavenly Father give                                                                                                           the Holy Spirit unto then that ask Him .  "      ( Luke 11:13 )