Category: philosophy/religion topics
Here's another brain-picking question from me, and again, I ask from an agnostic point of view, and I do not intend to mock or belittle Christianity. However, I'm curious if any of you really seriously need the threat of the possibility of going to a place called Hell where either your body or soul is tortured endlessly in order to make sure you are kind to people, follow Biblical law, etc. Far as I'm concerned, I believe that if you are generally kind and nice to folks, nine times out of ten you'll get that kind of treatment back. If you treat people shabbily, most people will either hand that back to you or just go away and not deal with you. They will not just lie there thanking you for your punishment and asking if they could have more. So, to sum up, it's just plain nice to be nice to people and you don't need some threat of being poked with a pitchfork by some devil-dude in a red get-up in order to make that idea hit home. Just to add to the potential controversy, there's a website called "Where the Hell is Hell" that claims that the idea of eternal punishment in the afterlife does not come from the Bible but came from other sources and was invented as a way to keep the lower classes in line while the powerful could indulge themselves since they were immune to the hell they invented. This person even refers to the original translations of the old and New Testaments and the words that ended up being translated into English as hell.
Do you think this is a valid idea?
Since we are talking about belief here, I think that hell was designed to keep the peasants in line. I don't believe hell per sé is mentioned in the old testament, I think those guys believed in something called Shihole (no idea of the spelling) which was just a place where the dead went--good and evil.
What you say g-o-t makes sense. If we do a kind deed to help someone, then aren't we better off than if we do it to keep from going to hell?
Just my thoughts, and thanks for another thought provoking question.
Bob
I'll come back to post more on this topic.
For now, all I can say is that according to the book of Revelations, hell was created for the destruction of Satan and his angelic armies.
Also, I'm not very sure, but I think the idea of hell or punishment for evil done in this life is not only from christian theology; other ancient religions believed in hell.
BBS...maybe
In Greek mythology we have got a kind of description of heaven and hell.
I don't remember names or anything but in Greek mythology when somebody died and wasn't a good person during his life he had this task to put a bigg rock on top of a mountain but as soon as he was arriving on the top the rock was going down again and he had to do it for ever. And somebody else was in a lake of water but as soon as he was trying to drink from it the water was dissapearing. So i would say that heaven and hell are much older than christianity. And i agree with raskolnikoff that other religions have simmilar beliefes.
And i agree with the original post. People should be nice because they want to be not because they are skared of hell.
Nikos, wasn't the guy pushing the rock up the hill named sisaphus. Please excuse the spelling.
Bob
Sorry Bob but i don't remember his name at all. It was long time ago since i heard this story. But probably you are right.
bob you're sort of right. i'll be back too to type more, but it's spelled sheol i think, and is where everyone goes, good and evil. also, hell is an invention, exactly for that purpose, the bible does not mention, anywhere, about people being damned for eternity in any sort of fire. like i say, i'll be back. but suffice to say there's no such thing as hell, in the usual sense of the word. and the guy with the lake, wasn't that tantilus?
I actually prefer to believe that there is no hell but that there is a heaven. However, I don't practice Christianity. I just don't want to think of loved ones dying and going to hell; but I do like to believe they are in heaven.
And I also believe being nice to people should be done just for the sake of being nice.
I believe that there is a hell, but that is for people who don't believe in christ and for the fallen angels of santan
lol. It is funny when people say that people when don't believe in Christ go to hell.
So if we have two people one christian and one not christian and the not christian one is very nice and tries to help people but the christian one is horrible then who is going to go to hell? I am sure if there is such thing that the christian is going to go there. lol.
Heaven, as described by the Christians I've talked with, sounds really boring. So if the choices for the afterlife are painful and boring, what have we got to look forward to?
Bob
I think I can agree with that. I'd rather just die when it's my time because I don't fear death. I fear murder or dying in some kind of accident, but not dying naturally. Immortality is a nice dream if you fear death, but it will eventually become boring and you'll just outlive everyone you ever knew anyhow.
Why does heaven sound boring? I mean, the way I've heard it described, and I'm not saying I believe 100% but it is a nice idea, we will not have any physical pain or ailments and we will be at peace. If we are bored, we would not be at peace. I mean just think about it for a minute; when you are bored you are not feeling peaceful, right?
Isn't it the common believe for christians that you actually glorify the lord all day? That sounds great!
Well, Um, I don't believe kindness is the only factor, but you also have to be saved. I mean, that's just me. Well, kindness is cool, but critiques is also esential in life. Lots of people can't except critiques these days, and they expect to be leaders, how sad.