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Goodbye Jesus

Fear of Hell


StevieWeevie

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I just joined yesterday and am still in the "process of deconverting" so I apologize that my answer is not as detailed as others' here. I've struggled with doubt for years and have been actively not a Christian for like 6 months or so. I felt the same exact paralyzing fear of being wrong and "being sent to hell." All I can really do is assure you that I know how you feel and still struggle with it, but that it DOES get better. The longer you accept that you have believed something false, the more comfortable you become with your new found reason and rationality. What really GREATLY helped me was considering all the different religions/beliefs out there and what those religions consider to be hell. Like, as a Christian, if I'd died and "been wrong" than Allah would have sent me to hell, but I had never feared that. Everybody is going to somebody's hell and as soon as that clicked, I didn't fear hell from Christianity any more than I'd ever feared something like reincarnation or hell according to any other religion. If you were in a different culture, you'd likely be fearing the wrath of some other deity. Make sense?

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Thanks ag_NO_stic

 

The thinking that other religions have their own hells doesn't really pacify me. I mean, I understand what people are talking about when they speak of not being worried about the Islamic hell or the Buddhist hell, but it doesn't really give me comfort. Reason being, I was brought up to believe all other religions were false and Christianity was the only true religion. Other religions do say the exact same thing, but the indoctrination that "Christianity is true all others religions are not" - "Christianity is true all others religions are not" - "Christianity is true all others religions are not" has a powerful hold on me. 

 

I do understand the reasoning behind it all though.

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Thanks ag_NO_stic

 

The thinking that other religions have their own hells doesn't really pacify me. I mean, I understand what people are talking about when they speak of not being worried about the Islamic hell or the Buddhist hell, but it doesn't really give me comfort. Reason being, I was brought up to believe all other religions were false and Christianity was the only true religion. Other religions do say the exact same thing, but the indoctrination that "Christianity is true all others religions are not" - "Christianity is true all others religions are not" - "Christianity is true all others religions are not" has a powerful hold on me. 

 

I do understand the reasoning behind it all though.

 

I completely understand that. That's where I still struggle sometimes, it's not like I'm 100% all the way through it. It's just has gotten so much better. It gives me comfort to see others who have been here awhile and recognize where I am now and say "Oh yeah, that goes away" while I see it happen before my eyes with each day that passes. If you think about it, a Muslim believes in their own doctrine so fully that some will go and commit suicide over it. Most religions assert that they are the one true religion, but you were never swayed by their reasoning because of your own indoctrination.

 

You have an emotional fear response, but it's like a breakup. You can objectively see the reasons why the relationship was unhealthy, but the time heals the wounds and the pain. I think it all kind of comes together.

Step one: Why would a God tell me he loves me and say he gives me a "choice" and then, after knowing the deepest most intimate part of my mind, send me straight to hell. Why would he give me a brain capable of reason and then punish me for it?

Step two: What is hell anyway? Oh, apparently there have been some translation issues and skewing of the bible. So you're saying it's only when Jesus comes on the scene that everyone is eternally damned? I guess it's true that Jews don't fear it because it's not in the Old Testament...so it's not a literal lake of fire?

Step 3: Where in the heck is hell anyway? Is my soul going to feel pain like my physical body does? Where on earth would fire be that is bound by our laws of physics but in a metaphysical way.

Step 4....I guess everyone really does have a legitimate fear of their own hell. My own concept is found nowhere in the Bible. I guess someone out there is really, truly convinced that they will come back as a beetle if they don't behave in this life. Muslims really, truly believe their way is the only way. I've never ever been threatened by it. Heck, even Christians disagree about who's going to hell. Some say you can lose your salvation, others say you can. Some say using the Lord's name in vain'll do it, other's say God's grace overcomes your sin....so I might even be wrong in my own belief!

Step 5....it sounds like ultimately there is nothing I can do anyway, I clearly am incapable of believing this bull which is the only requirement. So much for your "love", prick. If it's really there, guess I'm burnin' because I won't worship you.

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I completely understand that. That's where I still struggle sometimes, it's not like I'm 100% all the way through it. It's just has gotten so much better. It gives me comfort to see others who have been here awhile and recognize where I am now and say "Oh yeah, that goes away" while I see it happen before my eyes with each day that passes. If you think about it, a Muslim believes in their own doctrine so fully that some will go and commit suicide over it. Most religions assert that they are the one true religion, but you were never swayed by their reasoning because of your own indoctrination.

 

You have an emotional fear response, but it's like a breakup. You can objectively see the reasons why the relationship was unhealthy, but the time heals the wounds and the pain. I think it all kind of comes together.

Step one: Why would a God tell me he loves me and say he gives me a "choice" and then, after knowing the deepest most intimate part of my mind, send me straight to hell. Why would he give me a brain capable of reason and then punish me for it?

Step two: What is hell anyway? Oh, apparently there have been some translation issues and skewing of the bible. So you're saying it's only when Jesus comes on the scene that everyone is eternally damned? I guess it's true that Jews don't fear it because it's not in the Old Testament...so it's not a literal lake of fire?

Step 3: Where in the heck is hell anyway? Is my soul going to feel pain like my physical body does? Where on earth would fire be that is bound by our laws of physics but in a metaphysical way.

Step 4....I guess everyone really does have a legitimate fear of their own hell. My own concept is found nowhere in the Bible. I guess someone out there is really, truly convinced that they will come back as a beetle if they don't behave in this life. Muslims really, truly believe their way is the only way. I've never ever been threatened by it. Heck, even Christians disagree about who's going to hell. Some say you can lose your salvation, others say you can. Some say using the Lord's name in vain'll do it, other's say God's grace overcomes your sin....so I might even be wrong in my own belief!

Step 5....it sounds like ultimately there is nothing I can do anyway, I clearly am incapable of believing this bull which is the only requirement. So much for your "love", prick. If it's really there, guess I'm burnin' because I won't worship you.

It's all a big ball of mixed yarn, keep pulling strings until the ball disappears.

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It's all a big ball of mixed yarn, keep pulling strings until the ball disappears.

Guess I better get back into knitting. ;)

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Guess I better get back into knitting. ;)

:)

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  • 5 months later...
On 5/8/2017 at 1:31 AM, StevieWeevie said:

I have been in the deconversion process for some time now and have been finding it very painful. One thing that has been causing me much fear is the concept of Hell. My Catholic friend tells me that God doesn't send anyone to Hell and doesn't want anybody to go there. That it breaks his heart if someone chooses to go there. That it is not a place but a self chosen state or condition of self exclusion, self alienation from the love of God, who is love. Because God respects our free will, he regrettably allows this. He would never violate our free will. Apparently the catholic church grows in its understanding and is continually developing. That while the Church may have understood it differently in the past this is its present understanding. That the images used in scripture are just that, images or pictures and not to be taken literally. I don't buy this. I would appreciate some feedback on this.

When examined logically from outside of the perspective of religion Hell makes no sense at all.  Punishments usually fit the crime in our society and God is said to be the source of all good and blessing who suddenly turns into a monster after people die and sends them to hell for their disbelief.  Why does God change after people die?  People aren't burning in hell now so when we look at it rationally is it not more likely that the threat of hell was conjured up by the Church to make people afraid and keep them loyal to their religion.

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  • 1 month later...
On 08/05/2017 at 11:46 AM, LogicalFallacy said:

Hi SW

 

Would you believe that we just thrashed out this very topic with the very same name with another new member?

 

I think it would be well worth your while reading through it: 

 

Free will is a separate topic and an interesting rabbit hole it is. However on the subject of "god doesn't want anyone to go to hell" Really? And Christians know this how? Lets look at the evidence:

 

Note this assumes God exists:

 

1) God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent

2) God doesn't want anyone to go to hell

3) God creates hell for the vast majority of humanity to spend eternity in

 

We have something of a logic problem in that we have an omnipotent god not wanting anyone to go to hell that he create. If he cannot stop people going to hell then he is not omnipotent. If he can, but doesn't, then he wants you to go to hell. You might have 'qualified' for it in his book, but he still wants you to go there. 

 

Therefore the argument "god doesn't want you to go to hell" is a poor whitewash in an attempt to excuse the horrific idea of people buring forever. Most humans find the idea unfortable when they realise that most people going there are not rapist, murderers etc - they are simply those who don't believe.

 

Right all that aside: There is no evidence of hell, and no evidence to conclude that anything supernatural in the bible is anything but stories.

 

I'm going to quote BAA here:

.. and it doesn't get any better... talking snakes, talking donkey's, magical boats, magical water for 2 million in the desert, magical fish, magical shouts that bring down city walls, magical births, magical resurrections, seven headed dragons... then there's all the real gory stuff: rape, incest, murder, genocide, politics, kings, queens, captives, slaves.....

 

No no, I'm not talking about Game of Thrones I'm talking about the bible!

 

The fear you have is all from imagination of the mind, dreaming up what it might be like from stories told to you by those too ignorant to think critically themselves.

 

Yes it seems real, but its not!

 

All the best and stick around!

 

LF

 

I was told by a Roman Catholic friend of mine that hell was created  ONLY for Satan and his angels. Humans are just choosing to go there.

The same crazy friend who forced herself into my life and who ruined my thinking by instilling fear of God in me said this- God created Lucifer, it is the humans that turned Lucifer into Satan(an evil thing) by listening to Satan's instruction in the garden of Eden.

I do not want to be her friend anymore. I decided to cut her out of my life forever- her advises and counselling ruined my life. She introduced me to Joyce Meyer- following Joyce's teaching COMPLETELY burned my life and hurt me emotionally. I can never recover from what Christianity, especially Pentecostalism stole away from my soul and life.

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