Vomit Comet Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Early on, I just held the conventional "lake of fire" idea. Basically, you burn forever while getting reamed up the ass with a pitchfork. Maybe if you were particularly sinful (i.e., genocidal maniac) you'd get a custom-tailored eternal torture in your own personal pit. Later on I just imagined some dark, cold, black void where you can hear the guy next to you moaning pitifully but you can't touch or see or communicate with him. The complete absence of God, which was complete nothingness except your own consciousness and your own thoughts to self-torture you. Like floating out in outer space but without a body and with no stars or anything. Towards the very end I took on this C.S. Lewis idea of it, where basically you could live just like you did on earth, but God was out of the picture. You'd live in profound eternal regret that would torment you eternally, for you had a glimpse of heaven and of God before you got tossed down to hell. It would be cold comfort that you would at least be able to fuck, smoke, drink, play rock'n'roll, talk shit, and be an asshole just like you did while alive. Part of me started to think that didn't sound too bad. Eternal hedonism without God even being cognizent of the fun you were having, because you were in a void that He created to put satan and all his pals in. It was a void that was the only place in the entire universe that He did not exist in. Such mental gymnastics were the only way I could imagine otherwise okay people -- including almost all my loved ones -- being damned. Well, shit... the Bible says so little about hell. And what it does say is still pretty fucking scary, though there's even debate about whether there even is a hell, or whether it's... oh, who fuckin' knows!? You'd think they could have been less ambiguous about the eternal fate of 90+% of humanity. Well, what about the rest of you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kei Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Early on, I just held the conventional "lake of fire" idea. Basically, you burn forever while getting reamed up the ass with a pitchfork. Maybe if you were particularly sinful (i.e., genocidal maniac) you'd get a custom-tailored eternal torture in your own personal pit. Later on I just imagined some dark, cold, black void where you can hear the guy next to you moaning pitifully but you can't touch or see or communicate with him. The complete absence of God, which was complete nothingness except your own consciousness and your own thoughts to self-torture you. Like floating out in outer space but without a body and with no stars or anything. Towards the very end I took on this C.S. Lewis idea of it, where basically you could live just like you did on earth, but God was out of the picture. You'd live in profound eternal regret that would torment you eternally, for you had a glimpse of heaven and of God before you got tossed down to hell. It would be cold comfort that you would at least be able to fuck, smoke, drink, play rock'n'roll, talk shit, and be an asshole just like you did while alive. Part of me started to think that didn't sound too bad. Eternal hedonism without God even being cognizent of the fun you were having, because you were in a void that He created to put satan and all his pals in. It was a void that was the only place in the entire universe that He did not exist in. Such mental gymnastics were the only way I could imagine otherwise okay people -- including almost all my loved ones -- being damned. Well, shit... the Bible says so little about hell. And what it does say is still pretty fucking scary, though there's even debate about whether there even is a hell, or whether it's... oh, who fuckin' knows!? You'd think they could have been less ambiguous about the eternal fate of 90+% of humanity. Well, what about the rest of you? i suppose i imagined hell to be a place where you were all alone and everything you feared and hated and which disgusted you was forced upon you for all eternity. but i pretty much realized it was nonexistent after my friend who was jewish at the time told me that there was no hell before christianity made it up... so that's a relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunder 34 Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I had always imagined it as this huuuuuge dark place where you were being burned and you could see the other people being burned and hear their screams. Christianity is so fucked up. When I was a kid it gave me freaking nightmares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I never really believed in hell, even when I was a Christian, and even during spells in which I did I always assumed it was only for the lowest lows of society - murderers, primarily. But I suppose it would have to be the most vile thing I can think of, so.... Vogon poetry and prissy little princesses who make me wish I was a guy so I wasn't expected to wear pretty clothing to every social event imaginable and act like a weak little two faced - oh, wait, that's purgatory. The mall is hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogilvy Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 so terrifying that i can't even think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellsybop Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 As adults we can clearly agree that our vision of hell now is church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kei Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 As adults we can clearly agree that our vision of hell now is church. yes. i've gone back to church (to please my parents) after leaving it. it was certainly akward and torturous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted April 21, 2008 Super Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2008 Vomit, I had the same three pictures of Hell and in that same order. Everyone preached a different meaning for Hell. I never knew what the "hell" to believe. I just knew it was bad. Yep, the Bible could have been a little less ambiguous on that subject, and a lot of others, as well. - Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellincoffee Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I was told and believed it was a lake of fire that was also dark (...somehow...) and that demons broadcasted all of your embarrassing sins for everyone to hear. I didn't think about it much. I wasn't going to go, after all... The idea of Hell did break me of love for God, though. Didn't fancy the idea of so many people being tortured forever and ever. As an atheist, I've concluded that Hell is the American southeast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolution_beyond Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 when I actually believed in Hell, which was a long, long, long, long, long time ago - I thought of it as a kind of state of mind. If you were too impure or sinful or whatever to be with god then you would just get trapped in the nightmares of your own mind, like a dream that you can't wake up from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 so terrifying that i can't even think about it. Yup, that fits me. Except for the fact that I did think about it; a lot. It scared the piss out of me and kept me awake nights sweating worrying about fucking up and going their myself and worrying about others who were going there as well. Now I just think the whole concept is inexcusable child abuse encouraged by the church. It's perhaps the greatest evil the church has ever perpetrated on humanity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I was taught that hell was a literal place where you would burn for all eternity. Yet it was also a place of darkness. I remember the Chick tracts very well with pictures of people falling and burning. That was hell mostly when I thought about it. It was scary but I don't know if I ever took it seriously. Many parts of Chritianity were just not real to me. Unfortunately I thought that meant there was something wrong with me and I spent many years trying to make it seem more real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 We had an overweight (duh) COG preacher who loved the phrase "literally burning hell" and he would shout it at the top of his lungs and slam the blble down on the podium. Today, when I hear the word hell, I think of a fat loud guy spraying sweat and spit on the old ladies in the first pew. Ugh, if that isnt hell I don't know what is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm_christ Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 one of my teachers at my old fundie school said that scientists had found that fire when it burns hot enough is actually black, so he said hell would be pitch dark. i havent had time to check that fact, but considering some of the other stuff he told the kids , i doubt he could even properly spell science :< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skiergirl24 Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I was raised as a "Cafeteria Catholic" and taught that hell was not a place but a state of being...being alienated from God...not pits of fire and torture etc. But, as a Catholic, I was also taught all I had do do on my deathbed was say "Whoops! Sorry God!" and avoid "hell" altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MesaGman Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 I imagined it to be like the badlands (like Caveman), like rooms, where people can hide from dark demons and murderers, and other psychotic people, and still had to live out daily routines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecoveXM Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Hell is a myth they made up to keep the slaves in subjection. There is only death - which is worse than any hell. Even hell would be better than death. You don't really understand death until its coming up your arms. Clive Barker is a fer sure genius - hell is for those who LIKE torment. There are such people believe it or not, people like Pinhead and whatsisname the kooky Nazi in Hellboy who likes to do surgery on himself? However they will get death too, which is worse than the worst hell. You only die well if you have lived well. A philosopher wrote that he would rather stand naked in darkness on bare rock for all eternity than be dead - can never remember his name. He knew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telesmith Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 When I was around say 12 yrs old my step-father relayed this anecdote to me: "no matter how awful hell is, it must be a thousand times worse to stand before the presence of an all loving God and told 'depart from me, for I never knew you'." This served the two-fold purpose of scaring the hell out of me and also allowing me to not think about the details of hell too much. Bah.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emme Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Vogon poetry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecoveXM Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 When I was around say 12 yrs old my step-father relayed this anecdote to me: "no matter how awful hell is, it must be a thousand times worse to stand before the presence of an all loving God and told 'depart from me, for I never knew you'." This served the two-fold purpose of scaring the hell out of me and also allowing me to not think about the details of hell too much. Bah.... the purpose is more than two fold I think - remember that you are dealing with pretenders and fakes in the church they have no real power or authority except that of illusion the hell stuff is to make you afraid of God so they can become his "agents" on your behalf first goal achieved - love replaced by fear they keep you distracted from the truth with tales of hell out of sheer bungling ignorance they have no idea of what they're doing instead of preparing you to accept death with true grace, they play this Carny shell game so it blindsides you - they think that is doing you a service way more than two purposes at work there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 I thought that hell might be a great nothingness. Like complete sensory deprivation, as if someone could take your brain out and put in a vat. Nothing. No way to sense the world and no way to affect it. The only the thing is your own diminishing memories and an eternity to observe your own slow psychic death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecoveXM Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 RecoveXM I am not sure that I understand you. You seem to imply that hell is real somehow. I suspect that when I die I will cease to be conscious. I will lose all ability to think. So why should I fear it? What is there to be prepared for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RecoveXM Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 "But the long habit of living indisposeth us for dying" - Sir Thomas Browne Perhaps so, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Some have said that it's not death they fear, rather it is the process of dying. I don't know. I only hope that when that time comes I will have few regrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts