Well Good Peoples, I Am Afraid Of Going To Hell And I Miss The Fantasy Of A Church Family.

[SummerMoon]

I am afraid and I am obsessed.

[AlphaToOmega]

Afraid of what and obsessed with what?

[ScifiChick]

Afraid of what and obsessed with what?

 

 

It was in the subject title. Afraid of hell.

 

 

[AlphaToOmega]

D'oh.

 

Since there is no hell for people, not even in the Bible, its a man made concept and documented as such by religious nut jobs in the dark ages, there's really no need to fear it.

The Bible has no hell. Jesus spoke of no hell. What you're listening to are ancient rumours used to control people to do their bidding.

 

The Bible is the same but lets get you to understand that it and Jesus of the Bible do NOT mention hell for people at all.

[ScifiChick]

D'oh.

 

Since there is no hell for people, not even in the Bible, its a man made concept and documented as such by religious nut jobs in the dark ages, there's really no need to fear it.

The Bible has no hell. Jesus spoke of no hell. What you're listening to are ancient rumours used to control people to do their bidding.

 

The Bible is the same but lets get you to understand that it and Jesus of the Bible do NOT mention hell for people at all.

 

 

That would be fantastic, except for the fact that there is hell for people. The parable of the sheep and the goats for example, in Matthew 24. And, of course, that's for Christians that didn't get it right, so you can't really know until Judgment Day.

 

But the thing is, the Bible is nonsense. There is no evidence to support it. There is no Biblical God, or if there was, he's gone, as he hasn't done anything that can be documented in thousands of years.

 

I reconciled myself to the fact that if the Bible turns out to be true, I don't want to be anywhere near the bastard that created everything, so I really couldn't give a shit if he wants to send me to hell. Heaven sounds like hell as far as I'm concerned.

 

 

[Tabula Rasa]

I am afraid and I am obsessed.

 

SummerMoon, the idea that a supreme being , who can make reality whatever it wants, is going to send people to hell because they don't worship it, is a contradiction in terms.

 

A supreme being, isn't going to care if it's worshipped or not, for it would be perfect, desiring nothing, complete and satisfied in itself.

[AlphaToOmega]

I am afraid and I am obsessed.

 

SummerMoon, the idea that a supreme being , who can make reality whatever it wants, is going to send people to hell because they don't worship it, is a contradiction in terms.

 

A supreme being, isn't going to care if it's worshipped or not, for it would be perfect, desiring nothing, complete and satisfied in itself.

 

And not punish individual ants for eternity because they didn't follow a sugar path he laid down for them.

[dano]

I am afraid and I am obsessed.

 

SummerMoon, the idea that a supreme being , who can make reality whatever it wants, is going to send people to hell because they don't worship it, is a contradiction in terms.

 

A supreme being, isn't going to care if it's worshipped or not, for it would be perfect, desiring nothing, complete and satisfied in itself.

 

 

and "It" defiantly wouldn't need anyone sacrificed to "It" or enjoy watching mere humans roasting in hell!

[florduh]

I am afraid and I am obsessed.

Many Christian sects teach a doctrine of Hell. They also teach the divinity of Jesus, original sin, snake handling, speaking in tongues and Biblical inerrancy.

 

Why choose to still believe in just one of those particular doctrines if you have left the faith? There are dozens of refutations of the doctrine of Hell right here on this site and dozens more available elsewhere on the Internet so I won't repeat them here.

 

The Hell you refer to is part of a Christian mythology you don't subscribe to. Irrational fears can be dealt with so don't hesitate to get professional help if you can't shake it off on your own.

[Suzy]

 

 

I reconciled myself to the fact that if the Bible turns out to be true, I don't want to be anywhere near the bastard that created everything, so I really couldn't give a shit if he wants to send me to hell. Heaven sounds like hell as far as I'm concerned.

 

 

 

Same here.

 

But there's close to Zero chance that it's true.

 

The Bible's Hell concept is not clear by the way (is there anything in that book that is?) and contradictory. In the OT there's no eternal place of torment, no lake of fire - not anything like that. In the OT there is Sheol which is a place where ALL people go after their death - good and evil alike. Sheol is often translated as either "grave" or "hell" but it's not that. It's not a place of torment, it's more like a world of shadows. If someone has a life on this Earth that sucks he would even wish to go to Sheol instead, like Job did - and in Job Sheol is described as a place of peace compared to the torments of this world. And there is Gehenna. Gehenna is a real geographical place near Jerusalem. It served as a place of human sacrifice for other religions. In the Jewish rabbinical traditions the spiritual Gehenna is more like a Purgatory: people spend max. 1 year there.

 

Here is what the Jews think of the afterlife. It's nothing like the Xtian concept!

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Theology/Afterlife_and_Messiah/Life_After_Death/Heaven_and_Hell.shtml

 

The lake of fire kind of hell is a NT concept. It probably comes from the Egyptian religion: http://www.bibleorigins.net/hellsorigins.html

[stryper]

The only hell that exsists is the one you create for yourself.

[ScifiChick]

And there is Gehenna. Gehenna is a real geographical place near Jerusalem. It served as a place of human sacrifice for other religions. In the Jewish rabbinical traditions the spiritual Gehenna is more like a Purgatory: people spend max. 1 year there.

 

 

I had no idea Gehenna was a real place. That's fascinating. I'll be perusing those other links as well. Finding out what is behind the Bible is something I often find interesting, and it never, ever confirms what the Bible claims about itself, which I love!

 

 

 

[sovereign]

The only hell that exsists is the one you create for yourself.

 

This.

 

You put yourself in your own personal hell every time you agonise over the possibility of going to hell.

 

Be nice to yourself!

 

 

 

P.S. To those who read this post, I am NOT a Christian. Yes I believe in a higher power, a power from within, but not the Christian god. How do I remove the label under my avatar? It appeared after I posted.

[Eugene39]

http://www.bible-history.com/jerusalem/firstcenturyjerusalem_hinnom_valley.html

 

Learning the actual history of hell really helped me a lot. Believe me, I went through the fear of it when leaving Christianity. By the way, that valley is a beautiful park today.

[dB-Paradox]

I couldn't go back to believing no matter how hard I tried. It's not a choice, as some Christians think it is. Self-delusion, maybe, but I don't actively choose to not believe. But Summermoon, do what makes you happy. Give Christianity another go, and if you're happy, that's great. But if you're not, just be true to yourself and do what makes you happy.

[Suzy]

And there is Gehenna. Gehenna is a real geographical place near Jerusalem. It served as a place of human sacrifice for other religions. In the Jewish rabbinical traditions the spiritual Gehenna is more like a Purgatory: people spend max. 1 year there.

 

 

I had no idea Gehenna was a real place. That's fascinating. I'll be perusing those other links as well. Finding out what is behind the Bible is something I often find interesting, and it never, ever confirms what the Bible claims about itself, which I love!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Gehenna today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Noggy]

And there is Gehenna. Gehenna is a real geographical place near Jerusalem. It served as a place of human sacrifice for other religions. In the Jewish rabbinical traditions the spiritual Gehenna is more like a Purgatory: people spend max. 1 year there.

 

 

I had no idea Gehenna was a real place. That's fascinating. I'll be perusing those other links as well. Finding out what is behind the Bible is something I often find interesting, and it never, ever confirms what the Bible claims about itself, which I love!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Gehenna today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sure looks like hell to me.

 

 

[homospiritus]

SummerMoon, I struggle with wanting the fantasy of a church family too so you're not alone. As far as hell goes, the posters above said it better that I can.

[chosendarkness]

I am afraid and I am obsessed.

 

Best thing to do is keep away from anything Christian for awhile to give yourself a chance to undo the brainwashing. It's not easy to undo the beliefs from the dominant religion of a culture that have been implanted since childhood. It just takes time and persistence.

 

It's interesting how we see our society's religious beliefs as our own. The truth is they've been ingrained in us, they aren't 'ours' nor are they real, they just seem like that because we've heard them repeated so many times. That's why it's best to completely get away from it of you can.

[dichotomy]

The hell part's been dealt with well.

 

I too struggle with the fantasy of a church family. It gave me security to think that I was accepted, valued and had people to lean on when I needed them. Problem is, this never happened even when was my most involved in church! Sure I had a few friends who did this, but I have a few friends now who do it. Church family brings as many if not exceptionally more negatives as it brings positives. Give it time and you'll be even more glad to be shot of them.

[SummerMoon]

The hell part's been dealt with well.

 

I too struggle with the fantasy of a church family. It gave me security to think that I was accepted, valued and had people to lean on when I needed them. Problem is, this never happened even when was my most involved in church! Sure I had a few friends who did this, but I have a few friends now who do it. Church family brings as many if not exceptionally more negatives as it brings positives. Give it time and you'll be even more glad to be shot of them.

 

I have struggled with this my whole life, over 40 now. I also have nothing but grief from people there. I am thankful and polite and they are judgmental. I give my testimony and they start criticizing what I used to do with their faces and sounds. They just have never been normal poeple. This last church really hurt me bad. Several women were rude to me.

 

I just honestly believe in God but its like where do you find friends that do too without going to church?

[SummerMoon]

SummerMoon, I struggle with wanting the fantasy of a church family too so you're not alone. As far as hell goes, the posters above said it better that I can.

 

 

I mean, if you say how you're struggling, they give more judgment than not. If you are happy, they want to look for dirt. They are just a bunch of people that do not like me.

[R. S. Martin]

P.S. To those who read this post, I am NOT a Christian. Yes I believe in a higher power, a power from within, but not the Christian god. How do I remove the label under my avatar? It appeared after I posted.

 

I haven't read quite to the end of the thread but so far I don't see any answers to this question. Do you mean "Curious" or "New Member"? I think they appear automatically until you reach a certain post count. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you contact a moderator, or possibly a supermoderator, who may be able to work with you to change it to something that more accurately reflects your position.

 

On the Forums Index page scroll waaayyyy down to to a cross-bar containing a batch of links including the link <the moderating team>. That link will bring up a page with all the moderators. Here are ones that I see posting fairly regularly these days: Ouroboros, nivek, webmdave, Antlerman, pitchu. Take your pick and send a pm. That's what I would do.

[ScifiChick]

P.S. To those who read this post, I am NOT a Christian. Yes I believe in a higher power, a power from within, but not the Christian god. How do I remove the label under my avatar? It appeared after I posted.

 

I haven't read quite to the end of the thread but so far I don't see any answers to this question. Do you mean "Curious" or "New Member"? I think they appear automatically until you reach a certain post count. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you contact a moderator, or possibly a supermoderator, who may be able to work with you to change it to something that more accurately reflects your position.

 

On the Forums Index page scroll waaayyyy down to to a cross-bar containing a batch of links including the link <the moderating team>. That link will bring up a page with all the moderators. Here are ones that I see posting fairly regularly these days: Ouroboros, nivek, webmdave, Antlerman, pitchu. Take your pick and send a pm. That's what I would do.

 

 

That's not what the poster was referring to. At the time of that post, they had been given the Authentic Christian Believer banner erroneously. It has since been removed.

 

 

[R. S. Martin]

P.S. To those who read this post, I am NOT a Christian. Yes I believe in a higher power, a power from within, but not the Christian god. How do I remove the label under my avatar? It appeared after I posted.

 

I haven't read quite to the end of the thread but so far I don't see any answers to this question. Do you mean "Curious" or "New Member"? I think they appear automatically until you reach a certain post count. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you contact a moderator, or possibly a supermoderator, who may be able to work with you to change it to something that more accurately reflects your position.

 

On the Forums Index page scroll waaayyyy down to to a cross-bar containing a batch of links including the link <the moderating team>. That link will bring up a page with all the moderators. Here are ones that I see posting fairly regularly these days: Ouroboros, nivek, webmdave, Antlerman, pitchu. Take your pick and send a pm. That's what I would do.

 

 

That's not what the poster was referring to. At the time of that post, they had been given the Authentic Christian Believer banner erroneously. It has since been removed.

 

 

 

Makes sense. As much occurred to me--that perhaps the change has already been made and I wouldn't know from what. Thanks for setting me straight.