LostinParis Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 I bumped into my ex-priest in a park and we talked while our young kids played together. I explained that my kids no longer attend Sunday School because I was unhappy that they were being taught about hell. He defended the teaching by describing hell as "simply a separation from god". I asked if his definition of hell includes suffering. He seemed annoyed and repeated the "separation from god" mantra, while avoiding the word "suffering". It seems to me that he was manipulating the doctrine because it made me feel uncomfortable. What the hell does "separation from god" even mean?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realityrunt Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 2 hours ago, LostinParis said: I bumped into my ex-priest in a park and we talked while our young kids played together. I explained that my kids no longer attend Sunday School because I was unhappy that they were being taught about hell. He defended the teaching by describing hell as "simply a separation from god". I asked if his definition of hell includes suffering. He seemed annoyed and repeated the "separation from god" mantra, while avoiding the word "suffering". It seems to me that he was manipulating the doctrine because it made me feel uncomfortable. What the hell does "separation from god" even mean?? Nothing really, because it's a made up belief about been devoid of gods love for all eternity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 9 hours ago, LostinParis said: What the hell does "separation from god" even mean?? It mean's you no longer have the God virus in your brain. You have been cured of the dreaded God virus & that is an indication that your brain is functioning normally now. Congrats! 1 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted December 19, 2017 Share Posted December 19, 2017 Many believers try to avoid the distasteful parts of Christianity and prefer to have a "positive gospel". My first pastor was this way, and avoided anything referring to damnation. He was a psychologist, and tended to focus his teachings on how to have happy marriage. Being a young fervent believer, I hungered for what I was reading in the Bible, and rarely got any of that. But I did learn a ton about how to have a happy marriage, and that has come in handy. I got the fire and brimstone elsewhere. Many churches talk about success, communication, raising kids, and all sorts of things that god will "help" you do, and by the way, thanks for TITHING. Hell isn't popular with a lot of churches, they prefer to reword it as "separation from God". Something that I never heard in church was that the Jews never had a belief in damnation. I remember wondering why I never read about it in the Old Testament. My Jewish family members confirmed that when I asked them. The more spiritual writings of the Kaballah apparently (I haven't read them) have some or parts of people returning in reincarnation until they learn to behave, and there is an interim punishment/washing machine place where you are "cleaned" and returned. That wouldn't fly well in churches because of Jesus' teaching about damnation (which by the way, the Jews would have reacted to as him preaching a foreign religion instead of going along with him). The church has a wide spectrum of belief and preference, regardless of what the scriptures actually say. On one end are the New Age folks who call themselves Christians but Jesus is their spirit guide for healing. On the other end are the ones that think their church pronounces the name of Jesus exactly correctly, so they are the only ones going to heaven. The vast majority of believers simply fill the pews and have a general acknowledgement of the Bible. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readyforchange Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 On 12/18/2017 at 5:59 AM, LostinParis said: I bumped into my ex-priest in a park and we talked while our young kids played together. I explained that my kids no longer attend Sunday School because I was unhappy that they were being taught about hell. He defended the teaching by describing hell as "simply a separation from god". I asked if his definition of hell includes suffering. He seemed annoyed and repeated the "separation from god" mantra, while avoiding the word "suffering". It seems to me that he was manipulating the doctrine because it made me feel uncomfortable. What the hell does "separation from god" even mean?? I wonder how can there truly be a separation from a god if the god is supposed to be omnipresent? It would be more like the god is still there but actively chooses to hide itself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostinParis Posted December 20, 2017 Author Share Posted December 20, 2017 @Fuego I thought the Jews invented the apocalypse? Doesn't damnation fit in there somewhere? I planning to read some more about the origins of hell. It's interesting how inconsistently hell is explained within different "brands" of Christianity. The nasty bits are often left out, in order to fill the pews. Whether it's scare tactics or emotional blackmail used to coerce us into believing in God, the fact remains... It's unreasonable to expect us to love someone of whom we are afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 2 hours ago, LostinParis said: It's unreasonable to expect us to love someone of whom we are afraid. Bible god wants groveling and obedience. Job is all about how he doesn't give a shit about us and our suffering, in fact orders it so that he can show who is boss. After Job complains about his loss of children and the ravaging disease in his body, Bible god rubs his nose in it and says "Who do you think you are?! Where were you when I did all this mighty stuff? (wanks to his own greatness)". Thus, when believers try and collect on the "great and precious promises" that Jesus doled out on the Sermon on the Mount, they are instead given excuses for god's silence and inaction, and pointed back to Job to learn their rightful place. It is a total bait and switch, which is common with narcissist psychos like Bible god. I just watched a lady friend have to deal with a guy like this. He was all sweet and matched her energy for life well, but he kept disappearing for days at a time then showing up like nothing had happened. He lied about all kinds of things and when she confronted him, he called her a stalker to make her feel like she was the one doing something odd (a treatment called "gaslighting"). She dumped his ass and refused any further contact from him. Yet another had a guy that seemed to be perfect but slipped a knockout drug in her drink (her friends protected her), and spent days coming around her house screaming at her for "dissing him" and trying to make her feel like she'd done him wrong. Bible god is an immature turd of a personality, which is why so many believers feel at home being turds to other people. Here's a blurb I wrote years ago about this: God of Abuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostinParis Posted December 20, 2017 Author Share Posted December 20, 2017 Brilliant article @Fuego, thank-you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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