What Will Hell Be Like?

[AmandaSmelser]

http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/hell.html

This is one of the most succinctly honest (about what Christians believe that is) pages I have found on the topic of hell. Here are some of my favorite bits:

- The author refers to Hitler and Stalin as "unsavory." I prefer the term evil. I usually refer to a steak that's been overcooked as unsavory.

- If you don't believe in Jesus, there is a very convenient list to follow and if you don't violate any of them (ever), you can still get into heaven. Not too hard, right? This is where Christians have to make the choice whether to be perfect, or to believe in Jesus. Note that most of these beliefs are taken from Revelation, which was written by a dude who was exiled on an island and pretty pissed off at his local churches.

- The author says that "Hell is a place designed by God to separate those who hate Him from those who love Him." Does not believing that something exists count as hating it? I don't believe that unicorns actually exist, but I LOVE them!

- Since "you are not going to get [to heaven] on the basis of the "good" things you have done in your life" why try? Become Christian instead!

- And finally - there IS a possibility that hell will be one big party! YES! I knew it!! And the really bad guys will be chained up anyway, so those of us who have ever sought employment to buy stuff (sin of selfish ambition) will be a-o-k!

 

[theatheistguy]

I remember being told that hell isn't fire and brimstone, but instead separation from god (which seems to be more in line with the bible, but anyways). I thought sin separated us from god already, and if so, then this is hell? Damn...I'm so screwed.... :roll:

 

[ImprobableJoe]

I grew up thinking it was like coal in your stocking at Xmas, or "if you make that face, it will stick like that" or whatever adults tell children to keep them in line. No fucking way adults actually believe that, right?

 

[JacobEvans]

I used to be SCARED OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND as a Catholic growing up. Everything I did I thought would send me to Hell. I used to be absolutely bonkers about it. It's a very powerful tool of control.

 

[e2iPi]

In hell, I'll be able to discuss cosmology with Sagan, physics with Einstein, biology with Dawkins, philosophy with Russell and government with Jefferson. What exactly does heaven have to offer?

i^2

 

[Mapp]

I'm hoping for Hell as a Hieronymous Bosch style trip-out with all kinds of weird demon things shitting tubas and such. At least it will be an interesting feast for the eyes.

 

[theatheistguy]

In hell, I'll be able to discuss cosmology with Sagan, physics with Einstein, biology with Dawkins, philosophy with Russell and government with Jefferson. What exactly does heaven have to offer?

i^2

Hitler, Fred Phelps (coming soon), the body of holy mother Mary (but not really), Henry VIII, all the Popes, the list of wonderful people just goes on, but I must say, you did forget one sinner, the one for comic relief, George Carlin!

 

[Giliell]

Hitler, Fred Phelps (coming soon), the body of holy mother Mary (but not really), Henry VIII, all the Popes, the list of wonderful people just goes on, but I must say, you did forget one sinner, the one for comic relief, George Carlin!

No, Hitler was Roman Catholic and he never got kicked out.
It would b ethe best barbecue ever, if not...

I'm sure you all know this, but it's still funny:
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid term.

The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well:
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

"First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. < /P>

This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

THE STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

 

[borrofburi]

many would say that God could just destroy the evil people, rather than condemn them to a place of torment. The problem is that God made spiritual beings (humans and angels) as eternal creatures.
...
the Bible also includes a number of verses that suggest that those who are condemned to hell are eventually destroyed. ... It is possible that hell will involve both torment (until the day of judgment) and eventual destruction.

Err, isn't that a contradiction? "god could just destroy evil ... problem is ... eternal creatures ... Bible ... suggest ... those ... are eventually destroyed"?

God will go through the "books" to see if we have committed any of the deeds listed in the table above.13 In addition, the names will be checked to see if they are written in the book of life.12 Anyone whose name is not found in the book of life14 will be thrown into the lake of fire

(With apologies to whomever it was I ripped this off of)

Your post advocates a

( ) technical (X) legislative ( ) market-based ( ) vigilante (X) form-based

approach to fighting spam. Your idea will not work. Here is why it won't work. (One or more of the following may apply to your particular idea, and it may have other flaws which used to vary from state to state before a bad federal law was passed.)

...and the following philosophical objections may also apply:

(X) Ideas similar to yours are easy to come up with, yet none have ever been shown practical
( ) Any scheme based on opt-out is unacceptable
( ) Blacklists suck
(X) Whitelists suck
(X) We should be able to talk about Viagra without being censored
(X) Feel-good measures do nothing to solve the problem
( ) Killing them that way is not slow and painful enough

Furthermore, this is what I think about you:

(X) Sorry dude, but I don't think it would work.
(X) This is a stupid idea, and you're a stupid person for suggesting it.
(X) Nice try, assh0le! I'm going to find out where you live and burn your house down!

 

[e2iPi]

but I must say, you did forget one sinner, the one for comic relief, George Carlin!

A most grievous oversight on my part! Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Dusty341]

I used to be SCARED OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND as a Catholic growing up. Everything I did I thought would send me to Hell. I used to be absolutely bonkers about it. It's a very powerful tool of control.

I was terrified of the 7 years of Tribulation more than hell actually. You know, the 7 years of hell on earth nonbelievers will have to endure after the rapture? I don't think I could ever wrap my head over the concept of hell. But, I believed deeply in the Rapture and the Tribulation that would follow. That was scary shit for me. I read all of the Left Behind books and everything lol.

 

[AmandaSmelser]

I used to be SCARED OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND as a Catholic growing up. Everything I did I thought would send me to Hell. I used to be absolutely bonkers about it. It's a very powerful tool of control.

And this is the fear that Christianity so effectively preys upon.

 

[JacobEvans]

And this is the fear that Christianity so effectively preys upon.

More than just Christianity, it's probably the biggest thing that stops all religious people from questioning their beliefs, they think they will go to Hell for doing so.

 

[AmandaSmelser]

More than just Christianity, it's probably the biggest thing that stops all religious people from questioning their beliefs, they think they will go to Hell for doing so.

Well, Jews don't believe in Hell. Some Jews don't believe in an afterlife altogether.

The Catholic church holds that people can go to heaven due to "good works" and not faith alone. In this manner, they admit that good people who don't hold any particular beliefs about Jesus will be rewarded in an afterlife if they act well on Earth. Besides, Catholics know that people make mistakes and forgiveness is given through repentance and trying to make oneself better. They think that because of Jesus, all mankind can be saved from sin whether or not individuals actually believe that he was God.

I'm not sure what exactly Muslims believe, so I can't speak to it. I'm not sure if they believe that a person is judged based on their actions or their thoughts.

BUT, it's the fundamental Christians (exemplified on the webpage I attached) that believe that one must be either perfect to enter heaven (which we can see by the vast amount of trite "sins" that NOBODY can achieve perfection), or that they must believe in Christ. These fundamentalists specifically prey on people who think that living a moral life will get them into heaven. They show them the argument , as it is presented by the webpage shown, scare them shit-less, and then give them the absurdly simple solution of belief in Jesus Christ. Most of the people who subscribe to this "easy way out" have no idea of the implications that come along with it. Such as the belief that most of the world's population will not be joining you in heaven, including your friends and loved-ones who don't have any particular beliefs about Jesus. That was the one that I couldn't handle. I came to the conclusion that it was better for me to go to Hell than believe everyone else would.

The fundamentalist belief is harmful to morality in another way. Jesus's "forgiveness" of sin is why many death-row inmates are coerced into "taking Jesus into their hearts." But, do we really want to offer the feeling of forgiveness to these murderers? I would much rather they die with despair in their hearts for what they have done.

 

[Sarge084]

What's with debating something that only exists in the tortured minds of believers? Hell is a tool designed to keep week minded people going to church, or at the very least, believing in a god 'just in case'.

Those who sit on the fence, and there are some among us here, are easily convinced that following a religion will give them salvation. Fear is the only reason why some still follow, and fear is the most often used tool to keep doubters in line, how often have you heard someone say "But what if there is a heaven and hell", and how many of you here still think that it might be true?

The Atheist Bus Campaign wasn't established to turn believers into non-believers, it is a refuge for doubters, the ones who really don't think there is a god, but continue to follow a religion just in case, what we now have is a growing band of atheists showing solidarity, and providing succour for the doubters.

Those who fervently believe in a god will not be turned, the battle is to save those who live in fear, a fear instilled in them by religions to manipulate them and keep them in line.

Pete

 

[DeistPaladin]

At one time, prior to studying religion, I did muse about what Heaven and Hell would be like IF they existed as a place where respectively good and bad people go when they die.

I thought there would be no need for fire or birmstone. Heaven and Hell could be physically identical places distinguished only by the nature of the people that live there.

Since studying religion and reading the Bible, I've come to understand that Christians believe in salvation by faith, not "works". Consequently, their idea of Heaven would be my idea of Hell. Also see earlier posts about discussing cosmology with Sagan after being entertained with the comedy of Carlin.

 

[salko7]

In hell, I'll be able to discuss cosmology with Sagan, physics with Einstein, biology with Dawkins, philosophy with Russell and government with Jefferson. What exactly does heaven have to offer?

i^2

i remember a quote from some where that goes like this : "Get into heaven for the weather , and into hell for the company"
or some thing like that...

and in islam hell is described in a way that shows how god "loves" us .... yes drinking water that burns your stomach and fruit that chokes you and makes you bleed.... some dude with very long nails stabbing you with them(and many other stuff) , yes the all merciful allah is forgiving.

 

[terriblecanyons]

As far as I'm concerned, Hell is gonna be a gigantic party of AWESOME. Fun isn't to be had in Heaven. All they do is sit around and watch Wheel of Fortune and play shuffleboard. Hell is where the real party is. I mean, think about it. Gluttony is a sin, so you know there's no awesome food in Heaven. Fornication outside of marriage is frowned upon, so none of that either. It's really a downer.

 

[CVBrassil]

As far as I'm concerned, Hell is gonna be a gigantic party of AWESOME

Great quote.

I'd rather go to hell. Well, the Christian hell at least. As someone else said, all the people I like are down there. It would be like a gigantic party of awesome, very much so.

And seeing that Satan "rejects God" as much as I do, and that nontheists are usually cool guys, I have a feeling that Satan is pretty chill. He probably just smokes weed or is a homosexual or something else that God seems to hate. I'm fine with that.

 

[DeistPaladin]

Quite consistent with my experience. Atheists and other free thinkers are the only friends I've kept over the years. Contrary to popular opinions of atheists and Christians, non believers are not only the "coolest" but also the most trustworthy and morally/ethically grounded people. It's believers who I've found I can't trust, sometimes learning that lesson the hard way. If the criteria for entrance into Heaven or Hell is on the basis of our faith or lack thereof, give me Hell any day.

Admittedly, this is just anecdotal evidence, my limited perspective, but I think there's a reason for it. People who aren't intellectually honest or willing to face reality as it is are more likely to be dishonest with others. More importantly, they can more easily lie to themselves over their own behavior. Anyone who can successfully convince themselves of the Trinity can also come up with flimsy rationalizations to justify just about anything.