# Fear of Hell



## tigersgirl

I've read all the popular atheist books. I know it doesn't make logical sense. But I can't help but think "what if?" What if I die and wake up in hell? And I'm stuck there? I could just repent on my deathbed but that's seen as a hypocrite. But religion is not for me.


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## causalset

Actually that is a very legitimate point. In fact it is the number one reason why I became a Christian (otherwise I would be atheist). Fact is: you don't know what afterlife will bring. All the scientific research that would supposedly disprove God is based on imperical facts, and your imperical facts come from this world, NOT from afterlife. So fact is: you simply don't know. And then the most rational decision you could ever make with something you don't know is to play it safe: become a Christian in case there is hell. If you are Christian and Christianity is all wrong, you won't go to hell for it, since other religions don't have hell, or at least not eternal anyway. But if you aren't a Chrsitian and Christianity is right, then you would be buringing in hell. So its pretty simple. And, like I said, if not for the hell thing, I wouldn't be Christian anyway. So if hell is THE one thing that turned me from atheist to devout Christian then yes its a very good reason to change your faith.


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## RG550

i'll be there with you don't worry


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## Chevy396

Most common side effect of Christianity.


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## Were




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## JohnDoe26

If you want to put your mind at rest, why don't you take literally 20 - 30 seconds out of your day to pray to God not to go there and ask for him to reveal to you the truth about him if he is out there. You know, just in case.


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## RG550

humm on another thought in my mind (im not religious so i hope don't offend anyone) i guess if god is as reasonable as he seems to be, caring for the disadvantaged and all-forgiving he would be reasonable enough to see that people might be skeptical of his existence so im not too worried


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## Entrensik

This is why I haven't killed myself.


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## TheWelshOne

tigersgirl said:


> I've read all the popular atheist books. I know it doesn't make logical sense. But I can't help but think "what if?" What if I die and wake up in hell? And I'm stuck there? I could just repent on my deathbed but that's seen as a hypocrite. But religion is not for me.


OK, what if you do wake up in Hell? How would it really differ from life on Earth? Or from Heaven? Nobody really knows what Hell or Heaven would be and there are so many different ideas. Being surrounded by everyone I love for eternity would be more like Hell than Heaven to me.

Even the Pope has said that well-meaning atheists aren't *barred* from Heaven. If you can honestly say that you've tried your best not to hurt anyone, that you've helped people to the best of your ability, why would a merciful God send you to Hell? Because you didn't say the right words in the right order at the right time? I prefer to see life as an exam, rather than a game show - there's leeway in answers, you just have to get the gist right.


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## CWe

This used to scare me years ago... Now it's who knows whats after death


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## Chris S W

I used to have this problem, it had a negative impact on me. I think over time, with the aid of research and critical thinking, I began to truly disbelieve the existence of hell.


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## TerminalBlue

If accepted, the "what if I'm wrong" argument logically points to believing in the god that offers either the best heaven or the worst hell or maybe some combination of the two. 

Lets say a new god and religion becomes popular in the next 50 years. This new religion states that if you don't believe in the god, you AND your loved ones have to go to hell. Even if your loved ones believed in the god, they still have to suffer because you didn't believe. If this type of religion becomes popular and one believes this argument is convincing, then they should believe in this new religion over Christianity or any of the other popular religions. 

It's too bad that these types of arguments are made because they cause people suffering. Even when it obviously makes no sense (because it simply points to whoever can make up the worst hell), it still causes us to think about it and makes a lot of people worry. It's a really bad argument but it hits people really hard emotionally.


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## Eternal Solitude

finallyclosed said:


> There's _always_ a third option.


Purgatory? Limbo? Reincarnation?:grin2:

All joking aside,( this is not directed at you finallyclosed) I don't understand why so many people fear possibility of ceasing to exist. No more pain, no guilt, no desire,etc..

However, the possibility of being cast to a realm of existence that is even worse than this world is very unsettling.


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## Chevy396

Eternal Solitude said:


> Purgatory? Limbo? Reincarnation?:grin2:
> 
> All joking aside,( this is not directed at you finallyclosed) I don't understand why so many people fear possibility of ceasing to exist. No more pain, no guilt, no desire,etc..
> 
> However, the possibility of being cast to a realm of existence that is even worse than this world is very unsettling.


Nonexistence bothers me more, tbh. How am I supposed to know if I'll enjoy something that I can't comprehend let alone understand. You assume that having no more pain, guilt or desire is a good thing, but how would you know until you experience it? :| I am a masochist though, so that might play into my opinion here. Pain is how I know I'm alive, and so often it is the only safe way to get relief. At least in hell I will supposedly know who and where I am.


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## Kevin001

finallyclosed said:


> There's _always_ a third option.


Temporarily yes.


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## BRI85

I used to be terrified of hell and dying. Then when my grandma died I was sitting next to her and she grabbed my hand and said " oh honey! Can you see him? He is coming to pick me up and take me home! She wasn't talking that enthusiastically about the devil I know that! Then she looked at me and said if I live by faith and not by sight and never give up my faith then we will be together again someday. My grandmother lived by 4 "rules" that she instilled in me ever since I was little: 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don't take anything personally 3. Don't make assumptions 4. Always do your best. Sounds simple but it's hard. I love the last one because I struggle with procrastination and not making goals and just wanting to do nothing really. I gave up trying to compare myself with all the things people around me are accomplishing. I have very bad depression and anxiety and ptsd so no one knows what live from my perspective is like ( except for everyone on here mostly). So if I live by the 4 rules my grandmother taught me I can have rhe satisfaction of knowing I am doing my best and not have to worry about what others think about me because i am not taking anyone else's judgment personally. Or assuming someone is thinking crap about me. All of these things just make us hate ourselves even more. And if I am impeccable with my word " meaning, I say what I mean and mean what I say" I will not have any guilt that someone can hold over me. I'll be free! Thanks grandma ?


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## Eternal Solitude

BRI85 said:


> I used to be terrified of hell and dying. Then when my grandma died I was sitting next to her and she grabbed my hand and said " oh honey! Can you see him? He is coming to pick me up and take me home! She wasn't talking that enthusiastically about the devil I know that! Then she looked at me and said if I live by faith and not by sight and never give up my faith then we will be together again someday. My grandmother lived by 4 "rules" that she instilled in me ever since I was little: 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don't take anything personally 3. Don't make assumptions 4. Always do your best. Sounds simple but it's hard. I love the last one because I struggle with procrastination and not making goals and just wanting to do nothing really. I gave up trying to compare myself with all the things people around me are accomplishing. I have very bad depression and anxiety and ptsd so no one knows what live from my perspective is like ( except for everyone on here mostly). So if I live by the 4 rules my grandmother taught me I can have rhe satisfaction of knowing I am doing my best and not have to worry about what others think about me because i am not taking anyone else's judgment personally. Or assuming someone is thinking crap about me. All of these things just make us hate ourselves even more. And if I am impeccable with my word " meaning, I say what I mean and mean what I say" I will not have any guilt that someone can hold over me. I'll be free! Thanks grandma ?


Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful human being . I hope that I am not breaking the third rule for saying so. Thank you for sharing some of her wisdom with us!


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## Barakiel

I also posted this quote from Alfred Whitehead about theological disaster on my blog not too long ago:


* *






> "&#8230;the trouble starts with the interpreters of Christianity. The disciples were admirably solid people. And there was at first a hope that the powerful Greek notions which were abroad in the world at that time - ideas of liberty, democracy, the horror of brutality, and so on - would be blended with the best of Jewish thought - not all of which, of course, was equally good; but the gracious and merciful insights were there by flashes. But then the disaster starts.
> 
> You get it in all of the following interpreters of Christianity from
> Augustine, even in Francis of Assisi, the gentleness and mercy of
> one side of Christianity, but based logically on the most appalling
> system of concepts. The old ferocious God is back, the Oriental
> despot, the Pharaoh, the Hitler, with everything to enforce obedience, from infant damnation to eternal punishment. In Augustine
> you get admirable ideas, he is full of light, then you enquire into
> the ultimate bases of the doctrines and you find this abyss of horror. Their hearts were right but their heads were wrong. And
> there was no appeal from their heads. In Saint Francis, for example, it is hardly credible that the two worlds, that of grace and
> mercy, and that of eternal damnation, could exist in one and
> the same breast. This theological disaster is what I mean when
> I speak of the mischief which follows from banishing novelty,
> from trying to formalize your truth, from setting up to declare:
> 'This is all there is to be known on the subject, and discussion
> is closed.'


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## BRI85

I've heard it said that the realm after we die is more real than what we live in... this is just a " shadow " of what is real. Kinda crazy to think about that! It might be true though you never know!


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## BRI85

There is always three sides to every story/theory: yours, mine, and the truth!


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## Xemnas

i really don't know about hell or anything, and yet im pretty sure i will end up there...
let's say that whenever things just went horribly wrong for me, i kinda mockingly yelled at "god"
and in these days of loneliness and depression, i kinda took it off on him asking why did he made me so f-ing weird, shy and with all this anxiety..... i also said "what... is it fun seem me like this..... a sad sack of worthlessness.... is it fun for you seeing me suffer and cry? just end this f-ing toruture...."

but then again i see how the world is now... and all the BS there is, and i say "welp this surely is hell already..."


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## lostx00xsoul

coyeyes said:


> You can believe in God and not have a religion.


That's a comforting notion.:yes


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## Tetragammon

How about the alternative? To wake up in heaven, stuck there and forced to sing the praises of a tyrannical god for the rest of eternity? Think of doing churchy **** all day, every day, FOREVER. Not for a hundred years, or a million, or even a trillion. Forever, without end.

It's a serious problem with Christianity: there are only two options, heaven or hell. They both sound like torture to me, but personally I think heaven sounds way worse. At least there will be fun people in hell. Though I tend to think that only the truly, deeply bad people would go to hell if it did turn out to exist. Which incidentally includes a very large portion of religious people IMO -- all the sycophants, hypocrites and money-grubbing evangelists definitely wouldn't get into heaven if god(s) are at all just. As long as you're not a psychopath or sadist I'm sure you'll be fine if you just live as best you can. There's a quote attributed to Marcus Aurelius that I feel is really pertinent here:



> Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.


EDIT: Why the hell are religious people coming into this forum and preaching about hell??? This is Atheist and Agnostic Support, not the Religious Discussion forum. FFS.


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## Paul

I respect people who believe there's a god, and who believe there's a heaven and a hell. But if you believe in a god who sends people to heaven or hell based on whether the people worship him/her/it, then your beliefs are frankly evil and reprehensible.

If there were a god, a god with a sense of justice, then actually it probably works the opposite of the way those people say. A just god would consider sycophants worshiping him expecting a reward to be an insult tarnishing his name, and would be disturbed by their belief that he would condemn non-believers to hell -- so those believers would in fact be the ones he'd condemn justly to hell.

Given that we never see god around checking us out or asking for attention, it's more than clear from the evidence that any existing god is one who's not concerned with marketing himself or being worshiped. He's got to be a pretty selfless guy or he'd be down here smiting people like in the old testament, so it stands to reason he'd disgusted by the worship and especially the worship-for-reward. So yeah, if there's a heaven and hell it's a good bet those who think worship gets them out of hell are the ones who are going to be sent to hell.



BRI85 said:


> I've heard it said that the realm after we die is more real than what we live in... this is just a " shadow " of what is real. Kinda crazy to think about that! It might be true though you never know!


Roger Zelazny wrote a whole series of books based on that. I'd like it to be true, because this world doesn't feel real enough sometimes.


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## BRI85

I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I struggle with the concept that I didnt even ask to be here... i was just born and here i am. And my experience of life here on this planet has been nothing but turmoil. And i am supposedly in a state where I am so sinful that I need a savior??? when he is the one that put me here. This is just not even fair. I just dont understand I guess. I grew up going to church like 3 times a week. I was adopted when i was 2yrs old. My life was hell from the very beginning and it has seriously just been getting worse and worse. How come the people that are truly selfish and have a wicked heart get all the good stuff, all the money, and whatever luxury they want??? Maybe I just have a huge target on my back that says " pick on her". I have made a ton of mistakes and struggled with depression and suicide attempts and debilitating anxiety with agoraphobia. A lot of it is due to PTSD. I try not to think about trying to figure out what the answer to this question is but i have come to the conclusion that I will never figure it out and it is what it is. I read a good book last week about how we always have time to change the story of our life. Trust me I dont know where these positive words even come from because I have such a hard time believing them to be true for me but I can encourage anyone else very easily. I love other people so much, I just cant seem to love myself> I feel like im insane lol.


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## Grog

And that's how religion works . 
Scare tactics and brainwashing , it's made them a lot of money and that's what is actually all about , nothing else .


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## Kevin001

Tetragammon said:


> EDIT: Why the hell are religious people coming into this forum and preaching about hell??? This is Atheist and Agnostic Support, not the Religious Discussion forum. FFS.


Whoa why was the religion parted deleted out of this subforum? People fought hard to add the religion part...its even in the sticky by Drew. Who deleted it and why??? Seriously.


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## TheWelshOne

Kevin001 said:


> Whoa why was the religion parted deleted out of this subforum? People fought hard to add the religion part...its even in the sticky by Drew. Who deleted it and why??? Seriously.


Nope, this is Agnostic and Atheist *Support,* as you have Spiritual Support. The Agnostic, Atheist and Religion *forum* is still there.


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## Kevin001

Ok I'm tripping lol...didn't realize they had 2 different ones. *facepalm


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## TheInvisibleHand

The only reason i am nice to people in real life is because i don't want to go to hell.


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## causalset

BRI85 said:


> I used to be terrified of hell and dying. Then when my grandma died I was sitting next to her and she grabbed my hand and said " oh honey! Can you see him? He is coming to pick me up and take me home! She wasn't talking that enthusiastically about the devil I know that! Then she looked at me and said if I live by faith and not by sight and never give up my faith then we will be together again someday. My grandmother lived by 4 "rules" that she instilled in me ever since I was little: 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don't take anything personally 3. Don't make assumptions 4. Always do your best. Sounds simple but it's hard. I love the last one because I struggle with procrastination and not making goals and just wanting to do nothing really. I gave up trying to compare myself with all the things people around me are accomplishing. I have very bad depression and anxiety and ptsd so no one knows what live from my perspective is like ( except for everyone on here mostly). So if I live by the 4 rules my grandmother taught me I can have rhe satisfaction of knowing I am doing my best and not have to worry about what others think about me because i am not taking anyone else's judgment personally. Or assuming someone is thinking crap about me. All of these things just make us hate ourselves even more. And if I am impeccable with my word " meaning, I say what I mean and mean what I say" I will not have any guilt that someone can hold over me. I'll be free! Thanks grandma ?


Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful and wise person. How long ago did she pass? I feel so sorry that you can't see her any more but I hope you do get to reunite with her in the afterlife.

On a side note, there are so few people nowdays that follow your grandma's rules, which is probably part of the reason the world is in such a bigger mess than it was at the time of your grandma generation.


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## Ominous Indeed

causalset said:


> Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful and wise person. How long ago did she pass? I feel so sorry that you can't see her any more but I hope you do get to reunite with her in the afterlife.
> 
> On a side note, there are so few people nowdays that follow your grandma's rules, which is probably part of the reason the world is in such a bigger mess than it was at the time of your grandma generation.


There was the first world war, second world war, korean war, cold war and probably lots of other wars going on back then. Yes, these wars were started by a few men, but I am still certain the world at this point in time is less of a mess now than then.


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## u0700

Death is a natural part of life, for one cannot exist without the other. Without life, there would be no death; without death, what is life? So why should you be afraid of what awaits you on the other side? Why limit the way you live your life, just to escape a fate that might not even be real? 
If you decide to become a better person due to your fear of hell; ask yourself if you're being genuine or not. If not, then are you happy living your life this way?


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## Ominous Indeed

causalset said:


> Actually that is a very legitimate point. In fact it is the number one reason why I became a Christian (otherwise I would be atheist). Fact is: you don't know what afterlife will bring. All the scientific research that would supposedly disprove God is based on imperical facts, and your imperical facts come from this world, NOT from afterlife. So fact is: you simply don't know. And then the most rational decision you could ever make with something you don't know is to play it safe: become a Christian in case there is hell. If you are Christian and Christianity is all wrong, you won't go to hell for it, since other religions don't have hell, or at least not eternal anyway. But if you aren't a Chrsitian and Christianity is right, then you would be buringing in hell. So its pretty simple. And, like I said, if not for the hell thing, I wouldn't be Christian anyway. So if hell is THE one thing that turned me from atheist to devout Christian then yes its a very good reason to change your faith.


 @tigersgirl

Your choice to convert seems ill-conceived.

According to a website I checked there are 4200 religions across the world. I have no numbers on how many of these believe in eternal hell but I think we can safely assume Christianity is not the only religion with eternal hell.

Assuming there was a correct religion wouldn't it make sense if it was the oldest one? According to several sources Hinduism is actually the oldest religion. Hinduism actually has hell as well you know, though only temporary.

Or maybe the biggest one? Yes, Christianity is the biggest religion at this time but Christianity is made of several denomities with different belief-systems and many don't believe in eternal hell. Islam is predicted to be the biggest religion by 2050.

Something that you might find interesting is this website. Hell might not have been all that you have thought it would be after all.

http://www.thehypertexts.com/Was Hell in the Original Bible.htm

I actually went through a few examples on his provided table checking the different bibles, and he doesn't seem to be lying. Sheol is converted into both "Grave" and "Hell" in the King James Version, and hell isn't mentioned in (at least) the books I checked from his table (instead Sheol or Hades (Is Christianity hell inspired by Greek mythology?) is mentioned). I found an interesting explanation for this on another website and that was the authors of the Kings James version didn't want to say that special people (I assume Jesus among others) went to Sheol, and so they chose to use "Grave" instead. Googling this you are a going to find a lot different information, and a lot different explanations (and just a lot of confusion in general). I personally haven't decided on what exactly Sheol is, but it seems to be different from the "Hell" being described in the newer bibles.

"Sheol is obviously not a physical place, but it is metaphorically spoken of as a land (Job 10:21) and having gates, which would make it a city (Isaiah 38:10, Psalm 9:14), but also as having a mouth (Numbers 16:30) and throat (Isaiah 5:14). It's a place of "darkness and deep shadow, utter gloom and deep shadow without order" (Job 10:21-22), and of silence (Psalm 94:17). There is no activity, planning or wisdom in Sheol (Ecclesiastes 9:11). The folks in there are mere shadows (Proverbs 21:16) and do little else than sleep (Jeremiah 51:39). Contrary to underworlds in other religions, the Hebrew realm of death wasn't run by anyone in particular. Still the Lord rules even there (Amos 9:2, Psalm 139:8)."

http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Sheol.html#.WeEa0RtPnDd

If you want to check the bibles yourself you can use this website (or similar websites): https://www.biblegateway.com

I think the bigger question is. What if you are wrong? Statistically speaking you are always more wrong than right, because no matter what you believe, there will be more people believing differently than you. If you are wrong then you have lived your ONLY? life following made up rules, being controlled by some false religion. I think that a true religion made by a real god would have no problem convincing everyone, it is the only way.


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## Were

BRI85 said:


> I used to be terrified of hell and dying. Then when my grandma died I was sitting next to her and she grabbed my hand and said " oh honey! Can you see him? He is coming to pick me up and take me home! She wasn't talking that enthusiastically about the devil I know that! Then she looked at me and said if I live by faith and not by sight and never give up my faith then we will be together again someday. My grandmother lived by 4 "rules" that she instilled in me ever since I was little: 1. Be impeccable with your word. 2. Don't take anything personally 3. Don't make assumptions 4. Always do your best. Sounds simple but it's hard. I love the last one because I struggle with procrastination and not making goals and just wanting to do nothing really. I gave up trying to compare myself with all the things people around me are accomplishing. I have very bad depression and anxiety and ptsd so no one knows what live from my perspective is like ( except for everyone on here mostly). So if I live by the 4 rules my grandmother taught me I can have rhe satisfaction of knowing I am doing my best and not have to worry about what others think about me because i am not taking anyone else's judgment personally. Or assuming someone is thinking crap about me. All of these things just make us hate ourselves even more. And if I am impeccable with my word " meaning, I say what I mean and mean what I say" I will not have any guilt that someone can hold over me. I'll be free! Thanks grandma ?


Those 4 rules are exactly from the book "The Four Agreements", did your grandmother tell you that?


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## James Drake

You ever lived with an ache so long you forgot about it? Well thats over afew years. Over *eternity* you would do the same with any pain imaginable, mental or physical, and you would be immortal. Capable of pondering any and all subjects until you have a mastery over them only dreamed of by mortals. Including how to escape.
Hell is a gun without bullets. Even if its real the threat is empty.


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## DeathBill

Am I fearing Hell, No not really... If I am indeed Hell bound some day then its because of sins I made & didn't choose to repent.. If I am HELL Bound, than so be it..I will go there to my 2nd Death to be destroyed in LAKE OF FIRE !! I accept my Fate !! because if I am Hell bound than I deserve what I got coming to me.. I am after all a Sinner as we all are.. Now i'd be lying if I said I completely wasn't afraid, I mean after all I am going to be burnt until I am ashes.. I am going to be destroyed once in for all.. So maybe alittle nervousness about going into the Lake of Fire to burn until I am ashes.. But still for the most part I am not totally afraid because I feel that once consumed by the flames & burning I will be in the midst of it.. Almost like fearing something before it happens yet during the process, your fears go away as it is happening.. I don't think it will take too long before I will be burned to ashes and be no more..


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## Backwoods Redneck

I think the Bible is the truth, but I'm not really a religious person. The reason I think it's true is because take a look at what the Bible says and take a look around the world today. Things are happening that it says would happen. Such as people turning away from God, and people who do believe in God are looked at as religious nuts by everyone else. You think the ridicule is bad now. It's only going to get worse in the future. Christians are already becoming a target and mocked by many just like the Bible said would happen. 

Eventually they will have to choose the mark or die for the faith. I can see it leading to that by looking around. Everything is revolved around money, and people are dependent upon the system even if they have a great job. They still get their food from grocery stores, and depend on hospitals for healthcare, therefore they are not self dependent and rely on the system to survive. What happens when the system changes down the road and you can't buy or sell without bowing to Satan? Many people will accept Satan to eat and feed their family, most already have. The true believers will choose to be slaughtered and have everlasting life because that's what God told them to do.

Look at all the celebrities who have admitted to selling their souls to Satan to get where they are. The people in the spotlight trying to influence the masses and conditioning them slowly to make it seem ok to be down with the devil. The masses get exposed to that long enough and when the time comes to make a choice, they will think of it as not a big deal because everyone else is doing it.

Look at all the companies with satanic symbols in their logo. Disney has 666 in it's logo. You think those devil horns hand signs that everyone loves to flash around, especially at concerts are harmless? There are many satanic hand signs and they bring power to evil and influence people in bad ways and most people don't understand it or think nothing of it. Go research the church of Satan and you'll realize that the same hand gestures are used to worship the dark prince. These same satanic hand gestures are used by the most powerful and influential people in the world. From actors, sports stars, corporations, politicians, religious leaders, royalty, world leaders, etc...


Anton LaVey, who was the founder of the church of Satan, and dedicated his whole life to it. On his deathbed, he had a vision. In his final moments, he comes to the terrible realization that he had allowed himself to be deceived by the devil and now faces eternity in hell. He begged Jesus for mercy right before he died.

You guys have probably heard of the Illuminati. Go check out the Illuminati Card Game New World Order that was released in 95-96. The card deck that predicts the future. There are forces way smarter and knowledgeable than the brightest minds on this planet and you can't sit there and tell me there isn't something strange going on around here.

These are just a few examples, there are many more, but I don't want to make this too long (already have) but want to get into why I think it's real, but why I'm still not totally on board.

God scares the **** out of me no doubt, but to me he seems like an egomaniac who looks out for his own interests and kind of selfish. I know we are under a new law with the new testament and all and things aren't like they were in the old testament for the most part, but that still doesn't change the fact that at one time God was a pretty whacked out being. At one time, this same God wanted us to sacrifice our children to prove our love to him. He sent bears to eat children, He allowed the king to slaughter many babies trying to kill baby Jesus. Basically, it seems to me like God enjoys watching his people suffer in this world to prove their love to him. I know beings can change but damn, that's all pretty extreme for a God who loves. 

So he changed the law when Jesus came, but how much did he really change. He still allows suffering, and people of faith are still expected to die for him to be rewarded. He still wants to torture and punish the people who disobeys him in the lake of fire for eternity. God is suppose to be all good, and created everything, so why did he create evil? If he was all good, evil would not even been in his mind to make. God almost seems like a loose cannon, and if you tick him off, hard telling what he'd do to you. Lets say you do lead a righteous life on this earth and make it to heaven, are you going to be walking on eggshells up there to not tick God off? Whose to say he wouldn't just kick you out of Heaven and send you to hell because you forgot your heavenly daily chores. I mean he's kicked angels out of Heaven so I'm thinking he wouldn't think twice about doing it to you. I know there's a lot I don't understand and our tiny human brains can't handle the knowledge of this situation, but I'm just giving my perspective on things. 

The Bible says that the majority of the people in this world will end up in Hell, and by taking a look around, I can believe it, but for now I guess I just don't care. Why do I want to go to Heaven and hang out with the almighty, the same one who sent my parents, children, wife, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and friends to suffer forever. I'd rather burn with my people than to sit beside and honor the psychopath that is responsible for all misery, evil, and punishing my loved ones. God seems a bit unpredictable and overwhelmingly unstable. Remember God created everything. Satan and evil falls into that category as well. He is all knowing so he knows everything that happens already, but chooses to let it play out. For what? Satisfaction? Maybe God gets off on misery. 

Plus God is a do as I say, not as I do type. He expects us to forgive people who rape our children, who kill our parents, who destroy our lives, but he won't do the same for us. We disobey his words, and we get tortured for eternity. What a loving and understanding God we all have. Such a role model, the almighty is. God can kiss my *** for now.


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## netsnetsnets

BRI85 said:


> I've heard it said that the realm after we die is more real than what we live in... this is just a " shadow " of what is real. Kinda crazy to think about that! It might be true though you never know!


inb4 "schizophrenia" but I am 100% hand-to-God serious when I say that I watched a ghost make coffee once, so this is what I'm leaning towards personally. Last year I spent some time in Texas hill country and had a lot of weird, unexplainable experiences that have made me rest easier knowing that there must be _something _after death for those who want it. (Those experiences immediately stopped once I moved back to Kansas, so I'm pretty sure it's not mental illness talking.) My entire family seems to be weirdly sensitive to ~ghost stuff~ and all have vivid, detailed stories about it. We're talking near death/out of body experiences, hearing ghosts, being attacked or chased by unseen forces, all that good stuff.

So, in my experience, spirits - who may or may not be trapped on earth, or (un)living here by choice - use other people's kitchens to make coffee and occasionally eat their food. Or they'll throw air conditioning units at you if they don't like you.


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## Backwoods Redneck

netsnetsnets said:


> inb4 "schizophrenia" but I am 100% hand-to-God serious when I say that I watched a ghost make coffee once, so this is what I'm leaning towards personally. Last year I spent some time in Texas hill country and had a lot of weird, unexplainable experiences that have made me rest easier knowing that there must be _something _after death for those who want it. (Those experiences immediately stopped once I moved back to Kansas, so I'm pretty sure it's not mental illness talking.) My entire family seems to be weirdly sensitive to ~ghost stuff~ and all have vivid, detailed stories about it. We're talking near death/out of body experiences, hearing ghosts, being attacked or chased by unseen forces, all that good stuff.
> 
> So, in my experience, spirits - who may or may not be trapped on earth, or (un)living here by choice - use other people's kitchens to make coffee and occasionally eat their food. Or they'll throw air conditioning units at you if they don't like you.


I believe you, but why the hell would a ghost/spirit need to eat or drink if they never had a vessel to keep alive?


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## WillYouStopDave

The only thing that scares me about being dead is I won't be there to know that I'm dead. Hell is living in agony. There are far worse things than death in life.


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## netsnetsnets

Backwoods ******* said:


> I believe you, but why the hell would a ghost/spirit need to eat or drink if they never had a vessel to keep alive?


idk, maybe they do it for fun? Kind of like how sometimes you're not hungry but you eat anyway because you're bored. Or they're stuck on this plane and just keep doing human things because it's what they're used to.

The coffee ghost wasn't even the first time I've heard of spirits eating/drinking, either. My grandmother lived in one of those creepy old-timey 100 year old houses for a while when she was younger, and she swears that (1) she could always smell someone cooking soup in one particular room and (2) that something would always drink all their milk when nobody was around to do it. The shadowy person-shaped figure I saw (in the reflection of a turned off TV) was puttering around the kitchen when I spotted it, like it owned the place.

I'm also pretty sure I heard it eating my bio dad (the home owner)'s potato chips. What a jackass ghost.


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## clarkekent

causalset said:


> Actually that is a very legitimate point. In fact it is the number one reason why I became a Christian (otherwise I would be atheist). Fact is: you don't know what afterlife will bring.


My friend says he is Jesus Christ and if you don't believe, you will go to hell and suffer for eternity.

Don't believe? What if you're wrong?


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## netsnetsnets

clarkekent said:


> My friend says he is Jesus Christ and if you don't believe, you will go to hell and suffer for eternity.
> 
> Don't believe? What if you're wrong?


Make him turn some water into wine to prove it. Then you know if he's the real deal _and _you get everything you need for a rockin' party.


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## clarkekent

netsnetsnets said:


> Make him turn some water into wine to prove it. Then you know if he's the real deal _and _you get everything you need for a rockin' party.


Some of his followers have seen it with their own eyes. I can show the paper it is written on to prove it.

Besides, if my friend proves it then it is not called faith. It becomes a fact and defeats the original purpose. The less proof and the more faith someone has in him, the more devout and the greater the rewards in the afterlife >


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## Ominous Indeed

Backwoods ******* said:


> I think the Bible is the truth, but I'm not really a religious person. The reason I think it's true is because take a look at what the Bible says and take a look around the world today. Things are happening that it says would happen. Such as people turning away from God, and people who do believe in God are looked at as religious nuts by everyone else. You think the ridicule is bad now. It's only going to get worse in the future. Christians are already becoming a target and mocked by many just like the Bible said would happen.
> 
> Eventually they will have to choose the mark or die for the faith. I can see it leading to that by looking around. Everything is revolved around money, and people are dependent upon the system even if they have a great job. They still get their food from grocery stores, and depend on hospitals for healthcare, therefore they are not self dependent and rely on the system to survive. What happens when the system changes down the road and you can't buy or sell without bowing to Satan? Many people will accept Satan to eat and feed their family, most already have. The true believers will choose to be slaughtered and have everlasting life because that's what God told them to do.
> 
> Look at all the celebrities who have admitted to selling their souls to Satan to get where they are. The people in the spotlight trying to influence the masses and conditioning them slowly to make it seem ok to be down with the devil. The masses get exposed to that long enough and when the time comes to make a choice, they will think of it as not a big deal because everyone else is doing it.
> 
> Look at all the companies with satanic symbols in their logo. Disney has 666 in it's logo. You think those devil horns hand signs that everyone loves to flash around, especially at concerts are harmless? There are many satanic hand signs and they bring power to evil and influence people in bad ways and most people don't understand it or think nothing of it. Go research the church of Satan and you'll realize that the same hand gestures are used to worship the dark prince. These same satanic hand gestures are used by the most powerful and influential people in the world. From actors, sports stars, corporations, politicians, religious leaders, royalty, world leaders, etc...
> 
> Anton LaVey, who was the founder of the church of Satan, and dedicated his whole life to it. On his deathbed, he had a vision. In his final moments, he comes to the terrible realization that he had allowed himself to be deceived by the devil and now faces eternity in hell. He begged Jesus for mercy right before he died.
> 
> You guys have probably heard of the Illuminati. Go check out the Illuminati Card Game New World Order that was released in 95-96. The card deck that predicts the future. There are forces way smarter and knowledgeable than the brightest minds on this planet and you can't sit there and tell me there isn't something strange going on around here.
> 
> These are just a few examples, there are many more, but I don't want to make this too long (already have) but want to get into why I think it's real, but why I'm still not totally on board.
> 
> God scares the **** out of me no doubt, but to me he seems like an egomaniac who looks out for his own interests and kind of selfish. I know we are under a new law with the new testament and all and things aren't like they were in the old testament for the most part, but that still doesn't change the fact that at one time God was a pretty whacked out being. At one time, this same God wanted us to sacrifice our children to prove our love to him. He sent bears to eat children, He allowed the king to slaughter many babies trying to kill baby Jesus. Basically, it seems to me like God enjoys watching his people suffer in this world to prove their love to him. I know beings can change but damn, that's all pretty extreme for a God who loves.
> 
> So he changed the law when Jesus came, but how much did he really change. He still allows suffering, and people of faith are still expected to die for him to be rewarded. He still wants to torture and punish the people who disobeys him in the lake of fire for eternity. God is suppose to be all good, and created everything, so why did he create evil? If he was all good, evil would not even been in his mind to make. God almost seems like a loose cannon, and if you tick him off, hard telling what he'd do to you. Lets say you do lead a righteous life on this earth and make it to heaven, are you going to be walking on eggshells up there to not tick God off? Whose to say he wouldn't just kick you out of Heaven and send you to hell because you forgot your heavenly daily chores. I mean he's kicked angels out of Heaven so I'm thinking he wouldn't think twice about doing it to you. I know there's a lot I don't understand and our tiny human brains can't handle the knowledge of this situation, but I'm just giving my perspective on things.
> 
> The Bible says that the majority of the people in this world will end up in Hell, and by taking a look around, I can believe it, but for now I guess I just don't care. Why do I want to go to Heaven and hang out with the almighty, the same one who sent my parents, children, wife, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and friends to suffer forever. I'd rather burn with my people than to sit beside and honor the psychopath that is responsible for all misery, evil, and punishing my loved ones. God seems a bit unpredictable and overwhelmingly unstable. Remember God created everything. Satan and evil falls into that category as well. He is all knowing so he knows everything that happens already, but chooses to let it play out. For what? Satisfaction? Maybe God gets off on misery.
> 
> Plus God is a do as I say, not as I do type. He expects us to forgive people who rape our children, who kill our parents, who destroy our lives, but he won't do the same for us. We disobey his words, and we get tortured for eternity. What a loving and understanding God we all have. Such a role model, the almighty is. God can kiss my *** for now.


Try to imagine a person creating the bible, and this person wanted to control everyone. Try to do to it once, and a lot of things is going to make sense.

Let's assume you are living in the roman empire. One of the greatest empires in the world, and this empire stretches across half of Europe and parts of the middle. How do you control that many people? You use religion, just like so many other societies has done before them and continue to use today. North Korea, Kim Jung is a god on earth or the Egypt, The Pharaohs were a god on earth. Thousands of thousands of other religions uses similar techniques.

Does all these make sense to if a person invented religion and wanted to control people? (And all the other things you can think of)

* Hell (Everyone wants the empire to grow)
* Laws about what to eat and not what to eat (North Korea has similar rules)
* Laws about what clothes to wear (North Korea has similar rules) 
* Love your brothers (The people living in the roman empire)
* Don't marry outsiders (The people outside of the roman empire)
* To justify slavery (Every empire needs slavery to grow)
* Witches (Obviously people who prayed to other religions, No religions wants this for obvious reasons). I have never seen a witch in my entire life, or met anyone that can use magic of any sort.


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## DSusan

Some where down the line we all experience such a horrible thought but trust me if you keep doing good deeds you won't get such thoughts again in your mind. By the way i would help you if you went to hell - hahahaha


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## slyfox

I had that for awhile after quitting being Christian(Probably less than a year?). If you try to live a good life and get put in Hell anyway for not being Christian, the Christian god can't be a very good god. I would hope if there was such a place as hell and god chose who went, that he'd reserve it for truly horrible people. 

There are so many religions out there with devout followers, how can god expect you to know that Christianity is the one true religion instead of thinking all religions are potentially BS?


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## sad1231234

I dont even think about hell because i think it is so ridiculous. I mean, eternal fire, flames, for everyone who doesnt accept god, really? That is so obviously made up by a bunch of mere human beings. What kind of sick **** would create a bunch of people just to throw them all in hell and call himself benevolent(in one way or another)? Or say that he is love. It's twisted. Not to mention, the consistency of the cosmos with evolution such as with evil and problems and genetic mutation, the logical boundaries of the doctrine of religion such as why did god create us in only a lowly 3 dimensional plane of existence when he is omnipotent, and the verses in the bible that advocate slavery, genocide and rape.


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## RMS

I fear life more than death. If there is a hell and a divine judge, I would assume it would account for trying. All we can do is try.


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## sad1231234

Yes, what if? What if we do wake up in hell? Biblical hell? Or what about the Buddhist version of hell? Or the Hindu hell? Or the Egyptian or Greek or Roman or Aztec or Babylonian or Celtic or Chinese or Mongolian or Persian version of hell? Or what if there is just an evil god after all, who has some horrible eternal fate prepared for everyone? 

Or maybe we are in a computer simulation, as the multi billionaire Elon Musk says, a simulation designed by advanced civilizations or future humans to simulate the events of the universe much like a scientists does some tests? A simulation in which whoever runs it can do whatever they want to you. Or maybe a multidimensional race of advanced highly conscious entities created us just for fun? And maybe when they are done with us, we will all be thrown in some kind of outer-physical hell forever and ever? 

What if our consciousness exists in some horrible cosmic matrix of suffering and sustains the illusion that things are alright? What if we are just brains in a large vat/jar/bucket in a human/alien experiment? What if the famous multiverse theory is true and we do in fact exist among infinite universes, universes in which versions of ourselves may be suffering horrific eternal fates?



Life is messed up, just flow with it. We cant change a single thing so there is no point in feeling bad about it.


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## abiologicalblunder

Oh yes, I fear hell...very much so as I am currently trapped in its domain. "Life is hell, and the sweet still night of absolute death is the annihilation of hell."


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## sad1231234

Ominous Indeed said:


> Try to imagine a person creating the bible, and this person wanted to control everyone. Try to do to it once, and a lot of things is going to make sense.
> 
> Let's assume you are living in the roman empire. One of the greatest empires in the world, and this empire stretches across half of Europe and parts of the middle. How do you control that many people? You use religion, just like so many other societies has done before them and continue to use today. North Korea, Kim Jung is a god on earth or the Egypt, The Pharaohs were a god on earth. Thousands of thousands of other religions uses similar techniques.
> 
> Does all these make sense to if a person invented religion and wanted to control people? (And all the other things you can think of)
> 
> * Hell (Everyone wants the empire to grow)
> * Laws about what to eat and not what to eat (North Korea has similar rules)
> * Laws about what clothes to wear (North Korea has similar rules)
> * Love your brothers (The people living in the roman empire)
> * Don't marry outsiders (The people outside of the roman empire)
> * To justify slavery (Every empire needs slavery to grow)
> * Witches (Obviously people who prayed to other religions, No religions wants this for obvious reasons). I have never seen a witch in my entire life, or met anyone that can use magic of any sort.


Bingo! Beautiful post. The bible was written when the israelites first came out of egypt and when they were in egypt(i think, i dont know). Imagine, millions of former slaves, rough and hardened from centuries of slavery, imagine how much crime they would cause, it would be rampant. Imagine how wild a nation that would make. So the tribal leaders believed that they needed laws, and very stern, strict laws. They needed times to work, they needed a day off on the weekend to rest and to provide motivation, they needed strict punishments for wrongdoings, etc. If it werent for the bible, the Isrealites would have probably struggled to form into a nation. And yes, they kept slaves, the bible says that God commanded them to treat their slaves this or that way.

God tells them to smash their idols, but he doesnt tell them to abolish slavery??? Read exodus 21, that is the Bible's morals at its core, all the Jesus stuff is just the shiny sugar coating. I have no idea who jesus was but he could have been some random preacher or something for all we know, i dont know, i havent even read the whole bible. All i know is that the bible is full of verses advocating slavery, rape, and genocide. Oh and the Bible is just boiling over with misogny, people can say whatever the hell they like about women making the first sin or husbands being the head of the households, but i just see misogyny. All races at that era and throughout history have put down females for reasons other than the reasons that the Bible "commanded". So whats to say that the bible wasnt made by a bunch of controlling, misogynystic people looking to make a tribe into a kingdom?


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## railcar82594

Backwoods ******* said:


> Look at all the celebrities who have admitted to selling their souls to Satan to get where they are. The people in the spotlight trying to influence the masses and conditioning them slowly to make it seem ok to be down with the devil. The masses get exposed to that long enough and when the time comes to make a choice, they will think of it as not a big deal because everyone else is doing it.
> 
> Look at all the companies with satanic symbols in their logo. Disney has 666 in it's logo. You think those devil horns hand signs that everyone loves to flash around, especially at concerts are harmless? There are many satanic hand signs and they bring power to evil and influence people in bad ways and most people don't understand it or think nothing of it. Go research the church of Satan and you'll realize that the same hand gestures are used to worship the dark prince. These same satanic hand gestures are used by the most powerful and influential people in the world. From actors, sports stars, corporations, politicians, religious leaders, royalty, world leaders, etc...


I agree with this part. There's been too many rumors and reports of secret societies where certain music and media celebrities and power elite are members and often helped to high success in their careers. A few in the industry, maybe independent, have tried to give out hints to the public about conspiracies, such as Kubrick in his movies. At first some movies tried to depict aliens as friendly such as CE3K during the times of ufo cults. Nowadays, aliens are mostly depicted as fiendish invaders from space again rather than demonic, which seems to prepare the public for a future staged invasion deception by the deep states/antichrist. They keep pushing for peoples' pets to be chipped. Eventually, the pressure will be to take the beast-chip on the hand or forehead for everyone.


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## vela

I've never worried about hell. I worry about if there is an afterlife. I really just want it to be over after this life. Thankfully I'm pretty sure there's nothing after this and I'm looking forward to it. lol

Oddly the only time I worry about death is what's going to happen to my stuff when I die? I was looking at some estate sale listings online and it's so sad to see people's lives on sale like that. Even things like family photos. Is that all that will be left of me when I'm gone? My life will just be a collection of things that are only valued for their monetary value. That kind of bothers me. I know I'll never have children, so all I'll leave the world is a bunch of stuff.


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## AvoidantGuy

Can't be afraid of something that doesn't exist.


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## sad1231234

vela said:


> I've never worried about hell. I worry about if there is an afterlife. I really just want it to be over after this life. Thankfully I'm pretty sure there's nothing after this and I'm looking forward to it. lol
> 
> Oddly the only time I worry about death is what's going to happen to my stuff when I die? I was looking at some estate sale listings online and it's so sad to see people's lives on sale like that. Even things like family photos. Is that all that will be left of me when I'm gone? My life will just be a collection of things that are only valued for their monetary value. That kind of bothers me. I know I'll never have children, so all I'll leave the world is a bunch of stuff.


Yeah life is sad but thats just the way it is i guess. We will leave everything behind, all of our memories, experiences and emotions/feelings. Unless we find someone, no one will ever know our lives or our feelings. Our entire existences will be experienced only by us and then they will be lost in the void of nothingness forever. It sucks.


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## sad1231234

coyeyes said:


> Yeah its scary


But when you think about it, there are so many reasons why hell probably doesnt exist. There have been so many different cultures and religions that say that non-believers go to hell, so why would the Christian hell be any more real? There is no solid evidence for the Christian hell and no good god would put anyone good in there, especially not forever. Besides, the the biblical god tells the people of the biblical times to do all sorts of awful things, almost seeming to contradict his self-said benevolent nature. After all, god in the bible says that he is love.


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## notBlair

Growing up catholic I can relate to the feelings of lingering religiosity. But I'm not sure what you'd want us to say. I'm sure a benevolent god would not spite you for doubting their existence when they've done nothing to prove they even exist in the first place (thus removing all reasonable doubt).

*imaginary thanks to the person who posted that Richard Dawkins reply & the person who said you can't be afraid of something that doesn't exist*


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## Chevy396

This is actually the reason why I had to start using Valium in the first place. A little over ten years ago I started worrying about going to hell or even actually already being in hell and never being able to escape. The only thing that made those thoughts go away was some Xanax from the dentist. So I begged for a prescription from my psychiatrist and it worked after I broke down in tears.

It took me most of that ten years to study theology inside and out until I uncovered that the bible never actually talks about hell. Certainly not an eternal one. Thus the idea of purgatory, or just universal salvation.

Why this is not mainstream theology I'm not sure, because it is far more credible than the belief in an eternal hell. Somehow hell simply became a popular idea though. More through people saying "Ask for forgiveness and you will be saved from hell!". It sounds innocent enough, and even helpful, but the fact is if nobody had ever heard of the concept of burning in hell forever we would be better off.

The understanding that I have finally settled on is how a couple of small versus in the bible about suffering in "hell" have been mistranslated to mean eternal suffering in an alternate dimension called hell, but in reality the original writers were talking about the natural way that life will punish us for our mistakes, aka karma. The word that modern theology accepts as "eternal" really just meant "a very long time, or very intense time.".

This happens in other places as well, like in genesis when it says that God make the earth in seven days, it also says that an eon is like one day to God, so when it says he took seven days it really took seven eons.

This is the main problem with a literal translation of the bible. Words mean different things to different time periods, different cultures, and different languages. If you don't take the words in the context of many different things, you lose what the writer was trying to say, and may end up with a very different and extreme idea of what they meant.

By now I don't even take the bible seriously, but I had to study it very carefully in order to break out of the maze of fear and guilt that was instilled in me since childhood. I now consider it abuse to teach a child, or anyone, that they will burn in hell for eternity if they don't do something.


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## Rachel NG

sad1231234 said:


> Bingo! Beautiful post. The bible was written when the israelites first came out of egypt and when they were in egypt(i think, i dont know). Imagine, millions of former slaves, rough and hardened from centuries of slavery, imagine how much crime they would cause, it would be rampant. Imagine how wild a nation that would make. So the tribal leaders believed that they needed laws, and very stern, strict laws. They needed times to work, they needed a day off on the weekend to rest and to provide motivation, they needed strict punishments for wrongdoings, etc. If it werent for the bible, the Isrealites would have probably struggled to form into a nation. And yes, they kept slaves, the bible says that God commanded them to treat their slaves this or that way.


That explanation doesn't really work since the Jews were never actually slaves in Egypt. That's just another biblical story that didn't actually happen, according to the actual historical and archaeological evidence.

It's more likely these myths and laws grew out of oral traditions that start getting written down as writing developed and some of those writings were eventually compiled into their holy books.


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## karthik077

Side effects of Christianity .
If you're skeptical about afterlife
You can do either of the following:
1. Please Die
Or
2. Listen to your conscience and believe in karma 

And I assure you 
You won't burn in hell


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## DeathBill

BRI85 said:


> There is always three sides to every story/theory: yours, mine, and the truth!


True


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## sad1231234

Rachel NG said:


> That explanation doesn't really work since the Jews were never actually slaves in Egypt. That's just another biblical story that didn't actually happen, according to the actual historical and archaeological evidence.
> 
> It's more likely these myths and laws grew out of oral traditions that start getting written down as writing developed and some of those writings were eventually compiled into their holy books.


Yeah i dont really know the history of it lol


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## tigersgirl

I dreamt that I was still in college, on campus. My bf and I got some interesting movies to watch and went to my dorm room. We put in the first one, which was about science (or so I thought). In one scene, a scientist was explaining evolution. She showed all these animals hobbling along (birds, ducks) to show the (creepy) continuum up to humans. She said we're all animals, we're all interconnected, because no animals eat their own young (not sure if that's actually true). Then, the scientist was transported about 1,000 years into the future. There was an amazingly intelligent woman of the future there, way more brilliant than anyone from our time. She seemed "pure" and good. She was surrounded by a lavender light. She was apparently spiritual. She said "you all haven't seen anything! You all haven't seen anything! You don't know anything!" After that scene, I started wondering about alien life and spiritual/celestial beings.

Meanwhile, my bf, who had already gone to a tequila party earlier (which he did in real life earlier today), went and drank a ton of liquor. He said he had to take a shower. He ran back to the room, panting. I was shocked. He said "nobody saw me. The hallway is empty." Then a security guard knocked on the door and my bf answered. "Step out into the hallway." He stepped out. "Face the wall." He faced it. I thought he was about to get arrested for public drunkenness. "Stand there until I say it's okay to move." The guard then came in the room and said, "he's drunk right now, so I'll have him stand against the wall until he sobers up. Then he can go back in." I said okay.

Then I went back to contemplating life after what I saw in the movie. 'What's the point?' I wondered? Then I wondered, 'what's the difference between being alive and being dead? If you're dead, you're not even aware of it...right? So what's the difference?' 

Suddenly, a creepy, optimistic tune started playing, with a woman singing with glee, "whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger..."

Then I thought to myself that Nietzche was likely lost and is probably burning in hell.


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## gumballhead

What if, what if? What if when we die we are sent to an alternate universe and we start our lives all over again? What if God is actually a pig and most of us are going to hell for murdering his many piggy friends? There are a million possibilities of what could be in the afterlife, but all of them are formed by the human imagination. There is really no reason to believe you're going to hell for not believing in a bronze age deity from a religion that is dwindling in numbers as we speak. I believe in this day and age, the majority of Christians continue to believe because of a deep rooted and absurd fear of eternal punishment for daring to use the minds they were born with. Most of them are intelligent enough to comprehend that most of the stories in the bible are impossible and that the idea of a god is silly, but the fear mongering they received during their childhoods continues to stick with them throughout their lives, and they go for the "better safe than sorry" route. At best, God can be seen as a criminal who holds the entire human race hostage for their entire lives, forcing them to do his will or face hell forever. Believing in something because you're scared of the consequences doesn't really equal a love for that thing, just a fear. Why would any sane creator worth worshipping want everyone to be afraid of him?


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## Richard Pawgins

For me personally if hell exist


I WOULD GLADLY GO THERE than to be around a God that allows all the evil stuff to happen here on this Earth


Its the only morally right thing to do


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## CNikki

It took a fairly long time for me to come to terms that I shouldn't fear something such as hell. Even if it were to exist and a God puts people in it simply for not believing or for not doing so 'the right way,' then I don't think I'd want to associate with such a God in the first place. Where's the justice and unconditional love in that?

If we were to compare two people, one who lived like Mother Teresa and yet didn't believe and one who lived like Hitler and towards the end of their life believed, if God were to accept only those who believed which makes the Hitler-like person go to heaven, again, where's the justice in that?

Just one of many fallacies that took time for me to essentially get over. Organized religion tends to really mess up the psyche.


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