hell

[twoblacknines]

I am at a point in my life where I am not sure what I believe. It's a funny feeling, asking yourself what you truly believe, and only recieving an "I don't know" I have had points in my life where I felt christian, then points where I felt atheist, then agnostic (insert joke about nostics being atheist with no balls).

My main problem with Christianity is the idea of hell. The bible seems to teach forgiveness, but the idea of going to hell for eternity for doubting God seems very contradictory to this teaching.

After being in hell for 1 million years would God not find it in his heart to allow an atheist to repent and be accepted into heaven? I would really like to hear some believers answer to this.

Say a scientist has doubts about God and never truly believes, but creates a cure for HIV and saves literally millions of lives. He dies and is then sent to hell? What about the Christian who attends church every sunday without fail, but never saves 1 human life? He is given a VIP pass into heaven while the scientist burns eternally? This I cannot accept.

Maybe man just has God wrong. But if we are to look solely at the bible then we must take it as God's word, and cannot just say well everything is true except the whole hell part.

If my only options were to believe in:

1) God+our notion of hell or

2) No God

Then my logical side can only come to conclusion #2.

I have liked some of John's posts, and the idea of looking at the bible in metaphors. It at least makes some of the things in the bible make more sense. Some people say hell is simply an absence from God. This seems more acceptable than burning forever (literal interpretation). But even then I still think if God exists, that he would be RATIONAL and compromise on the whole sending good people to hell thing. I still feel that God may exists, but maybe he is not like the strict christian definition.

** Sorry for the long post. I have been wanting to make this for awhile and everything just kind of came out at once, so it may not be very well thought out or organized.

[CaseS87]

If you choose to omit certain parts of the Bible that you don't like, you may as well create your own religion.

I have come to the conclusion that the only reason people are trying to interpret the Bible metaphorically is because many things in the Bible are completely unreasonable. Because of human nature's upward trend in knowledge and increase in reason, some attempt to mold reason into the Bible. My point is that God didn't come down out of the clouds and tell us "Genesis is actually not true and was written to sort of metaphorically describe the big bang which actually happened 14 billion years ago." Applying reason to the Bible through means of alternate interpretation is entirely man made, making the Bible essentially useless.

[txag007]

One question and one comment:

First, what does the Bible actually say about hell?

and secondly,

[ QUOTE ]
What about the Christian who attends church every sunday without fail, but never saves 1 human life? He is given a VIP pass into heaven while the scientist burns eternally?

[/ QUOTE ]
You're wrong about the VIP part.

9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:9-13

[twoblacknines]

txag007,

but what about the scientist who cured HIV? Or an organ donor whose donation saves a kids life? I guess my basic question is:

good people, who have led moral lives and had a positive affect on humanity, but had doubts about God/Jesus - according to the bible they are going to hell.

But being that God would be more advanced then any human, and is supposed to love all creatures, what justification would there be than making good people stay in hell forever? I can't believe God would be so insecure as to exact revenge on people doubting his existence. Even if non-believers were given a punishment, say 1,000 years in hell and then allowed into heaven, wouldn't that make more sense. The bible preaches forgiveness, so shouldn't God be able to forgive humans, who are far from perfect?

[FortunaMaximus]

Try reading Dante. You might gain a broader view of the issue.

By any means, it's an interesting journey.

[dknightx]

read revelations, there will be a day that God will defeat the devil, etc, etc. not really sure what happens to people in hell after that.

secondly, you put too much emphasis on the value and importance of life. if you believe in an afterlife, death isn't as bad as it seems.

finally, if i kill someone who would have eventually killed 2 people, am i doing good?

[revots33]

My opinion is that the idea of hell is so bizarre that only man could have invented it. If you believe in god, and wish to continue doing so, I see no reason to disregard the notion of hell without a second thought if it is the only stumbling block.

[madnak]

[ QUOTE ]
but the idea of going to hell for eternity for any reason seems very contradictory to this teaching.

[/ QUOTE ]

The doctrine of hell is pretty much the worst invention of humanity, at least in theory. In practice I think most people who believe in hell are too shortsighted or unimaginative to appreciate the magnitude of that. Simply by being alive, you're perpetually risking a fate worse than anyone has ever imagined. That makes a gun in your face seem like a bucket of fun.

[Skidoo]

[ QUOTE ]
the idea of going to hell for eternity

[/ QUOTE ]

Chapter and verse, please.

[hashi92]

hell is like the boogie man. you use it to scare the little kids so that they will listen to you.