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#1
11-06-2007, 12:51 PM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,
Why would you interpret this literally? Don't you see the poetic drama with a purpose in this language? It is meant to draw a mental picture. Have you taken these passages out of content? You usually can't examine a biblical message by a line or two. This is inspired writing you are taking out of context. An excerpt: many Christians believe that inspiration should be described as thought-for-thought rather than word-for-word. The human writers provide God’s message in terms of their own personalities and historical circumstances, and yet they transmit the message fully and exactly as God desired. So we can call this view of inspiration “dynamic”, as well as “verbal” (extending to the very words of the writer) and “plenary” (meaning that the Bible is fully and totally inspired.) There's a third view of inspiration, too. This view asserts that the writers of the Bible were indeed inspired, but so were many great artists, musicians, and authors. Some superhuman, transcendent, divine aura possessed them and they produced works of sheer genius. Excerpt from: http://www.ibs.org/bibles/about/5.php 
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#2
11-06-2007, 06:52 PM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I am confused about this hell. I have a bible with me, direct me to the passage that describes hell. Thanks. [/ QUOTE ] Any help here? You all seem to have intimate knowledge of this hell place. There must be some interesting passages in the bible that go into depth about this place. [/ QUOTE ] Nothing in-depth. Just eternal fire. Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 9:44 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. Matthew 25:41 Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;' Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire. 20:15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. [/ QUOTE ] So, all we know about hell is that there are worms and people who have joined satan and a lake of fire. That's not really that bad IMO. I never saw satan sacrifice his own child for a mistake he made. I am more afraid of going to heaven and hanging out with this God character. Although I am more of an atheist. While these myths are good fun I don't think I am going to die and go to a lake of fire or a place of clouds. For that matter when I die I know I have no shot at coming back as Case Closed the White. I don't worry about stories.
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#3
11-06-2007, 02:25 PM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] I am confused about this hell. I have a bible with me, direct me to the passage that describes hell. Thanks. [/ QUOTE ] Any help here? You all seem to have intimate knowledge of this hell place. There must be some interesting passages in the bible that go into depth about this place. [/ QUOTE ] You know how to use Google right?? Also, aside from quoting a bunch of scripture that may or may not help you, try reading Luke 16:19-31.
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#4
11-06-2007, 04:17 AM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
[ QUOTE ]
Naw, I worry about how to live my life instead [/ QUOTE ] eternity is a long time compared to one's life on Earth. you may just cease to exist when u die...or u may live on for eternity...really could be either one...
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#5
11-06-2007, 04:22 AM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
Well, bastard religions who stole their religious terms from existing beliefs and changed to suit their needs and continued to change them over the next 2000 years is really the least of my worries when it comes to an afterlife.
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#6
11-06-2007, 05:21 AM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Naw, I worry about how to live my life instead [/ QUOTE ] eternity is a long time compared to one's life on Earth. you may just cease to exist when u die...or u may live on for eternity...really could be either one... [/ QUOTE ] And if you don't potentially exist for eternity, then this attitude is a colossal waste. Seriously, this debate was played out like a century ago. But good luck in your evangelism. I hear that convincing others of the righteousness of your actions makes you get more virgins in heaven. Someday everyone will act exactly as you want them to!!
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#7
11-06-2007, 12:51 PM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Naw, I worry about how to live my life instead [/ QUOTE ] eternity is a long time compared to one's life on Earth. you may just cease to exist when u die...or u may live on for eternity...really could be either one... [/ QUOTE ] And if you don't potentially exist for eternity, then this attitude is a colossal waste. Seriously, this debate was played out like a century ago. But good luck in your evangelism. I hear that convincing others of the righteousness of your actions makes you get more virgins in heaven. Someday everyone will act exactly as you want them to!! [/ QUOTE ] No evangelism...just asking an honest human question: if one's fears an eternal afterlife, even in the slightest. I agree, I'm scared about the simple idea of living for eternity w/no end, never being able to cease to exist. But if that's the way it is...I'd be even more worried of eternity in hell.
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#8
11-06-2007, 01:35 PM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Naw, I worry about how to live my life instead [/ QUOTE ] eternity is a long time compared to one's life on Earth. you may just cease to exist when u die...or u may live on for eternity...really could be either one... [/ QUOTE ] Wow, flip a coin huh?
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#9
11-06-2007, 04:25 AM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
The concept of hell seriously [censored] me up as a kid. There's still some lingering episodic fear, but it's well under control now. I am a hypochondriac and I experience significant anxiety regarding my health - this may be the legacy of hell.
Thankfully, the power of religion to terrorize me gets weaker and weaker as I get older.
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#10
11-06-2007, 04:29 AM
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Re: Does the thought of Hell ever scare an atheist?
[ QUOTE ]
The concept of hell seriously [censored] me up as a kid. There's still some lingering episodic fear, but it's well under control now. I am a hypochondriac and I experience significant anxiety regarding my health - this may be the legacy of hell. Thankfully, the power of religion to terrorize me gets weaker and weaker as I get older. [/ QUOTE ] That's a very good point. I'm glad my family (who were Christians) didn't believe in hell, nor did they 'teach' christianity to us kids before we were 15 (we picked up bits and piecesit ofcourse, but there was no 'indoctrination', rituals or christenings or stuff like that).
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