March 10, 2005

Now Where I Tell People To Go?

from - smijer

Via Boy in the Bands, Christians who dispute the doctrine of eternal damnation. As one of the major obstacles between the Christian religion and moral thinking, it would be good to see this one fall. I doubt the trend will catch, though: fear sells.

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Posted by smijer at March 10, 2005 09:45 PM
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Hell sells mainly because everybody has somebody that they wish was there or going (Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden)

Hell is an interesting subject once you get into more accurate translations of the words used in the new testament and translated as "hell" (sheol, gehenna, hades, and tartaros)

Personally I put aside the doctrine of eternal damnation long, long ago. The threat of hell was used originally to keep people in line. And as Dr. Phil is fond of saying "How is that working for you?"

It is a ridiculous concept and if you believe in God and that God has any capacity for love at all then the doctrine of eternal damnation is easily disgarded.

univar.jpg Posted by Buck on March 11, 2005 11:49 AM
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I was raised Seventh-day Adventist, and they have a different view of hell. Their biblical interpretation is that an un-redeemed (wicked) person will simply undergo a "final death" following the last judgement, and so their connotation of "hell" is of "eternal separation," not of a conscious, tortured existence. It imbues a bit more justice and mercy to the god figure, but then of course there are all kinds of problems with determining just whom, exactly, gets to enjoy the eternal reward and whom else is forever wiped from existence (and, conveniently enough, memory, so you don't have to spend eternity pining for someone who didn't make it).

univar.jpg Posted by joe on March 11, 2005 02:18 PM
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I kinda like the verse that says something like "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive” For me that pretty much covers everybody. I would have to hear more information as to how one is redeemed and another is left unredeemed. But I am all for anybody believing anything they want to believe or feel they need to believe. I have heard the argument that "hell is separation from God" but if God is omnipresent separtation is not possible so that would not work for me.

Psalms 139 verse 8, That even if you make your bed
in hell, I am there,'

Now that is beginning to sound like omnipresence.

univar.jpg Posted by Buck on March 11, 2005 11:35 PM
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