Do you fear Hell?

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Originally Posted By: bobalicious Originally Posted By: damienThe fear that people I love will go there...that's another thing altogether. I suppose this requires the question, what are the (your) requirements for going to Hell or being saved? If nobody is to be judged by their actions then what are the standards? It's not a matter of standards, really. God has a standard, which is basically perfection. Of course nobody but Jesus has ever or will ever meet that standard. So God provided a way - through Jesus - to redeem our relationship with Him. So the "requrements", as you call it, is pretty simple. Accept the sacrifice Jesus made, profess our belief in him, and make the choice to live a life with him.As for works, the Bible makes it clear that salvation is a gift from God, and has nothing to do with works. If I choose not to accept Christ, I will be judged by my works and my deeds, and I will be found seriously lacking. If I accept Christ, I receive salvation in spite of my works and deeds.I really hope I didn't come across as preaching or trying to proselytize! That certainly not my intention. But I think you're asking good - and fair - questions, so I just wanted to try to answer them directly as best I can.

Actually it’s in the Bible more than twice. But all of them are taken out of content most of the time. This is why it’s important to read a whole chapter and not a verse or two. Often people don’t read their Bible and just believe what their told - sometimes it’s just turned into an interposition or what he/she wants you to think it means. Simply :We can not make judgmental, condemning, and hateful statements about a person. We can evaluate others if we do it righteously after listening and knowing the truth. God wants us to judge with a heart of love NOT negativity or slander.

What about people who are good but don't know God or choose not to know him, following another faith or no faith at all. Are they condemned for their distance from God in spite of their good deeds in life?

yes....btw im om on my way to face book - so youll have a message soon. lol

So is god more interested in worship by human kind than in the character of the individual human soul?Does that mean god rewards worship before actually doing good?

Originally Posted By: OldFolks

What about people who are good but don't know God or choose not to know him, following another faith or no faith at all. Are they condemned for their distance from God in spite of their good deeds in life?

By belief, and what I see the Bible teaching, is that people who choose not to "know God" are rejecting Him and His salvation.

So I'm gonna have to deal with a bunch of Hindu's in hell, huh? I can't understand 'em now whenever I call customer service.

But there's this whole thing before hand that I have to do, walk up and sit in a chair and say or tell the clerk that I want to be baptized. I've been struggling with incredible shyness and religion since this issue started. I just hate the feeling I get when I'm around people or in environments that make in nervous and uncomfortable I just avoid them. I just with there was another way I could do it. I don't like being around people sometimes. I wish I could get baptized without a crowd. I don't care if everyone has to know. :frowning:

Okay, back on topic guys.

Originally Posted By: OldFolksSo I'm gonna have to deal with a bunch of Hindu's in hell, huh? I can't understand 'em now whenever I call customer service. Yep. And Democrats.

Originally Posted By: TangledWebBut there's this whole thing before hand that I have to do, walk up and sit in a chair and say or tell the clerk that I want to be baptized. I've been struggling with incredible shyness and religion since this issue started. I just hate the feeling I get when I'm around people or in environments that make in nervous and uncomfortable I just avoid them. I just with there was another way I could do it. I don't like being around people sometimes. I wish I could get baptized without a crowd. I don't care if everyone has to know. Okay, back on topic guys. Could you maybe talk to your pastor about the problem and maybe arrange a baptism that will only be attended by family and the close friends you want to be there?Of course, you might want to consider why you feel such shyness around this. Is it shame?

Paul said "Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them" (Rom 2:14-15). Christian salvation is not in any case dependent on obeying the law (in which all fail), but this principle that the heart is the decider rather than outward legalism runs through the Bible.I also have to disagree with the idea that works are totally irrelevant to salvation. While works alone can never be sufficient, a faith that does not lead to good action is no faith at all:What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:14-19)

Originally Posted By: Ineligible

I also have to disagree with the idea that works are totally irrelevant to salvation. While works alone can never be sufficient, a faith that does not lead to good action is no faith at all:
For the record, I don't disagree.

To paraphrase the Marque de Sade, it seams then that God created most the men on earth simply for the function of making hell crowded.

How do you define hell? I've known many priests who define hell as being distant from "the light" of God, others define it as a place of punishment, for the wicked and non-believers alike, with fire and pitchforks and devils.

The temperature of hell.

I'll be the odd ball out (I'm kinda used to it), as a Christian I don't believe in a seprate physical hell; I believe we are living in hell now. As Scotty commented about how hell as being distant from "the light" of God, that is pretty much how I believe. I don't believe there is a physical place where souls are sent to be punished for all eternity. I truly believe that goes against what God stands for. I do believe, however, if one is not ready to enter heaven, has not lived a life worthy of heavens salvation, they are reborn unto earth to "try again".Yeah I know I'm crazy.. but it's what I believe none-the-less

Originally Posted By: NtroducingMyselfI'll be the odd ball out (I'm kinda used to it), as a Christian I don't believe in a seprate physical hell; I believe we are living in hell now. As Scotty commented about how hell as being distant from "the light" of God, that is pretty much how I believe. I don't believe there is a physical place where souls are sent to be punished for all eternity. I truly believe that goes against what God stands for. I do believe, however, if one is not ready to enter heaven, has not lived a life worthy of heavens salvation, they are reborn unto earth to "try again".Yeah I know I'm crazy.. but it's what I believe none-the-less Well by what you describe, you're in Hell but I'm not. Since the only suffering involved in that definition of Hell is caused by the knowledge of being seperated from God (or just not being as close as you know you could/will be) then its useless against people like myself who do not believe in God, therefore I feel no pain of seperation. To me, this is simply how the world is.Or we could see it as both of us being in Hell, but as the believer, you are the one that suffers because you understand the seperation and what you're missing out on. As a non-believer and flat-out rejector of the Christian mythology, you'd think I'd be the one that should be suffering in Hell. Or will my suffering come later when I die, when I understand the "truth" but am unable to partake? If there is no seperate Hell then where will I go when I die? Will I be forced to sit outside the heavenly gates, seeing and understanding the love that is felt inside but unable to feel any of it? Or will I just cease to exist, which is pretty much what I believe to happen anyway?And if Christianity is true then I'm eaither going to Hell or simply not getting into Heaven. No matter how good my actions are and how honest and nice a person I am, I openly reject all the magical tenants of the religion including the father, the son and the holy spirit. I can never say that they do not exist, but I certainly have no reason to believe that they do and therefore do not accept them into my heart. I cannot claim ignorance, I am fully aware of these things and was taught these at a young age, but never once did I accept or believe them to have any more truth than other fairy tales. I do not reject religious claims out of stubborness or because I want to live my life without the 'guilt' that religious belief goes hand in hand with. I have simply listened to the arguments, had a think about it and found the concept to be seriously lacking. And the sad part is that all of you know I'm going to Hell (or variation of) but would find it very hard to tell me to my face that you think I should suffer for all eternity. I ask you to give me one reason why you think I should suffer forever. Why my rejection of a god concept, by the brain that this god supposedly gave me, will cause me to be in pain for all time.I apologise for this rant, this is not the reason why I started this thread, I just got a little carried away here.

Quote: Well by what you describe, you're in Hell but I'm not. Since the only suffering involved in that definition of Hell is caused by the knowledge of being seperated from God (or just not being as close as you know you could/will be) then its useless against people like myself who do not believe in God, therefore I feel no pain of seperation. To me, this is simply how the world is.To me it goes deeper then being seperated from God. Think of everything we do deal with seperate from the Church. We have to deal with War, Poverty, Pain, Greif, Discrimination, and obviously death. So though you don't have the suffering of being seperated from God, you do have the same sufferings that a Christian would if, as I believe, we are living in Hell now. I think its how we deal with these trials in Hell that means more in the end.  Quote: If there is no seperate Hell then where will I go when I die? Will I be forced to sit outside the heavenly gates, seeing and understanding the love that is felt inside but unable to feel any of it? Or will I just cease to exist, which is pretty much what I believe to happen anyway?With my belief of Hell, if a person is not "holy" enough to make it into heaven they are reborn unto earth to live it over again, perhaps many times, until they have reached the understand whatever it is God wishes us to obtain. Until we obtain this level of understanding, we do not gain access to heaven.  Quote:I ask you to give me one reason why you think I should suffer forever. Why my rejection of a god concept, by the brain that this god supposedly gave me, will cause me to be in pain for all time.I cannot give you a reason because I don't think any good person, regardless of Christian belief or not, would be condemned to suffer for all eternity. I think its possible for a person who is not a said believer to make it into heaven. I know that sounds ridiculous but hear me out. If a person lives a good life and treats people how they wished to be treated and lives a life of respect how is that different then how God instructs us to live? It doesn't, and I do think that's something God would see and open his heart to that person. Now granted I know I have a rather "New Age" view of Heaven and Hell, but if you would have asked me even say 20 years ago, I would have told you pretty much the same thing I am telling you now. This has been pretty much my view of Heaven and Hell since I was very young, regardless of how I was taught from the Church.

No, I hate standing in front of people. It makes me nervous and anxious.

As I was driving home yesterday I thought of this thread and the death penalty thread and the thought came to mind, is hell just for torturing "brown people," is God a racist. I mean, if only Christians are given life's reward has God condemned Asians, Aborigines, Muslims and Jews to hell, just because they weren't the right race at the right time knowing of the right faith, ...again de Sade, did he just "create" them to crowd hell?If the Christian conditions for salvations are true, belief, acceptance and knowledge, then it leads one to believe God is nothing more than an uncaring childish omnipotent who is far from the perfection he himself claims because he would obviously lack the benevolence that is attributed to him. How do you claim a God of benevolence when that same God is willing to cast good men into hell simply because they don't know him or maybe just don't want anything to do with him. How do you Christians who believe you must accept God to avoid punishment rationalize this? It would seem Jesus tells his followers to turn the other cheek while God himself is not willing to do so.

I wish I could find the exact quote but I guess my memory will have to do.Father Charles Duddleswell from Bless me, Father (LWT) - It is a tenant of our faith to believe in hell, but only a fool would believe that god would ever send anyone there.always struck me as a nice sentiment.