Question for those who believe in Hell

[Barb D]

ETA: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE State your opinion without flaming someone else's opinion! I really want honest answers here, not arguments. PLEASE!


If you believe in Hell --

How do you reconcile the concept of Hell with a loving, infinite, merciful God?

How do you, personally, worship and love a God who could send people to (or a allow people to choose) an eternity in Hell?

And if you're so inclined, please add as background information whether you believe in predestination/election or free will or something else.

Also whether you think Hell is a place (or state) of eternal conscious torment, or could end in annihilation, or something else.

 

[JoyG]

If you believe in Hell --

How do you reconcile the concept of Hell with a loving, infinite, merciful God?

How do you, personally, worship and love a God who could send people to (or a allow people to choose) an eternity in Hell?

And if you're so inclined, please add as background information whether you believe in predestination/election or free will or something else.

Also whether you think Hell is a place (or state) of eternal conscious torment, or could end in annihilation, or something else.

Lots of thought provocing questions tonight. I'm going to have a hard time going to bed.

I believe in Hell. God is a loving God, but he's also a just God. I think we like to ignore everything Jesus said about God's judgment and focus only on the love parts.

I don't think God's justice will always make sense to our human minds. But I will have faith and trust Him anyway.

I believe in free will, but I also know that God is timeless, so he looks at us and sees our pasts and our futures and knows what we will end up choosing.

Hell is a place.

 

[helenabear]

I don't quite believe in Hell in the traditional sense. I am not sure if I totally believe if it is 'real' or not. In a way I think it is more of a state of mind that you have to willingly and want to go to. I also do not believe that just because you aren't Christian you are "damned to hell". I don't believe God works that way at all. I have a concept of purgatory from my years of being Catholic and I am much more comfortable with the idea of only the two (heaven and purgatory) in reality.

Granted I also have a different view of Satan as well. I don't believe he is evil per say, but necessary to the balance of life (kind of like yin and yang). So I have some convoluted views on all of this I think.

But in the end, no God does not damn to hell IMO. If hell exists, you have to choose to be there.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Lots of thought provocing questions tonight. I'm going to have a hard time going to bed.

I.

I'm going to rush right to the computer in the AM to see where this has gone

NO comment because as a Jew I view Hell and Satan very differently.

 

[Cool-Beans]

If you believe in Hell --

How do you reconcile the concept of Hell with a loving, infinite, merciful God?

Hell is the absence of God. That's why it is such a horrible place. There is no love, no mercy. It isn't a place where God exists.

How do you, personally, worship and love a God who could send people to (or a allow people to choose) an eternity in Hell?

God doesn't send people to hell. People choose to stay away from God, so that's where they end up - in a place where he isn't. If Rand McNally gives me a map, but I get in my car and drive east I can't blame them for the fact that I didn't end up in California, you know?

And if you're so inclined, please add as background information whether you believe in predestination/election or free will or something else.

I believe people have free will - they can choose their path. God might know it ahead of time, but we make our own choices.

Also whether you think Hell is a place (or state) of eternal conscious torment, or could end in annihilation, or something else.

Heaven and hell aren't locations, they are states of being.

These are big, involved concepts that people spend years pondering and discussing. But those are the basics of what I was taught and what I believe.

 

[Saphire]

I think hell is real and a place set aside for Satan and his angels, for eternal punishment and torment. However, I don't believe people who have refused God spend eternity in hell. People are mortal beings. Eternal life is a gift given to people who believe in God (John 3:16). Death is the destination for those who don't want to go to heaven.

 

[Barb D]

Death is the destination for those who don't want to go to heaven.

Do you mean annihilation?

 

[Aimeedyan]

I think of hell as the absence of God, not a literal place. God doesn't really send people there, they choose to spend eternity without s/he in a place where s/he doesn't exist.

 

[Saphire]

Do you mean annihilation?

Yes.

 

[Mr Man]

I always thought that Hell was best described as "being separated from G_d".

Strangely enough, I think the above should comfort the "Godless Heathen" set as well as the "penitent" (w/apologies to Sister Mary Agnes O'Doul).

 

[Barb D]

For those of you who believe in Hell as being a place or state of being separated from God -- do you believe that this is a place of torture (fire/brimstone etc.?) Depravity? Something else? Do you believe it is eternal?

And who do you believe "chooses" to be there? What are the criteria by which God says a person has "chosen" hell vs heaven?

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

ETA: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE State your opinion without flaming someone else's opinion! I really want honest answers here, not arguments. PLEASE!


If you believe in Hell --

How do you reconcile the concept of Hell with a loving, infinite, merciful God?

How do you, personally, worship and love a God who could send people to (or a allow people to choose) an eternity in Hell?

And if you're so inclined, please add as background information whether you believe in predestination/election or free will or something else.

Also whether you think Hell is a place (or state) of eternal conscious torment, or could end in annihilation, or something else.

Ok, yes, I believe in Hell and I believe in Heaven. I believe that there is a place where we go for eternity based on the way we live our lives here on earth. I am certain that we must answer to God for the sins that we commit. And yes, I believe we all commit sins. I believe God is loving and just. He loves us, but we must account for ourselves. I think Hell is a place, but it is a place where our soul goes. I've personally never been there, so I don't know where it is.

As far as predestination and free will, well I think I fall somewhere in between. I believe that God knows what we are going to do, hence the predestination, but I believe we all make decisions that can change all that on a dime, so we now have free will; but God also knows that we are going to change our mind and now we are back to predestination. So, I still think it is somewhere in between.

 

[2cutekids]

I consider myself a person of strong faith, but I'm conflicted about what/where Hell is exactly. I think there are many mysteries that for some reason, God in His infinite wisdom has chosen for us not to know right now. There is a parable in the Bible about Lazarus, a poor man, and a rich man. When they died, Lazurus was in "Abraham's bosom" and the rich man was in Hell. I believe there are many scriptures that give us a clue, but NO ONE REALLY knows until it is too late. That is where Faith comes in.

I know from personal experience that God is a GREAT GOD!!! He has shown me in some very tough times that He was with me. He is our Heavenly Father, and just like our earthly fathers He wants what is best for us, but still lets us live our own lives; making our own choices. Why do I love and worship Him? Because He loved me so much that He sent His own Son to die a horrible death, just so I could be with Him for eternity. Just because you don't believe in Him, it doesn't mean He isn't there...He's waiting for you with loving, open arms.

Sorry to sound like a sermon
To answer your question.......what is Hell? I don't know...I just know that I don't want to be there.

This thread must be read by some intelligent and level headed people, because everyone's answers are so Non-judgemental! Way to go everyone!

 

[bavaria]

To me, hell is a seperation from God. Like Cool-Beans, I don't think that God 'sends' people to Hell - they bring themselves there.

I also believe in free will. I don't believe in the concept that God has determined a set path for everyone, or moves people around like game pieces. We are given the opportunity to choose and determine our futures.

 

[Mermaid02]

I don't know. I sure hope there's a hell though because I really hope OJ goes there.

 

[bluefairy13]

I don't think it's a "place" like we traditionally think of.

I'm Catholic and believe in free will and I don't live in fear of "going to Hell" but I have come to see the Karmaesqueness (hahahaha I just made up a new word. I mean the aspects of Karma) in that I see that doing evil creates evil for yourself. I believe in Satan, but more as an energy than a person, just the polar opposite of the goodness and grace of God.

 

[bluefairy13]

For those of you who believe in Hell as being a place or state of being separated from God -- do you believe that this is a place of torture (fire/brimstone etc.?) Depravity? Something else? Do you believe it is eternal?

And who do you believe "chooses" to be there? What are the criteria by which God says a person has "chosen" hell vs heaven?

I don't know what it is like, but I think that life after death is outside of time as we know it so yes, it is eternal.

Priests talk about people dying and have chosen to be separated from God. On their death beds they won't embrace God's love. I think you have "chosen" hell if you turn your back completely on goodness.

 

[mirthmaiden]

ETA: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE State your opinion without flaming someone else's opinion! I really want honest answers here, not arguments. PLEASE!


If you believe in Hell --

How do you reconcile the concept of Hell with a loving, infinite, merciful God?

How do you, personally, worship and love a God who could send people to (or a allow people to choose) an eternity in Hell?

And if you're so inclined, please add as background information whether you believe in predestination/election or free will or something else.

Also whether you think Hell is a place (or state) of eternal conscious torment, or could end in annihilation, or something else.

God doesn't send people to hell. They make the choice. God provides the atonement for sin through Jesus Christ. All the "whosoever wills" accept Him as their savior and are not condemned. All the "whosoever won't's" are condemned. I worship God because he is merciful. He provided his only son to die for me. I have the free will to accept his grace or not. I believe hell is an actual place, but for spirits, not our current physical bodies.

 

[jamimb]

I certianly agree with so many others here! God does not send anyone to Hell we make that choice for ourselves. God said the wages of sin was death and we have all sinned but he loved us so much that he wanted to make a way for us to escape judgment,Eternal seperation, Hell so he sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sin to be a perfect and Holy sacrifice. All we have to do is accept the salvation he offers. Its like if we owed the credit card company a huge debt that we had no way of paying but Jesus wants to pay it off but we just need to allow him to do so. If we dont allow him its certainly not his fault when we lose our house or whatever because we cannot pay our own debt and wouldnt let him do it for us.

As far as what is Hell, that I am not completely sure. It is most definelty a place of seperation from God and whether it is a sate of mind or an actual place I think there will be suffering involved!

 

[mickeyfan2]

How do you reconcile the concept of Hell with a loving, infinite, merciful God?

God gave us all free will and we can chose to walk with him or walk against him.


How do you, personally, worship and love a God who could send people to (or a allow people to choose) an eternity in Hell?

See above.


And if you're so inclined, please add as background information whether you believe in predestination/election or free will or something else.

Free will


Also whether you think Hell is a place (or state) of eternal conscious torment, or could end in annihilation, or something else.

Hell is not a concept that is talked about in great debt in the Bible, so I have very little information on what hell really is. Since Heaven seems so nice, that is where I am striving to end up.