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I I believe that article. Do you want to take the chance and ignore it find yourself there?

I have been thinking about death alot and a really close friend of my dad and I has passed away..he did believe in god and he was a very kind,nice smart person...I really regret never visiting him in 2 years..I have no excuse he lives 15 minutes out of town...I was so selfish I could have tried twice a week to go out there before he died. If I had been reading the things I started reading today,I would have had knowledge and tools and hopefully could make him see and change his life I would have printed a few articles out and prepared myself everytime to try to help him. He killed himself with smoking because he was spiritually defreated.. less

I believe in God. I'm not to sure about a hell, though. God would have made us for a purpose, or at least allowed us to be made. It sounds kind of contradictory to say he would throw us away for the very passions and instincts he gave us. I think we will all know more when we meet him. less

It's really interesting, the concept of Hell. It's interesting that there wasn't a concept of a fiery Hell until after Dante's Inferno.

Originally, the Greeks had a location for the Underworld that was a real scary looking cave/water system. I wonder if it was a borrowed idea (snark). less

It's really interesting, the concept of Hell. It's interesting that there wasn't a concept of a fiery Hell until after Dante's Inferno.

Originally, the Greeks had a location for the Underworld that was a real scary looking cave/water system. I wonder if it was a borrowed idea (snark). less

It's fascinating how much cultural things like that influence the entire image of something, isn't it? That one book - NOT a religious text so much as a piece of satire written against the church (come on, he put 3 popes in hell!) - influenced people the way it has.

While I am a kind of liberal open-minded Christian myself, I'm also fascinated by such cultural references and the mythologies of pre-Christianity religions and their similarities to one another. It's like we all have the same basic architecture, just with a different decor. Joseph Campbell pointed that out constantly, but if you get me started on him, I'll never stop.

I pointed this out once to a Catholic theology teacher (required course in the parochial HS I attended, although I was Methodist) and she told me that Christianity was real because Jesus was born of a virgin and that was singular to Christianity & Catholicism. I then showed her - honestly out of interest and trying to promote cultural awareness and open-mindedness - of the incidences of parthenogenesis in Hinduism and Greek mythology (among others). I may have ruined her day.

I also think that the Norse afterworld of Valhalla looks reeeeally similar to some peoples ideas of the Christian heaven, what with all of the gold and all.

And do I believe in hell? Not in the sense of that website, no. Nor in the sense of the men that stood with megaphones on Beale Street year after year telling everyone they're we're burning in brimstone for being out listening to blues and having a drink or two and some kick ass bbq. Do I think that the afterlife might be less pleasant for some than others, and that it is based on your actions during physical life? Yes. less

I believe in God but I don't believe there is a hell as such.

Bible verses can be taken way out of context - especially if in the wrong hands!
There's a lot of fruit cakes out there who just love the idea of scaring the crap out of people.
There's that saying - believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see!

People putting that kind of stuff online doesn't concern me. I was raised religious and as much as I'm not so much now, I still have some believes. So I don't get caught up in a lot of rubbish on the net.

I won't watch the clip cause I don't trust people like that incase there's any nasty files attached! less

I know what you mean about the fruitcakes, so to say. I'm from the northeast in the US, a fairly culturally forward thinking area. The first time I went down south (VA, TN, SC - basically the 'Bible belt' - and I LOVE that area and mean no disrespect to the people that live there) and was exposed to what I call the 'fire and brimstone' Christians, it scared the life out of me! Not their religious ideas, because to me they are just that - ideas. It was the people themselves. They were all about threatening people and scaring them - no God or religion I participate in will reign me in by means of intimidation! less

link

I I believe that article. Do you want to take the chance and ignore it find yourself there?

I have been thinking about death alot and a really close friend of my dad and I has passed away..he did believe in god and he was a very kind,nice smart person...I really regret never visiting him in 2 years..I have no excuse he lives 15 minutes out of town...I was so selfish I could have tried twice a week to go out there before he died. If I had been reading the things I started reading today,I would have had knowledge and tools and hopefully could make him see and change his life I would have printed a few articles out and prepared myself everytime to try to help him. He killed himself with smoking because he was spiritually defreated.. less

being an athiest I dont believe in hell or any sort of afterlife. I think It was just meant to scare people to stay on a certain religious path. There is something I don't understand about hell perhaps some of you could give me your interpretation of this.

Frist, We are the lords children and he loves us dearly, Correct? If this is true what good parent would send their children to suffer for all eternity. I know wonderful people who had children that didn't turn out quite right, and their parents wouldn't wish eternal suffering on them.

Second, Damning someone for eternity isn't going to enlighten a person into becoming a much wiser and knowledgeable person allowing them to see their wrong doing and become a truly good person. In my opinion, if I were a god I wouldn't damn people for eternity I would hold Ethic Classes.

I don't wish to offend anyone and I apologize if I do, It is not my intention to hurt anyone. less