"Hell"- what is it?  

No problem Gadhisunu. I will have to do more research but I think almost every religion has some kind of teaching on a place of torture and punishment called "hell" or something similar. I will post my results at a later time when I do the research.
You raise another interesting question that I will try to do research on what is the "soul"?

It seems that the Egyptian, Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, and Zoroastrian versions of hell are not eternal but temporary. According to these religions, after a period of suffering, the souls of sinners move on to some other place or state, depending on the particular religion’s concept of human destiny. Their ideas of hell resemble Catholicism’s purgatory where one can get out. Purgatory by the way is another money=making scheme and the word does not exist in the Bible as far as I can remember.

There! You found out one thing that is fundamental, Hopefulman, that temporary hells give the clergy a chance to "make" money. The idea of eternal damnation is perhaps aimed at winning more followers or converts. But don't you think real soul-raising religion,if you want to call it should rise above such "winning" tactics?

True a lot of religions are about making money anyway they can evn if they have to invent, "hell", purgatory, limbo, ect.

Personally, I'm on the quest for truth, reason, and logic. Of course such matters may not appeal to the masses but so be it. But as someone said, I'm not sure who, but I want to live by it, "Let the truth be told, though the heavens may fall."

The truth will attract those who love the truth. It just has to be told. It just has to be lived.

I'm with you Tamara. I don't believe in a "hell" where we are tortured after we die. If such a place existed then that would make God the most vicious wicked being in the universe. That's very inconsistent with the God of love the Bible depicts which I really believe is the true genuine word of God.

Let's go back to the beginning in Genesis chapter two:

Genesis 2: (New International Version)

7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

The punishment for disobeying was not torture but DEATH.

So I will go on record: There is no place of torture after death. Death is the punishment.

What is death? It is the opposite of life, uncosciousness. At death one feels nothing either good or bad. One simply ceases to exist. When I was in the hospital I was under anasthesia as they did some internal exploration. They knocked me out. I felt nothing as they did their work . When I was revived I was not concious of anything they had done or how long I was out.

Of course death is not the end since God has the power to resurrect or bring us back to life.

agent look at response #6!!!

The kiddies will play

Oh never mind i thought i read a post by the Troll, but now i see Mathss response there, Did the other get deleted?

Yeah it got deleted and my response came there
Have a gr8 time
Njoy

freethinkingagent, I'm with you. Both the Hebrew word "sheohl" and the Greek word "haides" can be translated as the "grave". But there is no money to be made from this. So religions have given this word a twist where they could make lots of money and keep thier adherents obedient.

Also by ascribing God as making a place of torture, it has given man the liberty to torture their fellow man in many horrific ways.

God is love. Man has lots to learn.

I agree with you. When we die we cease to exist. God will decide whether He will bring us back to life at some later time. Notice:

Luke 23:42-43

42Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come [a]in Your kingly glory!

43And He answered him, Truly I tell you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise.

eeyore39, that's very interesting.

I totally agree, there is no place of torture after death. Pain exists while we are alive here on earth. When we are in great pain we want to die to escape the pain not to go to another place of even greater pain. There is no suffering or pain after death.

There is a better life after death and not a worse life.

If you get the chance read that book I mentioned. I think it may give you answers to many questions.

Very good refrances Mathss, good reserch

Thanks
Have a gr8 time
Njoy

According to scripture, Jesus went to "hell" before the resurrection. If you believe hell is to torture you for wrongs, and believe Jesus is sin-free, why would he go to that type of hell? On the other hand, Mathss' analysis of the various terms that point toward hell being the grave fits more closely with what we would expect Christ to have gone through.

Jackhendon you are so very wrong, is Jesus then a liar? Either Jesus is a liar or you are wrong, which is it?

What good is the promise of eternal life if we already have it and it is just a mater of where we spend it? No we either have eternal life or we die which is it? Why then would the scriptures call it "the second death?

rev. 20:13-

13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14) Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15) And if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

So where do you read people being torchered? No they are destroyed. And where do you see those who did not believe in Jesus were put in hell? it says they were judged by their deeds. And at what time is this happening? This all happens after the return of christ, and there are 2 resurrections, the first is the resurection of the just, not the resurection of those who believe in Jesus, there will be many there who never heard the name Jesus. Go back to verse 5 and read on.

5) The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
6) Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
7) When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,
8) and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
9) And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
10) And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Mathss you are correct, this person needs to admit they are wrong about what the book actualy says.

thanks agent
have a gr8 time
Njoy

Excellent research and reasoning Mathss, Paula1966, and freethinkingagent!


Jackhendon, thank you for responding and please give us a little more than simply saying we are wrong.

My understanding of "eternal damnation" is not the first death (sheol, hades) but the second death, the "lake of fire" which is permanent death or nonexistence.

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Yes, that's what some say. But does it make any sense? Suppose we had a neighbor that was always saying nice things but was also torturing his children. How would wew feel about him? Could we love such a person? I doubt it!

How could we ever love a God that tortures people and for eternity at that?

Sorry but I don't buy it!

Notice what Jesus said on one occasion:

Matthew 7:13-14 (New International Version)

13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Does the wide road lead to eternal torture?

djemba

Good works don't get you into heaven. Nope. If you at least have some faith in Jesus keep John 3:16 in mind.

"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believeths in him will not parish but have everlasting life."

It also says in the book of John that we must be born again...basically the same thing just further along. Gotta believe, ask Jesus to come into your heart, repent of your sins, and stop doing all the crap you been that's against God.

Is it hard living this way? Sometimes it is because when Jesus is in you the devil starts working overtime. But the good way outweighs the bad. If it means that you won't go to hell, would you do it? That's what i started thinking of when I got saved. see, back in February I was diagnosed with MS. and the doctor said that I would have it for the rest of my life. I had problems like severe fatigue, vision problems, imbalance, and vertigo at first. Now keep in mind this thing has no medical cure. am I cured now? Not totally, but guess what. I only have the fatigue problem now. God is good!

So...is it not at least worth a try? It's not like I'm standing in front of you swinging a watch from left to right trying to hypnotize people. Simply asking them to try it. Why wouldn't they? Just because they think I'm full of it and others like me are as well? It doesn't hurt, nor take long. It was once saw on an episode of Doogie Howser years ago...well Doogie was talking to Einstein in a dream that he was having. Einstein said this in response to whether he believes God existed and Einstein said that he thinks that it is better to believe because if God is real and all that you get all the fringe benefits. If he doesn't, so! ...you didn't lose anything.

I agree that we should live good lives. But should we be motivated by a lie? Is not the truth powerful enough as a motivating force?

John 14:15 (New International Version)

15"If you love me, you will obey what I command.

If you think of any passages, please post them and we will analyze them. Thank you!