Why would a God even need a hell?

[Auld Phart]

I don't need the possibility of hell, because I don't believe a God would hurt humans for an eternity; I mean the punishment would not fit the crime. In example, ( because I think we need to see an example, because some believers in God don't SEE what eternity would be like ; they don't realize what they are believing with this eternal hell torture stuff) , if I " Sin" for seventy years straight and never believe in God, then what is fair about sentencing me to an eternal punishment? I mean even giving me 500 years of punishing, for just 70 years of sin would be unfair.

But this uncanny Christian belief would allow 9 million years of punishing for 70 years of sin, but it would go beyond the 9 million years, on into 1,000 trillion years, on into infinity; that is what eternity would be like. To punish a human for that long, I think would be insane. It can't be sane to do something like that, yet what is more frightening, is that people BELIEVE that this will be done by God. So our belief systems can ingest insanity and think its good or normal. I think this perverts the reputation of God, who by definition, is a Good being.

I was under the impression everyone was in Limbo til the end of the world

 

[Dajjal]

One way I knew the Quran was all lies within twenty minutes of reading it for the first time is that it lays on the tortures of hellfire, to a ridiculous degree. It is obviously made up to scare people into following Muhammad.
The same thing can be said of the bible, and the lake of fire was originally a scare story in the Egyptian book of the dead. Each religion has stolen fear of hell from a previous theology.

 

[Dajjal]

I was under the impression everyone was in Limbo til the end of the world

In spiritualism we go to a higher realm of experience when we die. We remain there as long as we need to and then reincarnate onto this, or some other planet. We continue to reincarnate until reaching a state of grace, or enlightenment. And until we have settled all our karma from past lives. Then we finish needing incarnation and we continue to progress as immortal beings in higher worlds.
There are dark realms where evil people go, which could be called hell. But this is temporary, and they eventually reincarnate and progress. In any case the dark regions are supposedly cold, and there is no hellfire.

 

[Mickiel]

Why would God need a hell, why would he even need religion in fact. I think he knows he does not need those things, but infected humanity with them anyway. There is perhaps a lesson in that he is teaching, but whatever that lesson is, we ain't getting it. As one poster mentioned, good and evil exist, and I think God planted those two concepts on earth at our conception, and God knew it would confuse us. And it has, that is WHY this concept of eternal hell punishing is so strong. God is said to have created and planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, giving birth to both concepts out of the same tree, or same atmosphere- earth. Planted means he created it; both concepts. In my view. Which is why I do not believe he would condemn a human for being infected by concepts he created. Like punishing me for failing to uphold a weight you put on my back.

No, I don't view a God like that. We did not ask to be here , and I don't think we were created to be put on trial and judged according to how we handle the unseen great influences in life.

Why would God need a hell? Why would a God need a garbage pit of punishing? For what? Oh you think that he could come up with nothing better? No better solution or ending?

I am not even a God and I can come up with better solutions than hell.

 

[saveliberty]

then whats the point of free will? In fact, how is it even free will, if you were to get punished for using it?

But you can ask for forgiveness, that is the message of Christ. A loving God offers forgiveness for those that seek it and repent. Again, just a viewpoint, do with it what you want.

I hear that a lot. People can do whatever they want as long as they go around yelling "I love jesus". Not trying to offend you man. It just sounds ridiculous to me.

I am not offended, just offered one possible answer. You cannot reason your way to faith, which gets to be another trap.

 

[Auld Phart]

I was under the impression everyone was in Limbo til the end of the world

In spiritualism we go to a higher realm of experience when we die. We remain there as long as we need to and then reincarnate onto this, or some other planet. We continue to reincarnate until reaching a state of grace, or enlightenment. And until we have settled all our karma from past lives. Then we finish needing incarnation and we continue to progress as immortal beings in higher worlds.
There are dark realms where evil people go, which could be called hell. But this is temporary, and they eventually reincarnate and progress. In any case the dark regions are supposedly cold, and there is no hellfire.

We do?

Been there, done that, have you?

 

[saveliberty]

Again God doesn't NEED any of this, He is offering it to His creation. Early on God warned us about the Tree of Knowledge. It is now termed Original Sin.

 

[Dajjal]

I was under the impression everyone was in Limbo til the end of the world

In spiritualism we go to a higher realm of experience when we die. We remain there as long as we need to and then reincarnate onto this, or some other planet. We continue to reincarnate until reaching a state of grace, or enlightenment. And until we have settled all our karma from past lives. Then we finish needing incarnation and we continue to progress as immortal beings in higher worlds.
There are dark realms where evil people go, which could be called hell. But this is temporary, and they eventually reincarnate and progress. In any case the dark regions are supposedly cold, and there is no hellfire.

We do?

Been there, done that, have you?

I studied spiritualism since the 1960's and that is the consensus of what they teach. I pieced these ideas together from many sources such as famous mediums at the spiritualist association in London who gave trance lectures.
I also sat in psychic developing circles and received many messages from the spirit world.

 

[Auld Phart]

I was under the impression everyone was in Limbo til the end of the world

In spiritualism we go to a higher realm of experience when we die. We remain there as long as we need to and then reincarnate onto this, or some other planet. We continue to reincarnate until reaching a state of grace, or enlightenment. And until we have settled all our karma from past lives. Then we finish needing incarnation and we continue to progress as immortal beings in higher worlds.
There are dark realms where evil people go, which could be called hell. But this is temporary, and they eventually reincarnate and progress. In any case the dark regions are supposedly cold, and there is no hellfire.

We do?

Been there, done that, have you?

I studied spiritualism since the 1960's and that is the consensus of what they teach. I pieced these ideas together from many sources such as famous mediums at the spiritualist association in London who gave trance lectures.
I also sat in psychic developing circles and received many messages from the spirit world.

That's nice.

SO, you've been thru it, and remember some of your old lives?

You've met people that have been resurrected, and remember their past?

Must have been an interesting conversation

 

[CrusaderFrank]

I have asked myself why a God would need a hell, ( and by hell I mean the Christian version of it). I mean here this great being of life and love , is said to have created a place of eternal misery? And something is just not right with that, because it makes no sense at all. But a lot of things in religion make no sense, but religion rains on humanity, getting all of our consciousness wet in one manner or another.

My view of God, and I don't know God, have never seen him or heard his voice; is a view that I know is already distorted by many things; but I view him as merciful, loving, kind, forgiving, longsuffering, all the things that this Christian hell is not. So I don't think this hell is God's creation, I think the Christians created it. I think this eternal hell punishing is what Christians would do with unbelievers, not God. I think its moreso what the Christians want.

Why would God make an eternal monument out of evil? For what? Why would such a being of great power of change, co-exist with misery forever? Why? I can't see it. I think something is seriously wrong with this myopic view of hell! The powers that exist which can seduce the consciousness of humanity into believing nonsense, is simply stunning.

Correct. He's got Detroit and Chicago so hell is completely redundant

 

[Mickiel]

Hey, why would God even create an eternal pain amphlifier? For what ? Its incredible to me how religion believes that Jesus was punished so bad, only that unbelievers can be punished for eternity? As if Godly forgiveness and mercy is not greater than this arcane judgment. I even think hell in the bible is seriously misinterpreted. I mean it means " The grave", it nowhere means eternal hell punishing. Hell is mentioned 31 times in the Old Testament, each of those times its " Sheol" , the Hebrew word for grave. Hell is mentioned only 23 times in the New Testament, 12 times it means " Gehanna", a physical valley outside of Jerusalem where they burned refuse; 10 times it means " Hades", or still meaning the grave, and only one time it means " Tartaros", the Greek for hell, but only this one has an eternal sense connected to it, and it was clearly meaning only for demons.

I think this whole hell thing has been an historical mess, interesting on its impact on the consciousness of humanity; and evidence that religion can " Pin things on God" that they really created themselves, and people follow these human influenced things like sheep.

 

[Dajjal]

I was under the impression everyone was in Limbo til the end of the world

In spiritualism we go to a higher realm of experience when we die. We remain there as long as we need to and then reincarnate onto this, or some other planet. We continue to reincarnate until reaching a state of grace, or enlightenment. And until we have settled all our karma from past lives. Then we finish needing incarnation and we continue to progress as immortal beings in higher worlds.
There are dark realms where evil people go, which could be called hell. But this is temporary, and they eventually reincarnate and progress. In any case the dark regions are supposedly cold, and there is no hellfire.

We do?

Been there, done that, have you?

I studied spiritualism since the 1960's and that is the consensus of what they teach. I pieced these ideas together from many sources such as famous mediums at the spiritualist association in London who gave trance lectures.
I also sat in psychic developing circles and received many messages from the spirit world.

That's nice.

SO, you've been thru it, and remember some of your old lives?

You've met people that have been resurrected, and remember their past?

Must have been an interesting conversation

I do not remember any past lives, but in the developing circles I have sat in people would go into trance, and be taken over by spirit guides, and I was able to ask them questions.

 

[Auld Phart]

Glad you believe it is real.

I dont'

 

[Penelope]

Apparently there is a highway, cross reference AC/DC.

Stairway to Heaven verses Highway to Hell.

 

[pillars]

Because he loved enough to give the gift of freewill. He didn't want robots following a scripted life. Unfortunately we don't always make great decisions, so sin is a possibility. With sin being harmful to our lives a serious loss of eternal life with Him became a consequence. God does not need Hell, we need the possibility of it.

How does the threat of torture contribute to greater free will?

 

[pillars]

You have a choice, didn't say you were going to like either one.
btw, it is just a way too look at the subject. Feel free to like it or not.

Freewill.

How does torturing human beings for eternity benefit either God or humans?

 

[Uncensored2008]

Why would a God need hell?

He needs a place to put the democrats.

And let's face it, a place occupied solely by democrats is GOING to be hell...

 

[Divine Wind]

Hey, why would God even create an eternal pain amphlifier? For what ? Its incredible to me how religion believes that Jesus was punished so bad, only that unbelievers can be punished for eternity? As if Godly forgiveness and mercy is not greater than this arcane judgment. I even think hell in the bible is seriously misinterpreted. I mean it means " The grave", it nowhere means eternal hell punishing. Hell is mentioned 31 times in the Old Testament, each of those times its " Sheol" , the Hebrew word for grave. Hell is mentioned only 23 times in the New Testament, 12 times it means " Gehanna", a physical valley outside of Jerusalem where they burned refuse; 10 times it means " Hades", or still meaning the grave, and only one time it means " Tartaros", the Greek for hell, but only this one has an eternal sense connected to it, and it was clearly meaning only for demons.

I think this whole hell thing has been an historical mess, interesting on its impact on the consciousness of humanity; and evidence that religion can " Pin things on God" that they really created themselves, and people follow these human influenced things like sheep.

You seem to be mixing two things: The reality of God and mankind's perception of God. Most of mankind's perceptions of God are a bunch of hooey. God is God, a mysterious power behind the creation of the natural universe. Human perceptions of spirituality are fuzzy at best, but many have common ideas of good and bad and the belief that there is more to existence than mere physical mortality. This part really pisses of the atheists.

As for Hell, I doubt a all loving, all merciful God would condemn someone to exist in pain. Ergo, Hell isn't a prison or someplace one is sent. It's simply being without God. We have free will and if we choose to step outside of God's grace, that's our choice. And it's also what I would refer to Hell. If a soul wants to go back into God's grace, even if that soul was Lucifer, an all loving, all merciful God would accept them.

 

[Divine Wind]

You have a choice, didn't say you were going to like either one.
btw, it is just a way too look at the subject. Feel free to like it or not.

Freewill.

How does torturing human beings for eternity benefit either God or humans?

It doesn't. However, people are free to torture themselves.

 

[pillars]

Thanks, but I don't consider your deity "all-loving" or particularly merciful.

There are far better options.