Why exactly is it offensive to be told you're going to Hell?

[presonorek]

If someone really believes I'm going to hell isn't it their religious obligation to point that out to me? After all I might be saved because of them. If pointing out my sins doesn't change my beliefs or behaviors shouldn't they then make every effort to change it, for my own good of course? For example, making my beliefs or behaviors illegal and making me subject to jail, whipping, or burning at the stake. We've been down this road before.

I agree. I don't see how they can take the time to sleep.

 

[amrchaos]

I am an atheist, I don't believe in Hell, and I will find that some one telling me "To go to Hell" as insulting.

Why, If I don't believe in hell, why should I be offended.

To the heterosexual men and lesbian women asking that question I say "Go to BIG N HAIRY Humpshack and get the 'anal special'!!"

To the Straight women and gay men, I say "Go to BIG N HAIRY HUMPSHACK and order the Rug munch lunch!!"

Oh by the way, BIG N HAIRY HUMPSHACK is as real as Hell is.


Now do you see how insults works--or do you need more examples?

 

[presonorek]

I am an atheist, I don't believe in Hell, and I will find that some one telling me "To go to Hell" as insulting.

Why, If I don't believe in hell, why should I be offended.

To the heterosexual men and lesbian women asking that question I say "Go to BIG N HAIRY Humpshack and get the 'anal special'!!"

To the Straight women and gay men, I say "Go to BIG N HAIRY HUMPSHACK and order the Rug munch lunch!!"

Oh by the way, BIG N HAIRY HUMPSHACK is as real as Hell is.


Now do you see how insults works--or do you need more examples?

More examples please.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I grew up as an outspoken atheist in the South. I heard that a lot. I still don't really get why people get so worked up over it. It's not a real place. The person saying it isn't, say, putting a curse on you or anything of the sort. It's not really even a threat. It's just a statement that, according to their religion, you're going to a made up bad place for not joining it. That's it. There is literally nothing to be afraid and yet I still see atheists - people who really should know better - bitching about it all the time. Whiskey tango foxtrot?

I don't understand the need to be "outspoken"

I consider myself an atheist with agnostic leanings but I do not feel the need to preach my belief system to others who are religious

Why do you?

Your belief system puts people in danger of death which you are unable to prevent any more than another human can. In the evangelical Christian's belief system you are in danger of much more and they are equipped with knowledge to protect you. If you believed what they do then you would work 16 hours a day keeping everybody from that torment. I personally think evangelical Christians are assholes for not doing more. How could you sleep knowing that your neighbor will be tortured for eternity?

My belief system endangers no one.

I do not appreciate people pushing their beliefs on me or anyone else for that matter.

What I believe is my business and mine alone and quite frankly none of your business.

 

[presonorek]

I grew up as an outspoken atheist in the South. I heard that a lot. I still don't really get why people get so worked up over it. It's not a real place. The person saying it isn't, say, putting a curse on you or anything of the sort. It's not really even a threat. It's just a statement that, according to their religion, you're going to a made up bad place for not joining it. That's it. There is literally nothing to be afraid and yet I still see atheists - people who really should know better - bitching about it all the time. Whiskey tango foxtrot?

I don't understand the need to be "outspoken"

I consider myself an atheist with agnostic leanings but I do not feel the need to preach my belief system to others who are religious

Why do you?

Your belief system puts people in danger of death which you are unable to prevent any more than another human can. In the evangelical Christian's belief system you are in danger of much more and they are equipped with knowledge to protect you. If you believed what they do then you would work 16 hours a day keeping everybody from that torment. I personally think evangelical Christians are assholes for not doing more. How could you sleep knowing that your neighbor will be tortured for eternity?

My belief system endangers no one.

I do not appreciate people pushing their beliefs on me or anyone else for that matter.

What I believe is my business and mine alone and quite frankly none of your business.

I guess I didn't say it right. I just meant that the biggest danger that you view is death. The evangelical sees it differently. You can't protect people from death thus you feel no urgency to protect anybody.

The evangelical Christians do believe they have the ability to protect people from hell. They feel compelled to protect you.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I grew up as an outspoken atheist in the South. I heard that a lot. I still don't really get why people get so worked up over it. It's not a real place. The person saying it isn't, say, putting a curse on you or anything of the sort. It's not really even a threat. It's just a statement that, according to their religion, you're going to a made up bad place for not joining it. That's it. There is literally nothing to be afraid and yet I still see atheists - people who really should know better - bitching about it all the time. Whiskey tango foxtrot?

I don't understand the need to be "outspoken"

I consider myself an atheist with agnostic leanings but I do not feel the need to preach my belief system to others who are religious

Why do you?

Your belief system puts people in danger of death which you are unable to prevent any more than another human can. In the evangelical Christian's belief system you are in danger of much more and they are equipped with knowledge to protect you. If you believed what they do then you would work 16 hours a day keeping everybody from that torment. I personally think evangelical Christians are assholes for not doing more. How could you sleep knowing that your neighbor will be tortured for eternity?

My belief system endangers no one.

I do not appreciate people pushing their beliefs on me or anyone else for that matter.

What I believe is my business and mine alone and quite frankly none of your business.

I guess I didn't say it right. I just meant that the biggest danger that you view is death. The evangelical sees it differently. You can't protect people from death thus you feel no urgency to protect anybody.

The evangelical Christians do believe they have the ability to protect people from hell.

Death is not a danger it is a fact of life. We are all going to die. Fearing death is like fearing the sunrise

And assuming there is a hell you cannot protect anyone from it can you?

Doesn't a person have to accept your belief system to be "saved"? You cannot force anyone to accept your beliefs so it's my opinion that you should all mind your own business.

People will find religion on their own if they want to after all it's not like you can't find one church or another on every corner.

 

[Pedro de San Patricio]

I don't understand the need to be "outspoken"

I consider myself an atheist with agnostic leanings but I do not feel the need to preach my belief system to others who are religious

Why do you?

My family had this weird idea that, even if I didn't believe in Jesus or the Bible, I still had to be a Christian out of respect for everyone else. I... disagreed.

 

[amrchaos]

I am an atheist, I don't believe in Hell, and I will find that some one telling me "To go to Hell" as insulting.

Why, If I don't believe in hell, why should I be offended.

To the heterosexual men and lesbian women asking that question I say "Go to BIG N HAIRY Humpshack and get the 'anal special'!!"

To the Straight women and gay men, I say "Go to BIG N HAIRY HUMPSHACK and order the Rug munch lunch!!"

Oh by the way, BIG N HAIRY HUMPSHACK is as real as Hell is.


Now do you see how insults works--or do you need more examples?

More examples please.

You seriously want to see me light the fuse to this S$$T storm of a thread, don't you?

I could list a whole lot--but is best to explain how insult works

It does not matter if you believe if something exist or not, or even if the statement is true or not. What matter is the connotation you take from the statement.

A son calling his biological father a motherf--er is not lying.
However, should have his butt kicked for insulting his father!

What is the connotation of the statement?

An atheist saying religion is Brainwash BS is an insult to Christians--despite many Christian not believing that their religion is Brainwash nor BS. Are they getting upset because atheist are lying--or because atheist are saying the Christiains are brainwashed by BS?

What is the connotation of the statement?

OH--and racist slurs--not one having a real definition--every single one carries a connotation of hatred and dismissal

Some of you may have heard the N-word has a definition--that is a lie. That lie is the basis of a joke 1st told by a Black Comedian. To get the joke, note that every human is ignorant. Now what does that say about Blacks? HA HA HA--right? Laugh, you racist bastards!


GO TO HELL--clearly a statement telling me that I deserve infinite harm--I do not believe in hell, but I understand the concept!

 

[Avatar4321]

I remember in Catechism the nuns admonishing us to never ever tell someone to go to hell. It was the worst thing you could say to someone.

Personally, I've always preferred "go **** yourself" over "go to hell" but that's just personal preference.

So you want them to enjoy themselves. Doesn't seem very insulting either.

 

[cnm]

But 'Go to hell' is not the same as 'You're going to hell', which is a judgement.

 

[amrchaos]

But 'Go to hell' is not the same as 'You're going to hell', which is a judgement.

You are going to hell is not much different--the person that says it is judging and condemning you.

But 'Go to hell' is not the same as 'You're going to hell', which is a judgement.

"Go to Hell" has the connotation of hatred

"You are going to Hell" can have both connotations of hatred and the dismissive attitude(See How?)

So, "Go to Hell" is slightly better to say!

 

[Abishai100]

Dominion: Aphonia

Hell has been equated with perdition, and hence, we get the impression that we're directly being accused of a great social dishonesty when we're told 'You're headed towards Hell!'

However, Satanists do believe that Hell, like Heaven, is a dominion or a territory which welcomes those who exercise the free will to enter its consciousness.

The folk tale of the ghoulish imp Rumpelstiltskin (a nefarious fellow who demanded a terrible payment for rendering magical gold to an imprisoned woman if she could not correctly guess his odious name) relates a society fascination with comparing perdition to freedom.

I like comparing Rumpelstiltskin to the fictional comic book super-villain Hobgoblin (Marvel Comics), a jet-soaring creep.

We could perhaps talk about Hell in terms of psychiatry.





Hobgoblin

 

[aris2chat]

Dominion: Aphonia

Hell has been equated with perdition, and hence, we get the impression that we're directly being accused of a great social dishonesty when we're told 'You're headed towards Hell!'

However, Satanists do believe that Hell, like Heaven, is a dominion or a territory which welcomes those who exercise the free will to enter its consciousness.

The folk tale of the ghoulish imp Rumpelstiltskin (a nefarious fellow who demanded a terrible payment for rendering magical gold to an imprisoned woman if she could not correctly guess his odious name) relates a society fascination with comparing perdition to freedom.

I like comparing Rumpelstiltskin to the fictional comic book super-villain Hobgoblin (Marvel Comics), a jet-soaring creep.

We could perhaps talk about Hell in terms of psychiatry.





Hobgoblin

View attachment 43381

Nice try but satanists don't believe in an afterlife. No hell

 

[Vandalshandle]

Why? One word:" Judgemental". Which begs the question: Who is this person to judge me?

 

[Pedro de San Patricio]

Why? One word:" Judgemental". Which begs the question: Who is this person to judge me?

Their religion says that this magical space wizard is going to send you there for not following the religion he made up. They're just relaying that information to you.

 

[hobelim]

Why? One word:" Judgemental". Which begs the question: Who is this person to judge me?

Their religion says that this magical space wizard is going to send you there for not following the religion he made up. They're just relaying that information to you.

They way I see it, believing that a loving and benevolent God would send people who will not worship a human being, something forbidden by God, to be tortured forever in some imaginary hell after they die would turn this life that actually exists into a perfect description of hell before they die..

Not to worry!

If you would 'just believe' that one unequalled God is really three co-equal persons who diddled a virgin to become fully human without a human father so he could be rejected, tortured, and crucified, (because he loved the romans so much), and then rose from the dead and floated up into the sky, you too could lose your mind, gibber incoherently, and be tortured day and night by confusion for the rest of your life.

So, if you look closely, you will see that the people who are always obsessed about other people going to hell are always the ones who are already in it.

 

[Meriweather]

I grew up as an outspoken atheist in the South. I heard that a lot. I still don't really get why people get so worked up over it. It's not a real place. The person saying it isn't, say, putting a curse on you or anything of the sort. It's not really even a threat. It's just a statement that, according to their religion, you're going to a made up bad place for not joining it. That's it. There is literally nothing to be afraid and yet I still see atheists - people who really should know better - bitching about it all the time. Whiskey tango foxtrot?

Believers should be more worked up about other believers making such statements. First, no human has the capability or the authority to judge the fate of another human being. This power and authority belongs to God alone.

Over and above that, what kind of witness of God's love and kindness goes forth and threatens others will hell? The Catholic Church testifies that it can lead people to salvation. While it cannot guarantee the salvation of people who choose other paths--the Church entrusts these people to the care of a loving and merciful God who is not limited by Church failures.

Thank you for not taking offense at words no human has the right to speak, but I still offer sincere apologies that such words ever made it to your ears. God is loving and merciful, and you are in good hands. I'm sorry we believers couldn't have better presented to you the reality of God.

 

[PredFan]

Can everyone just stop insisting that they go through their lives without being offended? Grow up people!

 

[aris2chat]

Why? One word:" Judgemental". Which begs the question: Who is this person to judge me?

Their religion says that this magical space wizard is going to send you there for not following the religion he made up. They're just relaying that information to you.

They way I see it, believing that a loving and benevolent God would send people who will not worship a human being, something forbidden by God, to be tortured forever in some imaginary hell after they die would turn this life that actually exists into a perfect description of hell before they die..

Not to worry!

If you would 'just believe' that one unequalled God is really three co-equal persons who diddled a virgin to become fully human without a human father so he could be rejected, tortured, and crucified, (because he loved the romans so much), and then rose from the dead and floated up into the sky, you too could lose your mind, gibber incoherently, and be tortured day and night by confusion for the rest of your life.

So, if you look closely, you will see that the people who are always obsessed about other people going to hell are always the ones who are already in it.

Praying to a figure or idol is one of ten commandment forbidden. Crucifixes, statues and paintings would be idols.
One of the dividing question of early christianity, was jesus man or spirit/god. Till the end of the 4th C most people believed he was man, even the bishops trying to decide that question actually came to blows. The answer came from a narrow vote that the man should become divine. However book that spoke if inner spirituality or that he was never man but spirit in the form of man became heretical and were destroyed, we most of them were thought to have been.

Religion and belief should not be confined or quantified, it should be from the heart f each person. There should not be one path of god or one set of rules but for each person to free reason out to god in their own way. It should not be limited to one religion or sect with a written book but for everyone around the world to believe in their own personal way. God is supposed to be the creator of all thing? God is everywhere? Then if someone choose to focus on the water or a tree as substituent for a faceless god, or pray in the john, it should not matter if they feel better. If people live a good caring live then t should not matter if s/he had any particular faith, they found there own guidelines of how ti live a righteous life.

Is god the god of the world, or just for a select group? Is he loving or vengeful? Will he disappear if people do not pray to him or is he/she/it ever lasting? Does he need our confession or is he all knowing and can see into people's heart?

It comes down to, do you believe in possibility of some universal designer, or are well just an accident of nature. Are we evolving and changing or are we at our end point, made in the image of god? Does he care about each individual life or just the species in general or the planet/solar system or is he focused on the universe as a whole? Does he care about the numerous extinction and near extinctions of man on this planet, is he just being entertained by us scrambling around like ants in an ant farm?

All the books, dogma and theology of religion since it's dawn has been to organize and control men. It is about teaching them to march in goose step. There is not singular religion no matter how far this or that one has spread. If a god want all people to believe in one faith he would have landed and handed the same set of direction to every part of this planet, and the universe. We have each developed faith in our own way. We have pulled apart and recreated faith. We have struggled to find the right faith. For more than 2000 years we are still not one faith, group or people. Maybe we were not supposed to be. Maybe too many are looking in the wrong place. Maybe we are each to find what we are looking for inside us not outside.

If we are to survive as a species or as a planet, there seems to have been one major truth for everyone, no matter how you word it or what language in is written in, the golden rule is the most universal for all mankind. It is a tit-for-tat, a give and take, balancing the scale in life. If you do not want to be hurt, don't hurt others.