Home More advice Religion, Spirituality & Folklore
Yes or no? Explain why.
The gnostics believed that current reality is a hell of sorts, being a corruption created by the demiurge as a shadow universe of the greater reality. Only upon gnosis can one transcend to the higher plane of existence from whence the spirit derives. This correlates with most of the hermetic teachings people associate with esoteric occultism.
Empiricism has no real authority on the matter. Aside from the logical problem of explaining an acausal universe that appears to be governed by causal laws of nature... abstract ideas are never empirical... but in time can become corporeal themselves. If abstract ideas can become manifest themselves... why apply stringent empiricism when attempting to prove or disprove other abstractions like alternate realities? Our sensory organs are lower level tools connected to the basic brain functions that enable us to perceive our world around us. The greater part of our mind is in its ability to imagine and create. To conceive of greater things... maybe this is the greater reality the gnostics strove towards.
It doesn't make logical sense, but at the same time, where did everything come from. If there is a god, an almighty being who created everything, there should be a final resting place for the soul as opposed to just dying and that's it. But even if there is a god, where did god come from? Things can't just appear out of no where. It really is fascinating stuff if you think and ponder really deeply about it, I actually just got a mini headache trying to wrap my head around all the unknowns and possibilities. None of us will ever know until we've passed on, or we will never know if we just die. For now it's just a matter of faith:)
I do not believe in either.
Heaven and hell are concepts that can neither be verified or falsified. There is absolutely no logical reason to believe in either.
Of course for members of a religion that teaches the existence of heaven and hell, these are truths. Religion cannot be logically deducted or challenged with logical arguments. If you believe something, then you believe it.
But for anyone who follows a religion that does not have heaven and hell, these concepts are absurd. Just as absurd as their concepts may be to you. For anyone who does not follow any religion, many religious concepts are absurd.
Thanks for your reply, I understand your point of view that God already bless us with goodness, love, compassion and so on. And all we need to do is be thankful everyday for His goodness and share the love to others. But what I am trying to point is, we are also given free will to choose good from evil. As Romans 2:6-8
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
The Bible says that every hair on your head is numbered. He knows the paths you will take and the lessons you will learn or not. An opportunity will be given to you in life (more than once) God is of second chances over and over. What you say is ridiculous, is of unknowing and non-experiencing. The Lord God Almighty is of all knowing and seeing, he will show you as long as you don't turn away continuously Jesus said: "it will be said to you, let me see and I shall believe." but I say unto you, blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe, this is called faith"
Ok, I understand. It's questionable however where the bible was correctly interpreted, hell especially. We can never know for certain but i'd prefer to believe that hell is symbolic, metaphoric, or something else we cannot understand that explain existing in a plane which is devoid of God's prescence.
I refuse to believe that God is going to cast my non-christian friends and family are sent to a place where you are litterally on fire for eternity.
You're assuming I'm not a christian but I am. I am not calling God ridiculous because I believe. I am calling the concept of eternal torrment at the hand of a loving and compassionate creator ridiculous. I once blindly believed in every common fundamentalist view my sunday school teacher taught me, but then I started to think more critically and with a more open mind.
If one believes in the Bible, infallible and true from cover to cover, the Word of God, as I do...the answer is clearly 'yes' because it clearly tells of the existence of Heaven and Hell/Satan....what one must do to have Heaven as their home in eternity (John 3:16)....the explaination: truth/faith, the evidence of things not seen....a person chooses to accept or reject
Personally, no. But the human mind is a wonderful thing, and I'm sure if the will of the person is strong enough, they'll have a few moments before death in which they will be able to conjure up some kind of vision of a state of heaven to bring themselves peace. I prefer to think more logically about things and concern myself only with this life, I suppose.
I understand. Allow me to say this: I'm half american indian. They believed in "the great spirit" who created the entire everything. The Indians of old never read or seen a Bible. Are they going to hell? Of course not. They will be judged accordingly and with a different kind of mercy. They "believed", and that is what counts. You have to believe.
Well, that's a good point. But what are we to do? We know what direction we want to go right? So, the original question is do you believe or not. The rest is a mystery and we won't know until we experience it. I appologize that I did read your answer too quickly, but when you say something that is in the Bible is ridiculous. what do you expect?
No. God is omnicient and knows all past, present and future. God creates our immortal souls. God created Hell, a place of eternal torment. Therefore God would know of our fate before he creates us. Creating us knowing our souls are damned is cruel, unjust, and ridiculous.
Many Christians do not believe in a literal Hell. Universalists believe that ultimately everyone will be saved. The Anglican church made news when it said that the existence of Hell is inconsistent with a loving God.
Yes, I do. I believe that when I die, I will be judge accordingly on how I lived my life. If I do good and pleasing to God's eyes, I will be in heaven, but If I do bad, then the unfortunate thing will happen.
The bible is a physical book though. It can easily be misinterpreted both accidentally and on purpose. Also just because things are not literal (such as hell) does not mean that they are not true.
but there is no way for you to do enough good to pay your way into heaven. Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
No, If God existed and was great than he would not have to use bribes and threats to get his "children" to follow and believe in him. The whole thing is just too far fetched for me.
Yes I believe in both. To explain would take a really long time, but I already know you are a believer too, so I will leave the explaining to someone else.
Heaven and Hell are not "places"; they are states of being. You can enter either of them (or not) not only at the time of death, but right here and now.
I do and I do not. I, myself, am a Christian, but I do not believe in a physical hell or heaven.
No, because it doesn't make sense.
No and No.
Yes i do.
I do.
