From everything I learned growing up and from a lot of what I see and hear today, many are motivated to do and believe certain things because they fear "damnation".  In other words, going to hell.  But how does anyone know hell exists? 

I have yet to see a single thread of evidence that there is a hell.

A lot of people believe aliens have visited this world and many of them believe aliens have influenced our development, technology and other things.  And many have submitted their evidence to support their claims.  Some of which leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

And, of course, there's plenty of people who think those who believe in extraterrestrial life are kooks because there is, by their analysis, no evidence.

But I don't hear anyone providing supporting evidence as to why they believe there is a hell.  And I rarely hear anyone asking for it.  I can't think of one instance where the scientific community is even bothering with this issue.  But then again, they usually don't study something unless there's at least some evidence it exists.

Maybe this hell thing is kind of like the bogeyman.  If you don't do what I say, the bogeyman will get you!

Julie

(Here I go, the heathen, replying on the christianity forum... I really should stop reading the bible...)

You have to remember that the modern hell is not the same thing as the original judeo-christian hell. Originally it referred to being separate from god, being without god.
It was in the early middle ages that the christian faith borrowed imagery from all other world religions to turn it into the fiery pit in the center of the planet.

I'm an atheist so I don't believe there is a heaven nor a hell.  Though this 'hell' is very powerful. I have often heard people say they worship god because 'what if hell really does exist'?

Well, the center of the earth is a kind of fiery pit - at least it molten rock, which is very hot.

I'd say we know hell exists because we know that Jersey exists, and its not that far to think that something might be worse.

if hell really exists I'd much rather be there than heaven. I mean, who would you rather spend eternity? all the cool people go to hell and heaven is left with xtians. eeewwww.   

*window seat on the ride, thanks!

Here i go again....
[disclaimer - what follows is not an argument that hell does in fact exist, just n answer to the question]

those who believe hell exists do so because their "holy" scriptures tell them that it does.

In the case of Christianity, the most vocal figure about hell in the entire Bible is Jesus himself.

also, it's worth noting  that there is a potential distinction between the figurative descriptions of Hell (and Satan, btw), many of which come from works of fiction (Dante for instance) rather than from Scripture, and the existence of SOME place which Christ referred to as hell.

Now, there are - of course - many arguments, usually highly misinformed, that what you have in the modern bible doesn't at all reflect what the first century church or its founder actually said and did....but obviously the one who believes in hell doesn't believe them.

So, the "evidence" for hell is only and entirely what is found in the given religion's holy books.

By the way, and again, I'm NOT arguing FOR the "eternal damnation" version of hell BUT

the tired canard "I'd rather go to hell because that's where all the cool people will be partying" is nonsensical.

If it is not, in fact, a place of suffering, then it's not "hell" - if it is hell, it is by definition a place where no one wants to be and no one is having a good time.

Even if it's not fire and brimstone, it can't be hell if you can enjoy being there.

Hell is a fictitious place invented by man in order to scare the "Hell" out of us. The odds of ETs NOT existing are next to impossible. Given the vastness of the universe it is impossible for there not to be many other planets that support some type of life.

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Post Merge: September 04, 2009, 02:41:37 PM

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Dear Julie Marie, There is a Hell. It is about 1/2 hour from Ann Arbor MI. on Lake Patteron Road. It is situated between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron so they get the wind off of the lakes. So there are cold days in Hell.

For me personally, Denver in the depths of winter is Hell.  I loathe the cold; dry cold especially.

P.S. I beleive living in Washington D.C. would be much worse than being in Hell.

Quote from: Genevieve Swann on September 04, 2009, 02:43:42 PM
P.S. I beleive living in Washington D.C. would be much worse than being in Hell.

The worst Chicago can dish out might be in the running.  I went to college in Denver and it wasn't nearly as bad as Chicago. 

Maybe we should threaten people with eternal damnation in DC or Chicago, where every day is the worst those cities can dish out.  And, if you're in Chicago, your gas is turned off and you have to call City Hall to complain.

Julie

Yeah, try Cleveland.

I lived through hell..... does that count? 

From a religious perspective..... if God is a loving father, how could we conceive that he would cause any of his children to suffer for eternity?

Even a human father can forgive his murdering child.  Does not God have greater compassion?

The logic, at least in my twisted mind, does not account for the possibility of Hell's existence.

Cindi

I could argue that point Cindi, but I won't.

Hell is....your best friend saying you don't really want to transition, losing your family because they can't see you being anything other than what they have always believed before, losing your home because you are not what others thought, being lied to by your employer for shortening your hours and not giving the raise they 'promised', ..need I go on.

Shhhh, don't tell anyone  but planet earth is hell  It's just disguised well with greenery,flowers and cute animals to keep us guessing

Off course there is Hell. Try being sick in bed with no voice and someone is reading the Readers Digest to you and you can't stop them AHHHH

As for alien visitors, I think it was Carl Sagan who noted that Aliens had not visted Earth, because there in no mounds of Alien junk. Everytime Earthlings visit a planet or a moon we leave heaps of rubbish behind.

Cindy

Quote from: LordKAT on September 05, 2009, 01:34:34 AM
I could argue that point Cindi, but I won't.

Hell is....your best friend saying you don't really want to transition, losing your family because they can't see you being anything other than what they have always believed before, losing your home because you are not what others thought, being lied to by your employer for shortening your hours and not giving the raise they 'promised', ..need I go on.

Exactly..... that was what I meant by my statement that I have lived through hell. It was absolutely the worst few years of my life.  But that is far behind me now.

Cindi

The point I was saying I could argue deals with religion. I don't believe all people to be children of god.

i'm an atheist & i don't believe in hell.  "hell" is just a concept meant to instill fear, and in turn fear controls the gullible minded.

I believe that hell is the absence of love. Those who wish to damn you there, take away their love. God is love, and if we love our idea of God, then we will in turn be loved.

I,for one, am lucky to be loved.

And maybe the greatest gift we can give, or that has been given to us, is love.

Amen to that.

Without Hell think of how many great rock songs would have been lost.

Highway to Hell, Hell is for Children, Hell's Bells, Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be, Rock and Roll Hell, Straight to Hell, just to name a few.