"Why ISIS Should Make Christians Rethink The Doctrine Of Hell"

[Htom Sirveaux]

Last edited Thu Feb 19, 2015, 09:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Nonetheless, it’s 2015. Civilized culture has grown beyond the days of burning people alive, recognizing the practice as something that is completely offensive to any rational person. And, not just offensive- we consider it morally repulsive to the degree that many Christians want the perpetrators wiped off the face of the earth.
(SNIP)
But here’s the irony of it all: while we find burning people alive morally repulsive when ISIS does it, most Christians seem to have no moral qualms about believing in a God they think will do precisely that. In fact, the traditional doctrine on hell paints God in a far worse light than ISIS– instead of just burning people to kill them, this doctrine believes that the people will never die– but will be tortured by the pain of the flames for all eternity. And somehow, they believe God will pronounce this as being good.
(SNIP)
As a follower of Jesus, I believe that we were all created in the image and likeness of God, and that God has planted in our hearts a sense of justice and morality. When we see hostages paraded in orange jump suits, caged up and about to be tortured, we feel moral outrage– and I believe this moral outrage comes from the spirit of God within us, reminding our consciences that it’s never okay to torture a fellow image bearer.
(SNIP)
That same moral outrage at images of hostages about to be burned alive (such as the image above) should also cause us to pause for a moment and rethink what we actually believe about God and his character. Is God perfectly moral in all his ways? Is God altogether good? Is he altogether lovely? Does God look exactly like Jesus– the one who said “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”?

Why ISIS Should Make Christians Rethink The Doctrine Of Hell

[edhopper]

1. I guess he can cause he's God

and them that burn for all eternity have it coming, cause they masturbated or something.

[Jamastiene]

34. Or in my case, according to that preacher at that school I was forced to go to as a kid,

because of being born out of wedlock. He preached "If you don't have a father, you don't belong to God. You are the literal spawn of Satan." Satan is my father? Really? I hope he is keeping tabs on all the people who have screwed me over, for when they get to Hell.

[edhopper]

37. Jesus is love

or so I've been told. Also this preacher obviously didn't practice real Christianity.
And other reasons it's not about religion.

[Cartoonist]

2. Image bearer?

Did You coin that?

[Htom Sirveaux]

4. No, and neither did Benjamin Corey, the author of the article.

He's invoking the idea that humans are made in the image and likeness of God, which has a very, very long history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_God

[hrmjustin]

3. I don't believe in a physical place of hell.

I believe thst most or all of us make it to heaven and if we don't we no longer exist after death.

I do believe there is a being known as Satan.

[Htom Sirveaux]

5. Anyone who has updated their cosmology even as far as Ptolemy

has implicitly given up the idea of hell as a physical place. I recommend Robin Parry's book "The Biblical Cosmos" along these lines.

[edhopper]

6. That is more horrible than hell.

So some people get immortality, while others simply cease to exist?

What happens if you reject God and constantly defame him?

[hrmjustin]

7. I don't believe being an atheist keeps you out of heaven.

[edhopper]

8. Well thank God for that

I still think ceasing to exist is an awful punishment. Worse than Hell.

[hrmjustin]

9. Well my view is that we all get to heaven but souls of the truely evil may not get there.

These are ideas. What actually happens I do not know.

[edhopper]

10. I realize

It's speculation.
It's just my reaction

[hrmjustin]

11. Fair enough but I would rather not exist than exist in hell.

[edhopper]

12. I'd rather

Still exist.

[hrmjustin]

13. ok.

[AtheistCrusader]

17. And when I get there, I will topple the master of that dark place

From my black throne, I will lash together a machine of bone and blood, and fueled by my hatred for god, this fear engine will bore a hole between this world and that one. When it begins you will hear the sound of children screaming as if from a great distance. A smoking orb of nothing will grow above your cities, and from it will emerge millions of starving crows. As I slip through the widening maw in my new form, mankind will catch only a glimpse of my radiance before being incinerated. Then, as tears of bubbling pitch stream down my face, my dark work will begin. I will open one of my six mouths and I will sing the song that ends the earth.

(h/t Penny Arcade)

[Act_of_Reparation]

24. \M/

[safeinOhio]

19. Exist?

I figure you will exist in the after life just as you did in the before life.

[edhopper]

23. I didn't exist before life.

If given the choice of immortality, even in hell and nonexistence, I'm choosing hell.

[VanillaRhapsody]

26. My Grandmother was very very fond of the scenes in the movie Ghost

where those evil spirits came and dragged those souls away....

[LiberalAndProud]

29. What leads you to believe that most or all souls get to heaven?

[hrmjustin]

31. I believe in a loving God so I think that the divind wants us all up in heaven.

[LiberalAndProud]

32. How do you interpret/explain the Bible passages that contradict that belief?

Matthew 7:13-14 King James Version (KJV)

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

===

Luke 13:23-24 and 28, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able ... There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

[hrmjustin]

33. Great question.

I think Jesus was sent here to get people's attention and to set up the faith. Throughout history God has sent prophets imo to preach to us. Jesus is more than a prophet to me but sent by God to teach us nonetheless.

I believe that no matter what we are taught in old books and passages, that nothing can seperate us from the love of God.

[LiberalAndProud]

38. Do you suppose you believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God because

you can't imagine a world without love?

I suspect that these there are hundreds of children who intuit God's nature differently.

At least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span in plain view of child protection authorities — many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger, The Associated Press has found.
http://stopabusecampaign.com/786-abused-children-dead/

[hrmjustin]

39. I believe God is love. i do not believe God decides the ways of this world or who lives or dies.

[LiberalAndProud]

41. I think you misunderstood my intent.

I was speculating about circumstances around an individual that shape ideas about God. Since I believe it is most likely that there is no such thing as a god, the question of evil doesn't concern me much.

[hrmjustin]

42. Well I came to the view God or the devil doesn't interfere by observing human nature.

I just came to the conclusion God doesn't decide what happens.

[cbayer]

40. While this clearly has a lot to do with lack of love from

those that were responsible for caring for these children, what does it have to do with god?

People who are being abused are often highly religious. American slaves were intensely religious.

[Jamastiene]

35. Yeah, I am one of the ones that will be going to the gay gate.

According to *most* (almost all where I live) Christians, that gate leads straight to Hell. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Straight to hell without even thinking about it. Some of those same ones swear up and down murderers can go to Heaven though.

I'm a bastard too. Satan is my father, apparently, because of that, at least according to that preacher at that school I went to when I was a kid. Some of us just never stood a chance.

The bright side? I won't have to deal with Pat Roberston or Jerry Falwell or any of those types of jerks when I get to hell, because "men of God" automatically go to Heaven, just because.

[okasha]

20. Do you believe there is an afterlife?

[edhopper]

22. No

it was all a very hypothetical and not serious conversation.

Me saying "Thank God" should be a tip off.

[okasha]

25. I had only your previous statements to go on.

I assumed your "thank God" was Ironic, but the rest wasn't clear at all.

[edhopper]

27. Just light hearted

Back and forth.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. Your faith's idea of heaven sounds like hell with air conditioning.

There is otherwise zero differentiation for me.

I would embrace non-existence before going to either. If I end up in either, I hope there's a baseball and a glove, because I'm going to spend the whole time in solitary for trying to escape.

[hrmjustin]

16. I want an open bar in heaven.

[AtheistCrusader]

18. to each his own.

[okasha]

21. Lots of paint, brushes, canvas, clay and a wheel

and Queen in live concert.

[AtheistCrusader]

14. The idea of a loving tyrant that only requires that you bend knee and worship should give

Christians pause about the idea of hell all by itself.

Especially the christian right since they profess to love freedom so much. Pack 'o liars.

[Cleita]

28. In Catholic school we were taught Hell was being denied the presence of God for eternity.

There were no fires, burning lakes or sadistic tortures, just the aching loneliness and despair of being denied the all encompassing love of God.

[okasha]

30. Exactly.

The only devil I ever saw with horns, tail and pitchfork was.on cans of ground-up Spam.

[cbayer]

36. He makes some interesting points and I share his rejection

of a concept of hell (or heaven for that matter).

What has happened before or will happen after is a mystery that I don't think will be solved, at least not in my lifetime.

But I do think there is good and evil.