Hell...does religion have the facts?
Dare I ask?
Hey, I am just asking!!!!
Is it possible that the religious world could be wrong in their understanding of the doctrine of Hell? Is it possible that they hold to deception's lie as truth, through misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the Bible on the subject as taught by misinformed denominated seminarians?
If the accepted doctrine of hell is correct what does that do to God's mercy enduring for ever as recorded in Psalm 136:1...what does it do to God's love that is never ending as stated in 1 Corinthians 13:8.
How often have we heard or even posed the question ourselves to those we deem to be sinners, “Turn or burn", "have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour to escape hell?”
Allow me to do a little role playing here and play the part of a non-believer as you...a Christian...witnesses to me, the hell bound sinner. I am aware that some reading this has already concluded I am not role playing because they deem me to be a bona-fide non-believer.
Be that as it may, share with me your version of the "good news" of the gospel!
"Glenn, we have been friends for some time now and I know you are a good moral living guy who is considerate and compassionate. What I don't understand is why you have not accepted Christ as your Saviour simply by praying 'the sinner's prayer.'"
I reply, "well, I find no record of that formula for easy believe-ism in scripture, and besides, I already have a faith in God and to join your religion I would be promoting the teaching that God condemns people to hell fire and torment with no chance of ever escaping. Common sense (I may be wrong, but I think I have at least a shred left) leads me to believe that is a cruel and hating God, not a merciful and loving God. Would a loving God withhold forgiveness from any repentant sinner, no matter how late he may repent, because Christ made provision for forgiveness on the cross.”
But you, quoting from the Bible, presses on by claiming that everlasting hell for the non-believer is biblical and cannot be reasoned away.
Let me ask you some questions.
"Do you believe in a God of love and compassion ?”
"Off course," you reply.
“Do you believe that God’s love is infinite, far beyond any human love?”
"Certainly, God is love. That is what the Bible says."
“Let's suppose your 15 year old daughter has never had the opportunity to hear of Christ or the redemption He has provided and never became a Christian by repeating the "sinner's prayer." She gets involve in an accident that takes her life. Do you believe that your daughter goes straight to hell?”
The question may make you uncomfortable. But "yes", you say, "if she died without accepting Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, then she is in hell right now."
Now, I do not want to stir the ill will pot. But I have witnessed so many instances of intolerance and lack of love preached in Jesus’ name that has some element of truth but is harsh because it is not rooted in grace and love. That, is wrong in every sense of the word.
There is a deep crevasse gap between large segments of the Community of Humanity and the Community of the Redeemed alike, regarding the concept of hell. When Christians witness, they believe they are offering sinners a great gift, the greatest gift of all, faith and salvation through Jesus Christ who through His suffering and death paid the price for their sins.
How can the same God who asks us to forgive even our enemies cast people he created whom we claim to be His enemies into everlasting hell because they did not say the "sinner's prayer"? How can God be any less loving and forgiving than He desires us to be?
Let me ask you: “Do you remember "so and so"? Do you remember what a loving heart she had even before she had her accident are was brain damaged? Do you think God will cast her in hell forever with no chance of escape because she did not repeat the "sinner's prayer" prior to her accident?”
"Yes" you reply, "if she was not a Christian, that is what God would do."
What is incomprehensible to me is the disconnect between the profession of belief in a God of infinite love and the portrayal of a God so cruel, as to sentence even good and loving people to burn in hell fire forever simply because they have never heard of, or failed to avail of His offer of salvation therefore, He is slighted and uses His power to punish people in hell for ever and ever.
So I ask you "dear loving Christian", “Can you not understand that from your presentation that the God you are inviting people to embrace is worse than Hitler? For Hitler burned Jews until they were dead, then their suffering was over. But God who is love, you believe will burn people forever and a day.
You answer with, "we simply cannot understand the wondrous ways of God, and that we cannot rely on our limited human reasoning to figure it out." You say also that "God is not only a God of mercy but a God of justice"...This is God’s justice?
Did not God give us the power to reason and also have the capacity for compassion? Does not the love in our hearts come from God, who is love? If our own love...and our sense of justice...cannot discern that a God who tortures people forever, the good as well as the bad, is not a loving God, but cruel and sadistic, then where are we? This lack of discernment renders both love and justice absolutely meaningless.
“But I was taught, and scripture teaches, that what I say to you is true,” you say, and so do many who believe the same doctrine. Somebody taught it to you but, does that mean the doctrine correct?
Yes, we are taught, by other people who are as human and mistake makers as we are. We ought not to shut down our own discernment and refuse to question a teaching that we need to question. Yet this is precisely what many religious people do. Their belief must be correct...and questioning it is forbidden. It does not matter how good you are: even if you are Mother Theresa or any of the brave people who lay down their lives to save people caught in disaster ridden circumstances. If you are not "religiously saved" you are going to hell...forever with bad people where you will be torched in hell's flames for eternity.
Is it possible that we do not have all the facts regarding hell?
Hey...I am just asking!!!!
The renowned philosopher Bertrand Russel rejected not only the Christian religion but its founder Jesus Christ as well, mainly because of His teaching about hell.
ReplyDeleteHere is what he said: There is one serious defect to my mind in Christ`moral character, and that is that He believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment.
One has to at least credit Bertrand Russel for his intellectual honesty in realizing that rejecting hell requires rejecting Jesus Christ Himself.
At least he knew what Christ taught about hell. Many modern day Christians either don`t know what He taught or they know but are not willing to admit it. They want to change what he taught to make Christ look more loving. But they can`t change the fact that Christ taught that hell is everlasting as Bertrand stated.
We can allow atheist like Russel or Ingersol to shape our beliefs about hell or we can allow somebody more reliable to do it. Who is that somebody? He is none other than Christ Himself.
In Luke 16:19-26 Christ revealed three important truths about hell:
(1.) Hell is an actual place just as heaven is. Jesus said he would go away and prepare a place for righteous but hell was a prepared place for the devil and his angels but hell has enlarged itself to include all who reject Christ.
(2.) Hell is a place of horrendous suffering. The rich man begged Abraham for relief because he said he was tormented in this flame.
(3.) Hell is a place of suffering forever. Matthew 25:46 says these shall go away into everlasting punishment while John3:16 says that believers will be given everlasting life.
Hubert, Jesus was not the founder of the "Christian Religion", He did not come to start a religion called "Christianity"! Therefore, based on the religious view of Jesus, judgment, condemnation and damnation to hell, I understand where Russell is coming from.
ReplyDeleteIf you think that rejecting Christ because someone rejects your view of hell therefore, rejects Christ...you should seek the truth and repent of attributing to Jesus as the founder of what you call the "Christian Religion".
Not only is Jesus misunderstood by adherents of various religions in the world, He is also grossly misunderstood by Christians who believe Jesus Christ is the founder of their religion called Christianity.
Jesus did not come to start a religion called “Christianity”.
Jesus did not come to build segregated name-tagged denominated buildings called “the House of God”.
Jesus did not come to cause religious disunity because of man-made belief systems.
Jesus did not come to form Sunday-Go- Meeting-Clubs to have His people be pew-warmers.
Jesus did not come so “celebrity pa-stars” could be star performers and build ministry empires unto themselves.
Jesus did not come to create denominated seminaries to train people for full time ministry.
Jesus did not come to form religious hierarchies to rule over denominated movements.
Jesus did not come to create religious organizations in order to coral people in denominational stalls.
Jesus did not come to form a spiritual elite class called the “clergy”.
Jesus did not come to create a spiritual lower class called the “laity”.
Jesus did not come to control people by manipulation and deception.
Jesus did not come to be a Pharisee, Sadducee or a Herodian.
Jesus did not come to join the Sanhedrin Council.
Jesus did not come to sit on the council of Jerusalem.
Jesus did not come to be a religious icon.
Jesus did not come to be a part of religious tradition.
Jesus did not come to join a religious denomination.
Jesus was not a religious leader.
Jesus never sanctioned religious organizations.
Jesus never preached religion.
Jesus never supported religion.
Jesus never asked His followers to give money to religion.
Jesus did not wave placards boycott or demonstrate in support of christian causes.
Jesus did not segregate from sinners. He associated with them.
Jesus did not hate sinners. He loved them.
Jesus never took money from people in order for them to receive a blessing or healing, He believed in “freely you have received, freely give.
Jesus never drew people to Himself by fear-monger preaching or condemning sinners to hell.
Jesus did not come to condemn the people of the world, He came to save the people of the world.
Yet the religion of “Christianity” whose adherents claim to follow Jesus...do such things and more besides. Religion has reduced Jesus..the Son of the Living God...to a religious leader and made Him iconic in the religious world by presenting Him as the founder of one of the biggest religions in the world.
This is sacrilege, a lie that has made Jesus the most misunderstood person in religion and has hindered the cause of Christ in the Community of the Redeemed regarding the salvation of people in the Community of Humanity.
The greatest opposition that Jesus faced in His earthly ministry was not from sinners...they loved Him and He loved them...it was from the religious people. In fact they conspired to kill Him.
What is it that makes Christ so misunderstood in religion today? Put simply, it is because people attach man's ideas and denominated understandings to Him and use Him as a drawing card for the business of religion, rather than letting His Spirit establish our understanding of Him and the accomplishment He made through His death and resurrection in the establishment of His Grace Gospel.
It must feel good to get all that off your chest but the subject we are dealing with here is hell. By saying all that will not lower the temperature in hell or lake of fire where hell will be cast. Hell will still be just as hot as Christ said it would be.
ReplyDeleteRevelation 20:14-15King James Version (KJV)
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 19:20King James Version (KJV)
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10King James Version (KJV)
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Hubert...if you would but refer to the first paragraph of your first comment on this post, it is very clear that you have attributed as the founder of the "Christian religion" to Jesus Christ. If you are so wrong in that statement what makes you think you are so right about your concept of hell?
DeleteI don't judge people by the damning condemnation heaped on them by the self-righteous religious flame throwers who claim they have it all figured out in that God likes what they like and don't like what they don't like and He judges and condemns people the way they do.
The self-righteous, spiritual know-it-alls have been so intent on damning people throughout their lives that their eyes burn with hatred and their breath stinks of fire and brimstone, instead of eyes of love and their breath smelling with the sweet savor of God's grace, and mercy.
One would think they are released from the pit where they stoke the the fires of hell with the people condemned to the hell the self-righteous fear.
Hating, judging, condemning and fear mongering by trying to scare the hell out of people will never cure the disease of fear or remove the fear of hell from people! In fact, a diet of hell consciousness feeds the fear factor and the more fear conscious and devil conscious they become.
Love is the only sure inoculation to eradicate the tormenting, debilitating disease of fear and instill fearlessness of hell.
Well, does that satisfy your thirst for hell talk?
By the way Mr. "bible knower", how hot did Christ say hell was? I question, what bible is it you claim to know...the KJV does not record such!
DeleteHubert, if sinner's aren’t hurting other people, stop worrying about trying to control their behavior trying to scare the hell out of them.
DeleteIt turns out that Jesus knew what he was talking about. You can force someone to behave a certain way through laws and shame, but you are only going to ultimately impact who they are by being in relationship with them. A relationship that begins with love.
So, Hubert, stop telling people you love them by scaring the hell out of them...people are not dumb...start showing them you love them by your loving actions instead of spewing hell fire from your mouth.
If a house is burning down and you know there is people inside and fail to warn them or try to rescue them then you are responsible for their destruction. If I tell them to get out because the house is going to burn, am I hating them or loving them?
ReplyDeleteThe Bible warns us that if we fail to warn the wicked they will die in their sins but we will be held accountable.
I`m afraid many modern day love preachers will have a lot of blood on their hands proclaiming their false love gospel.
The Apostle Paul could say he was free from blood of all men because he declared the whole counsel of God. Although he did not mention hell specifically he was constantly warning about the judgment and wrath that was to come.
The false love preachers that are failing to warn the people of our day about their sins and the coming destruction are doing the same the false prophets did in Jeremiah`s day and the Lord has a strong message for them.
Jeremiah 5:11-13King James Version (KJV)
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord.
12 They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
13 And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
Jeremiah 23:16-18King James Version (KJV)
16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
Jeremiah 23:21-22King James Version (KJV)
21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Here is an example of how religious world is being deceived by modern day love gospel. http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/from-the-frontlines/45305-hyper-grace-message-creating-culture-of-lawlessness
ReplyDelete