Questions that defy answers: Eternal Punishment

[CorporalNym]

Hell is living in a mind which believes in hell. Its a simple device to control the credulous.Behave or you will go to hell. Believe or you will go to hell.An omniscient being burns you forever if you don't believe in him even though he knows before hand who will believe and not believe, burn and not burn.You have to pity such frightened children whose belief prevents them from attaining adulthood,and who continue to praise their god for the childlike fear and ignorance he keeps them in.

[ahmalala]

There is No literal place called Hell where people are tortured forever in the Bible. It does not exist. Its a later invention.

[calmreason]

@ahmalala Is there a literal place called Heaven?

[ahmalala]

@calmreason No. Theres a Kingdom of Heaven or a paradise

[RichieJohnSauls]

I didn't hear the question. I think I have a crush on this man. Those ears. Ohhh...

[calmreason]

@RichieJohnSauls Err - is that a request for the ear-wiggling 'sexy and I know it' parody?

[RichieJohnSauls]

@calmreason Damned right it is.

[rocky077ful]

@calmreason lol would you really do that?

[streamingmadly]

On the other hand, what has anybody ever done to earn an eternity in Heaven?

[calmreason]

@streamingmadly Well - what did anyone ever do to deserve life? Even the briefest of existences is largely better than non-existence, and you pretty much get it by default. Can't be bad! Consider it your prize for swimming faster than all your brothers and sisters.

[streamingmadly]

@calmreason Paraphrasing a forgotten stand up comic, "If you think getting into Harvard is difficult consider how hard it is to get into an ovum"

I can't agree any existence is better than non-existence. There are too many terrible places in which one can be born. Too many horrifying birth defects too.

[oliverscott2007]

@CovertFrog

Yes, but that would give the statement credence when it is in actual fact about as threatening as being told you'll go to the hell of my little pony for not believing in them and be raped by unicorns.

In all seriousness, I do agree that its a psychological abuse to tell children, or even anyone who would believe such a thing, that they will go to hell.

[L00NGB00W]

The only reason I could think of is revenge. Jehovah is a vindictive sadist. Torturing for torture's sake, Ad infinatum.

For the same reason as the 'Sins of the father' concept was created. Once your desire for revenge has been met, If not sated, you can always take out your aggressions upon your enemies' children. Barbaric.

[calmreason]

@L00NGB00W You gotta pity those poor demons, though. I mean what a job. Do you think they try to make a difference to the days? I don't suppose they've been doing it all that long compared to how much longer they're going to be doing it. Unless the Demons themselves are not eternal, but spawn more Demons to carry on their torturing.

[OldeVampyr]

@CovertFrog But you can't, there is no recourse and I just go all spaz, lol.

[OldeVampyr]

@CovertFrog I spent so much time in a dentist's waiting room once that the others waiting there almost felt like close family members. If we had waited any longer, we might have had a reunion planned.

We were talking about how believers and non believers should respect each others beliefs at work last night, I said the one thing I cannot respect though is the threat of hell looming over people's heads. That's just plain abusive.

[chthonios]

Because Jebus said so.

[NonStampCollector]

Ah, see? You're not looking at the world through your 'Biblical Spectacles".

Don't you know? You have to START from the viewpoint that everything in the bible is true and beautiful, embrace everything that agrees with that, and put everything else in the "too-hard-to-understand-from-a­-merely-human-perspective" basket.

[calmreason]

@NonStampCollector Damn - I forgot my Catholic schooling. Yes, I remember being told that my logical view on justice and science was irrelevant and I'd have to lose my inquisitiveness if I wanted to avoid burning in Hell. Although the terms of the wager is I'll only subscribe to a religion AFTER the proponent has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics or Physiology for the proof. See ya in Hell, NSC ;->

[OldeVampyr]

@CovertFrog I would like to see the entire staff of human resources at my work burn in hell. Most people who believe in hell don't think they will go there. The ones that fear they might are good people with normal human imperfections. That's the concept of hell that I hate the most.

[calmreason]

@CovertFrog TV cameras in Hell - "Watch those hated Jehovah's Witnesses, Car thieves and many more of your unfavourites getting another dose of their Just Deserts tonight, as every night on Heaven's most popular TV show - Screaming in Agony.

[OldeVampyr]

@calmreason It would be the most popular television show of all time.

[oliverscott2007]

Yeah, I could probably have a bash at answering this on my poe account, but it would be rather distasteful and daft.

[calmreason]

@oliverscott2007 Surely not distasteful?

[oliverscott2007]

@calmreason

Yeah. I've spoken about it before, and basically I say that we can't comprehend why people would burn forever with our human brains. But once we tap in to our celestial brains, we'll have the sensibilities to understand why its so wonderful that there are a bunch of unsaved souls burning in hell.

That's in rather poor taste imo.

[calmreason]

@oliverscott2007 Ahh, the old "Who are you to judge God" style of argument. Those amputees don't deserve their limbs. Those Fags and Atheists are what keeps the fires of Hell burning.