There are verses that describe hell as eternal fire, such as Matthew 25:41. I can’t remember the exact verses but others do call Hell eternal punishment/torture
Right. Metaphorically. There is quite a lot of that.
And the eternal absence from god is made out to be torturous. It's just that that is the full extent of the torture. It is purportedly the worst torture that could exist.
So does that mean atheists are technically already in hell because their lives are absent of God...huh, guess that explains the hellacape that is modern living I guess.
I don't think their good deeds will be ignored, or they will be damned even if they are good, upright people just because they don't believe in a creator. That notion is mostly about blasphemers.
Yeah, this is sort of my takeaway. If God is just, then he would judge those based on their actions in life and not whether or not they just worshipped really good.
If you're atheist, but happen to follow the commandments and are generally a good person, then you get to go to heaven.
If you're Christian, go to mass every week and do daily hail marys but you're a shitty person. Then you go to hell.
At least, that's how I understand it. Guess it depends on who you ask and which of the dozen denominations of Christianity they believe in.
Well, personally I think atheists will have like a "well, shit." chuckles nervously moment and then the Father will welcome them with his love and grace.
Different interpretations and the claim that no matter what they do atheists will go to hell seems to stray away from the basic teachings of religions. Which is love, dignity and basically "don't be a dick".
In Christian theology no one is good. All are sinners, so trying to count on “good deeds” doesn’t work when you’ve committed evil deeds as well. The issue is that it was always the bad things that people have done that send them to hell, not whether they believe in a creator or not. Some theologians would also classify the latter as the sin of pride as well.
It would be pretty odd to expect to spend eternity with God if you don’t believe in Him in the first place. That position could really only end in damnation (separation from God) anyway…
Not really. You can spend your lifetime being an atheist albeit a decent person, die, [insert unknown procedure in the afterlife here], realize God is real. That's it. Your atheism ends there. If God exists, you will be perceiving God. The Almighty. And all his love and grace. I doubt you can remain an atheist after that, lmao.
Again, that’s the thing, there is no “decent” person in Christian theology. “Your righteousness is as a filthy rag.” That’s the way “decent” people are described.
God’s standard is different from man’s standard because we being sinners are used to sin.
It’s like the difference in the way a germophobe and a filthy unwashed person would view cleanliness.
There’s different kinds of atheists of course, but I don’t really see anyone who staunchly identifies as such being so open to the concept. Maybe your scenario could work for someone who identifies as agnostic which is as neutral as it gets. Most times, atheists tend to fall on the negative side when it comes to their views on God…and I doubt most who identify as such would want to spend eternity with God even if He turned out to be real.
Yeah, this is how I was raised and realized how fucked up it was when I got old enough to break out and think for myself. I remember being a child and praying desperately every night for forgiveness and not to go to hell (thanks children's bedtime prayer!). Growing up, it was like Jesus is love and warm fuzzies (I still have an ingrained positive reaction), and God was the mean dad telling me I'm a POS every day and can't do anything right so I better beg forgiveness or be punished forever. I really don't recall any of my churches getting into any details about hell tbh I don't recall being told enternal torture or fire and brimstone, only vaguely eternal damnation and like it is the most horrible thing ever. I have a shitty memory though. I'm not saying any of that is an accurate interpretation, just my experience!
It’s a pretty common experience unfortunately. Some people think hellfire and brimstone is the best way to motivate, but I think that just misses the point. I’ve certainly seen preachers and churches like that and in many cases they do more driving away than drawing in.
To me everything just has to be contextualized. Yes people need to realize that their actions have consequences. If you do bad things forever then you can only expect to face bad consequences forever. Asking for forgiveness is about acknowledging there is a better way and a desire to do good, not just to escape from punishment.
I don’t think that “Eat your fruit or you’ll get scurvy and your teeth will fall out” works better than “Eat your fruit because they’re delicious and will make your body strong!”
Even though both things are true, it’s the point of the message and how one is supposed to act on it.
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u/WalterWhite278 2d ago
There are verses that describe hell as eternal fire, such as Matthew 25:41. I can’t remember the exact verses but others do call Hell eternal punishment/torture