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originally posted by: Lazarus Short
Laz agrees completely. "Hell" is a made-up place to keep the pews and the offering plates full. Dogma is formulated to prevent anyone from thinking for themselves. Sadly, many people defend Hell as if it were their god, offering up a few poorly-rendered verses as proof.
originally posted by: vethumanbeing
originally posted by: Lazarus Short
Laz agrees completely. "Hell" is a made-up place to keep the pews and the offering plates full. Dogma is formulated to prevent anyone from thinking for themselves. Sadly, many people defend Hell as if it were their god, offering up a few poorly-rendered verses as proof.
Not exactly 'made up'. A group of like minded people can create the oddest things if so inclined (hell idea reinforcement not on the recommended list).
Hell is the common grave, the concept of eternal torment with purgatory before that, was/is a dogma to control and scare the masses into subservience to the ruling religious class. Because many Hebrew and Greek words that mean something totally different; has lead to the perception of hell that is wrong and has been following Christianity for centuries. It's mistranslated on purpose, to fool people.
originally posted by: Lazarus Short
originally posted by: vethumanbeing
originally posted by: Lazarus Short
Laz agrees completely. "Hell" is a made-up place to keep the pews and the offering plates full. Dogma is formulated to prevent anyone from thinking for themselves. Sadly, many people defend Hell as if it were their god, offering up a few poorly-rendered verses as proof.
Not exactly 'made up'. A group of like minded people can create the oddest things if so inclined (hell idea reinforcement not on the recommended list).
Exactly - so according to you, a bunch of people propose Hell...and it pops into existence?
Yes, that's the whole problem. On the other hand, God, nowhere in the Scriptures, claims to have created Hell. The idea can always be traced back to paganism.
You need to research Sheol and Hades in both Hebrew and Greek. Gehenna as well.
originally posted by: Seede
a reply to: Blue_Jay33
You need to research Sheol and Hades in both Hebrew and Greek. Gehenna as well.
I have and it is not as you have understood. You cite much but are confused in that which you believe. Sheol came to be understood by the Sumerian Hebrews as the various depths of the underworld. This morphed into the belief of some [not all] of the Hebrews as two distinct places. One is the surface earth [grave] to cover the terrestrial bodies of the dead soul. This also morphed into the practice of the soul being placed in a vault or tomb above the earth. All dead souls were not covered with earth but some were entombed in a family vault, allowed to decompose and the bones then placed in a container of stone. Regardless of how the soul [body] was interred it was called grave. So actually only the soul [body] can be placed in a grave.
This also morphed into the Hebrew understanding that the spirit of the soul was contained in the depths of this earth in complete consciousness and held captive in one of seven various chambers of Sheol. This is mistakenly cited by most as both being called the grave but in real time the two are not the grave. Only the soul is buried by earth and called grave whereas Sheol is not the grave but is reserved as the place of the spirits of the souls.
Regardless of the posts that i have read on ATS, most all do not understand how the Sumerian Hebrews came to gradually understand death. The translators only translated to their understandings and in some cases understood completely wrong. Now without the autographs of the thousands of MSS that were used in various translations no one can word study the Greek copies that exist today. We seem to banter words of various languages from unknown sources without considering that we have the Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek literature to consider.
For those interested, I do have "Jewish Views Of The Afterlife" by Simcha Paull Raphael that would clear up most all misconceptions that most have in this matter. The proper way to study this theology is to first understand the covenant of Moses and then understand the covenant of the Jewish Jesus. One is from the Hebrew perspective and the other from the Greek perspective. Both do intertwine into one but with caution as to word play. You can obtain Simcha Paull Raphael's book on internet and is a good reference book to have at hand.
originally posted by: vethumanbeing
The human being is an individualized Creator God.
Explain why I should give any more weight to Jewish afterlife beliefs, ancient or modern, any more than the beliefs of multitudes of damnationist believers? Truth is not, and never was, an issue determined by the majority.