Could you wish an ETERNITY of hell on someone?

A lot of people who consider themselves Christians have no problem with God sending non-believers and sinners to eternal suffering. This has always bothered me immensely, that God sends anyone to Hell, I can't think of a crime that deserves infinite punishment, and many Christians believe even not believing is a crime worthy of eternal Hell.

Kind of smacks of Bronze Age mythology doesn't it?
Draw your own conclusions!

I don't understand why Hell doesn't bother more Christians. I'm Christian and I don't believe in Hell because it seems too far out of whack with Christ's teachings. I think Hell was added in later when the religion was taken over by greed.

If someone did something really horrible to me or someone I loved, I might wish life in prison, or death, but I couldn't wish eternity in Hell. I could never be okay with the idea that some people are burning in Hell forever and will never ever escape.

reply to post by Donnie Darko


nope, i could not wish that on someone.
in fact, i'm not supposed to. it says judge not. jesus even said, while he was here, that he wouldn't bring a railing accusation against satan for the same reason. think about that one! so i think the best position would be to just hope the best for everyone.

Yep! Phillip Garrido deserves that and more. After he is burned at the stake first. He needs to burn and burn and burn. The guy is lower than excrement!

Nuff said!

Originally posted by undo
reply to post by Donnie Darko

 

nope, i could not wish that on someone.
in fact, i'm not supposed to. it says judge not. jesus even said, while he was here, that he wouldn't bring a railing accusation against satan for the same reason. think about that one! so i think the best position would be to just hope the best for everyone.

do you believe in eternal hell though? and does it bother you at all? i do agree tho.

Thats the thing, as Christians we are supposed to be trying to keep everyone from going to hell. We aren't supposed to wish that for even the worst sinner.

Originally posted by calstorm
Thats the thing, as Christians we are supposed to be trying to keep everyone from going to hell. We aren't supposed to wish that for even the worst sinner.

isn't it kinda trying to love a god that can be that wrathful though?

I don't know about wish, but I do know Christians often specifically say "you are going to hell" thus speaking for the Christian God himself, which is against the whole faith. But then again, we are human and no matter how people say "we should be better", humans are prone to be contradictory of themselves and their values as no one is perfect. Yep.

On a larger scale though - why point out only Christians? People have their own morals, don't they? Don't need religion to be moral and yet wishing death, extreme insults, and violence is all a part of those values that the average person has. Morality, in both instances, is the sharpening of a person's spirit and without it, we'd might as well call ourselves savages and seek what is best for us and only us.

I'll admit that as a Christian who believes the Bible with all my heart, the concept of Hell is something I really struggle with. I hate it. Even horrendous people like Hitler, Stalin, or Mao.

However, I do believe that God is sovereign and I cannot pick and choose what to believe out of my faith. There is a piece of me that hopes we have some sort of translation error, textual corruption, or interpretation confusion.

Because I don't know and wrestle with it, I just give it to God and hope there was a misunderstanding. But what I cannot do is wiggle around it to make myself feel better. No, I wouldn't wish hell on my worst enemy. I believe what I do because I believe it is factual- not because of warm fuzzies. So it's unwise to claim it's not real because I have a problem with it.

I do hope that things aren't what they seem, though. In the end, I just have to turn it over to Him.

[edit on 10/2/2009 by AshleyD]

reply to post by Donnie Darko


hell is the grave.
i think it's saying that if you don't believe in the hereafter or don't want to do the hereafter stuff, that you'll go to the grave, where your bones will stay till all the bones will be burnt up for whatever reason, in the lake of fire.
i don't quite get the lake of fire thing.

Very Good Question!!

It's not for me to condemn anyone to Hell.

People condemn themselves to Hell when they reject the Son of God.

reply to post by Donnie Darko

I don't understand why Hell doesn't bother more Christians. I'm Christian and I don't believe in Hell because it seems too far out of whack with Christ's teachings. I think Hell was added in later when the religion was taken over by greed.

Take a look at Christ's teachings in their entirety. He spoke about hell. One example is when Jesus spoke about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man was in torment. He had no hope of ever escaping it. Then, of course, there is the Lake of Fire where all those that reject Christ are thrown into. It seems that they, along with the Beast, are there for eternity.

As for hell being added, that simply can't be, unless a manuscript is found with the teachings of Christ not including hell. To my knowledge though, all the manuscripts that we have include discourses on hell, with only insignificant variants.

If someone did something really horrible to me or someone I loved, I might wish life in prison, or death, but I couldn't wish eternity in Hell.

One could view hell as life imprison. They're not getting out. Being in hell is the second death as well.

I could never be okay with the idea that some people are burning in Hell forever and will never ever escape.

Nor am I. That is why, as Christians, we need to be out spreading the Gospel. If we do that, the people were fairly warned and decided to not heed the warning. We can't do anything then.

If a hurricane is coming and someone doesn't flee and dies, who is to blame: what created the hurricane, or the person? Naturally, the person. Likewise, God has given the world fair warning of the coming judgment and the consequences of rejecting Christ.

We shouldn't dismiss something that is theologically difficult because it's not "fuzzy" or we don't agree with it in our human minds. God is both fair and just. He's fair in that he's not wiping out the world for it's sin right now, giving the world a chance to repent and escape wrath. God is also just because he won't let sin go for unpunished. Mankind can either accept Christ's sacrifice for sin or pay for it themselves.

ETA: Remember that hell wasn't originally intended for man. Unfortunately, some men will end up there.

[edit on 10/2/2009 by octotom]

reply to post by AshleyD


I applaud the fact that you dont pick and choose what to believe. That makes you a true christian in my eyes.

reply to post by Donnie Darko

"Life" is a play.

The actors have been cast and chosen for their roles from the "beginning".

Never "wish/pray" that anyone should go to "Hell". To do so would not be logical/loving.

Logic/love would always "bless" not "curse"... for awakening a "brother or sister" would always be advantageous to the "church" and therefore "you".

As for "Hell" and those who from the beginning were assigned their place in Hell....

A "rat" does not complain about living in a sewer for it was designed to do so.

A "Demon" does not complain about going to a "kingdom" that was designed as their "perfect" playground for those who live a different "way".

Hell was created for a different "bloodline/creature".

The "children of Satan" if given a choice between "Heaven" and "Hell" would always choose "Hell".

So... don't worry about "them". What you may believe to be "hell" to another creature may well be their "heaven".

I don't wish hell on anyone. When I first became a Christian (not in a church), I went to the only church my then husband would go to, which was a very liberal denomination. I learned there to reject chunks of the Bible that the denomination found uncomfortable. But as I studied and met other Christians, I realized one piece at a time that the chunks that I had learned to exclude were actually true, and this changed my perspective on the whole Book. Now I reject none of it. Where it makes me uncomfortable, I just bear in mind that one day I will see my Savior and then He will make it clear. So, I have learned to believe in Hell, in the gift of tongues (for our day, too!), and whether or not the earth was created in 7 of our days or 7 of His days, is of the least possible consequence to me. I know that God is just and loving, and I trust Him completely!

I can wish death on people no problem, but wishing them eternal damnation in hell? Well, that'd never cross my mind.

The whole concept of hell is flawed, anyway. I mean, why would you have so many people just burning when they could be enslaved and made to make crap for the demons?

This is what I know. If someone thinks they are more merciful than God.
That is a sin.
That said.The proper translations of Hebrew text. Will show that" the lake of fire" is the
second death.It is spiritual death.The fires of the lake and it's smoke are eternal. The second death is where a soul is burned out of existence. The
suffering is not eternal. None ofus have the mercy or the patience or the
knowledge God has.
Thinking any thing else is to "completly miss the mark".

First to flag. Wee for me. I think its a great question.

No. I cannot. I am not a christian, but I have...
I have asked god to make things even. Near revenge, almost, begging some being whom I wont ever understand that he level the playing field.

I might wish a myriad of things upon some people, but eternity in Hell? Hell, I don't even believe in Hell. At least not in the eternal flames of fire and putridity and unbelievable torture and growing new skin each morning to just have it burned off again that day. I wouldn't wish Hell on anyone. Instead I would wish upon them enlightenment and forgiveness and a better existance than that which led them to doing something so horrible that someone else would wish eternal damnation on them. And that's only if they have actually done something besides just pissing someone off by not believing what that other person believes or considers to be an absolute truth.