Hell is a scare tatic.

www.control-z.com...://www.tentmaker.org/books/GatesOfHell.html

That above is one link. I have told Yobel and others that I believe hell was a scare tatic. Here is someone else who agrees with me. Seems to through both the Bible and Koran for a loop. Especially the Koran sinse most Muslims believe it is the PERFECT WORD OF GOD.



[Edited on 31-5-2004 by wooten123]

Quite frankly, anyone who puts his eternal future in the hands of this guy and what he says in his website is truly a fool. How was he so blessed as to receive this revelation? Let's face it, that old saying still hold, if it sounds to good to be true, then it is!! I think it's just time for a little common sense.

This is from another thread, parts apply to this one...
posted on 31-5-2004 at 12:41 PM Post Number: 564448 (post id: 585142) edit quote

I was thinking that if what we perceive as God as the creator of all dimensions and everything that was, is, and will be, than will the creator be biased towards good? If he created evil (even indirectly), then he would never punish those I believe. When our souls go to an eternal paradise after we die, all souls, good or evil go to the same place. And if the battle between good and evil does still take place in the eternal, wont there be an eternal battle of good and evil. That even if we are saved in our present lives, will evil once again introduce itself in this life and we will be exposed to it anyway in the eternal? That maybe the whole point of living is just to live and experience this life. I believe in eternal love, and I believe that all humans are capable of this, but all are also capable of evil. How do the good angels fight the evil ones anyway. I guess this is a good time to define what I think is evil (evil is controlling others). I'm sure some of the tactics used by good angels include what others may consider evil. So on this earth, if someone tries to kill us or control us, we fight, right? I mean, if we loved when someone tried to kill us and then we died, would we just be exposed to the same evil in the eternal.

Maybe hell and heaven are part of the same place....

I'm sorry this isnt very well organized, its just a philosophical debate that I've been struggling with for awhile.

Travel is so restricted on this world, if I tried hiking or boating and seeing everything I would probably be arrested for trespassing or illegal hunting many times on the way. I'd very much like to have a savior (aliens or whatever) create a free world, where technology and science wasn't our main occupation, but simply being was. That instead of paying dues for all this technology it would simply be at anyone's disposal to do as they please.

Anyway, some comments to potentially spur some more discussion.

You can find anything on the net that supports whatever crackpot view you hold (cf: the Ufo and paranormal forums)

Doesn't mean it has any relevancy, or truth.

In the end you can't say you never knew


[Edited on 31-5-2004 by Netchicken]

Scare tactics are used everyday in a FEAR based society.
I think YES this entire world is run on the basis of fear.
If we are fearfull....we then consume right?
We have to get THINGS to help alliviate this fear......we must get weapons to FIGHT because of our fears.
We are afraid we are not good enough, so we consume to make us feel MORE exceptable...IE: the RIGHT clothes...the CORRECT haircuts.....a stupid green lawn for heck sakes......

Parents use scare tactics to keep theyre children doing what they THINK is best.
The Bible uses fear, as a control method, just like every other control method on this planet uses FEAR.............its human nature I think to attempt CONTROL in this manner.

But remember, Jesus said "FEAR NOT"....................

Why people is so fixiated on the bible? because people have to remind themself that they believe. Our society have not learn yet to believe on themself by themself they need religion, bible and hell to tell them how to live.

Plus makes a good topic for discussion.

I have always thought that not just hell, but religion all together is a Scare Tactic!

Like I said, will you bet eternity on it?

Hell is the main marketing strategy in Christianity. Without hell, nobody would care about religion at all.

The concept of religion is such a rediculous one, IMO, that you have to add concepts like this in order to give people a reason to believe it.
Im mainly talking about Christianity, by the way. Do you really think Billy Graham would give a crap at all about jesus if he wasnt scared as hell (no pun intended) of dying? Fear of death is one of the oldest and strongest fears that is common in nearly everyone. Most religions prove that certain people throughout history have successfully exploited this...

DjNothing
You're looking at it from the wrong side. If you're looking at it from the standpoint of guilt only, well, you must have some really heavy guilt!! If your approach is that of Christ, then forgiveness awaits! The choice is yours and yours alone!!!!

For some reason, I don't think my post will have any effect. But please, "Rediculous" is actually "Ridiculous".

Originally posted by CommonSense
DjNothing
You're looking at it from the wrong side. If you're looking at it from the standpoint of guilt only, well, you must have some really heavy guilt!!

If your approach is that of Christ, then forgiveness awaits! The choice is yours and yours alone!!!!

For some reason, I don't think my post will have any effect. But please, "Rediculous" is actually "Ridiculous".

Wow. The power of Jesus never ceases to amaze me. You brought up guilt, not me. I was talking about fear. If there was no threat of eternal torture, would you really care?

That was my question.

And by the way, if the choice was all up to me, I would have thought of a way to abolish ignorance long ago. But it cant be done........yet (mwaaaahahahaaaa)
kidding....but seriously. I was talking about fear, not exactly guilt. Although they are closely related.

You know I have met quite a few Christian Fundamentalists and almost all of them have tried to convert me. As soon as I start poking holes in their arguments they all say something like this "but you'll go to hell and Jesus loves you and doesn't want you to go to hell"

Hell is a scare tactic but only in the same way that devine smiting and the wrath of god is also a scare tactic. It is a critical part of western religions, namely the idea that one should be good or be punished for all eternity. There are a great number of philosophical arguments about hell from famous theologians, philosophers and politicians.

But I've talked to enough fundies, and I'll say now what I tell them when they bring up hell:

First off, according to the Catholics I'm not going to hell, I'm going to purgitory, and if you are right about hell there Pascal, I'll be in the first sphere along with Gandhi (Hindu), Honest Abe (Atheist), Shaka Zulu (Zulu), King Arthur (Pagan, if he existed), Albert Einstinen (Jewish) and Helen of Troy (Greek Mythological). I'd rather spend eternity in a diverse place like that then with all the old popes and nuns who spent life as math teachers.

~Astral

Has anyone considered the fact that maybe Jesus as a wise man was misinterpreted by those who followed him? Maybe the hell that was being talked about was the view of those who chose love in the eternal. Those who chose hate were maybe seen as souls that would always be tortured by their hate/jealousy towards the power of love and the power of the creator. This outward hate manifested itself inward and choked off the energy of the so-called "evil" ones. Maybe this hell for them could be released by choosing love over the enviousness of others. The reason I use envy is because that is what caused satan to defect from the creator.

But I seriously hope you are not an atheist, the one who ridiculed religion, because to make such a claim would be just as ignorant as those who do believe. The truth is that we know nothing, at least not everything, and one would be unwise to disclaim a creator for a universe in which we are unsure of its creation. We may not know much about why it was created, but the more particle physicists ponder, the more they realize that it was created by a supreme energy power.

That is not to say I advocate much religion, I am just saying that you have to pick out the truths in it, because those who wrote these things are as ignorant as we are, if not more, but they had good intentions to propogate the knowledge of Jesus and the respective figures in other religions.

People need to stop profiting off something they don't believe, thats for sure.

When I talk about choice, I mean making a choice in the eternal, that if we are in a self-created hell in the eternal, we can escape by choosing love while we are in hell.

I'm agnostic myself. I do agree wholeheartedly with The Astral City also. I don't really regard the idea of eternal damnation as anything other than a marketing strategy.

(example: You would not buy a product unless you were convinced that you NEED a product. There is no need for salvation unless there is danger of damnation. This works in direct contradiction to the idea of an unconditionally loving god, although I expect certain people to chime in about now, spouting off poor excuses and theories that create worlds in which damnation and love co-exist peacefully)

Im sure most people dont care quite as much about going to heaven as they do about NOT going to the frying pan, or lake of trailer park grade kerosine, or whatever the hell its supposed to be. (that word again).

And by the way, if anybody's best argument is to correct my spelling, whip out the MLA handbook, or whatever else to divert attention away from their misinformed opinions. Please continue, because it is really hilarious.

The Christian concept of Hell may be a scare tactic, but the Jewish and Islamic view of Hell is not.

The Christian view of concept of Hell is that Hell is a "lake of eternal fire," and once you are in Hell you are going to be tortured there for all eternity.

The Islamic concept of Hell is that sinners will be thrown in Hell in Judgment Day but then God will hear the cries of the people in Hell and he will let them into Heaven. Also, those in Heaven will beg God to have mercy on those who are in Hell.

Then, Hell will no longer exist.

[Edited on 6-1-2004 by Illmatic67]

Perhaps your negative and positive action in this life will determine what type of world your spiritual being will encounter. You reap what you sow, do you not? I mean if you just an evil #ing bastard, I would think Evil begets evil. but what is evil? Who decides what is good or bad, it's all different to everyone, to every culture. Perhaps we're all going to hell, I mean most people are two faced, everyone wears a mask of what they want to appear as.

People are afraid to go to Hell so they have the fear of God. I feel living my life the way I want, the way I see fit and do what I consider is good, if this condems me to hell, then I suppose I wouldn't fit in heaven any how. I just attempt to be a decent human being and be about love, but these damn humans make it so hard for me sometimes.


[Edited on 1-6-2004 by Lysergic]

Hey Common Sense I'll bet eternity on it. There is no Hell as burning fire and punishment. How do I know you might ask ? I ask God and was told. Don't need no links on the web for that one huh

God is love Love can do no harm. I pity the person that believes that God has human failings. What need is there to punish anyone or wait for a certain time to do anything. God could do it all right now... You think he is testing us ? For what ? lol

Ill bet my eternity on it your damn right I will.....

testing us? nah. More like expriencing life through us.

Suffering exist in this world, through us, are we not a creation of God?

Maybe we are here to mature the soul?

Im siding with common sense here. And by the way no one has ever died, came back and said okay everyone there really isnt a hell- and the only one who has was Jesus and guess what- he went to hell and back for all of us so that we wouldnt have to go and actually find out.