What is the purpose of hell?

Punishment of any kind only serves one of three purposes, whether it’s spanking your child, putting them in timeout, grounding them, or the police putting you in jail, there’s one of only three purposes where that punishment can be useful for.

One is correctional: if you perform an action that is to the detriment of those around you, obviously we don’t wont you to continue to perform such an action, so you’ll be punished. The idea being that the next time you go to perform such an action, you will remember the punishment and you won’t do it. That’s also the reason prisons are also called correctional facilities.

The other reason is to serve detriment for someone else, if the police or the judge decide to make an example of someone, that means they’re going to be particularly harsh on that person so other people who maybe doing the same thing, will stop doing that action without getting the necessary punishment for it.

And the third purpose is to help the rest of society continue to run and to protect the rest of us. Murderous and rapists and so on are locked up so for the betterment of everyone else, to prevent them from preying on the innocent.

Now that being said, hell doesn’t really fit any of those three categories, hell’s a place of punishment no doubt, but it’s not really a place for correctional punishment, because you’re never going to get out, so you’re not going to have the option to learn your lesson and you’re not going to have the option to not perform such an action again.

It’s really not a great detriment either, because if you don’t already believe in hell, then it’s not going to deter you away from anything, in fact many religions have their own versions of hell and they’re completely undeterred by the threats from opposing religions.

You’re not going to get a single Christian who’s going to be nervous about going to the Muslim hell strictly from believing in Jesus and they’re not going to be deterred from believing in Jesus because of something a Muslim says, likewise, Muslims will not be deterred from the Christian threats of hell because they’re refusing to accept Jesus.

Not to mention that no one can actually ever see anyone going to hell, they never get see that someone has actually been punished, therefore it’s usefulness as a determent is just about nothing.

And finally for the protection of everyone else, well in heaven we really shouldn’t be able to be killed anymore, we’re already dead. Theoretically we shouldn’t be able to be injured, there’s really nothing to be protected from, so sending someone to hell doesn’t protect the rest of the souls in heaven either.

Since it can’t serve as a correctional felicity, it has very limited bases as a deterrent at all and it doesn’t serve those protected in heaven, so what is the purpose of hell?




[edit on 3-12-2007 by andre18]

reply to post by andre18


Hi andre18/


Who says that 'hell' is a place of correctional facility?
It's not in the Bible as you say.

helen

the purpose of hell. very simple. to keep you here at the earths core as long as possible so you won't make your way to heaven. that way you won't be able to re-create your body and start over. Hell is like a vaccum cleaner and it wants to suck up the souls when they leave the body.

The game is fixed and the rules aren't made in heaven. Hell and Heaven are earthly constructs and are used to keep the masses in check. Instead of education we use fear to force compliance.

Brilliant...absolutely Brilliant.

Do onto others!

Originally posted by andre18
Punishment of any kind only serves one of three purposes, whether it’s spanking your child, putting them in timeout, grounding them, or the police putting you in jail, there’s one of only three purposes where that punishment can be useful for.

Let's say no matter what was done to this child to help them change, they wouldn't listen and wouldn't heed correction. While being given graciously an extra long life to make that choice along with plenty of opportunities.

OK, now let's say this child had to be placed somewhere at the end of this, and since they wouldn't submit to the King, where can he put them? Other than casting them out of his sight?

Originally posted by andre18
Since it can’t serve as a correctional felicity, it has very limited bases as a deterrent at all and it doesn’t serve those protected in heaven, so what is the purpose of hell?

Hell is a temporary prison and those in it are awaiting judgment day. At that time they will be gathered and sentenced according to their works and cast into a lake of fire.

Following that, the new heaven and earth will be created for those who love the creator.

Originally posted by WiseSheep

Hell is a temporary prison and those in it are awaiting judgment day. At that time they will be gathered and sentenced according to their works and cast into a lake of fire.

Damned if you do, damned if you dont? It wont matter then, as you word it, they'll get judged, and then the boot, so to speak. Nothing temporary about Hell. lol.
If I read that wrong, please feel free to correct me

The purpose of hell: Hell is a tool of religion. Hell makes followers of a religion fear the consequences of wandering from the "chosen" path. Basically hell is an idea used to keep to masses in line. It is a tool of religion and religion is a form of control.

Religion is used by leaders and governments as a tool to control the populace. Bush uses it. He is no Christian! But he panders himself as a devout one and uses religious rhetoric for political sound bites.

Hell is a fictional story. I hot firey place where evil people suffer in eternity for their earthly transgressions. This hell does not exist.
However, to see true hell you simply need to open your eyes and look around. Wars, famine, disease, fires, and disasters. Wicked people doing wicked things. Hell is on Earth.... But Heaven is also, in the good deeds of people, love, care, and peace.

Originally posted by Chiiru
Damned if you do, damned if you dont?

Once you've stepped out of this body rejecting him, yes. Anyone who is there now there is no getting out. You still have breath, what will you do with it?

Originally posted by Chiiru
It wont matter then, as you word it, they'll get judged, and then the boot, so to speak. Nothing temporary about Hell. lol.
If I read that wrong, please feel free to correct me

Well hell the place now is temporary. It's a small error to say someone will be in hell for eternity because actually the eternal place will be the lake of fire.

Originally posted by andre18
Since it can’t serve as a correctional felicity, it has very limited bases as a deterrent at all and it doesn’t serve those protected in heaven, so what is the purpose of hell?

You are only correct if you feel it is a place we go after physical death. As long as one does not find the truth, they are judged and sent back (the lake of fire). As for eternal, it is never-ending in the sense that it will always exist in time and space. This is one concept believers hang up on. They think time in terms of being linear, so they assume this is life, you die, then are judged and go on forever in heaven or hell. This cannot be true for the arguments you have listed. What does make sense is that we are now separated from God by the physical plain. If we do not find the truth, we are reincarnated somewhere in time in this realm to be refined (thus the lake of fire). This is the judgment. Once we find the truth, first heaven is made new (redefined) and then the earth is made new (the white throne judgment).

So hell is the process of being separated from God until we find him within ourselves. That is all there is to it. It exists forever and also for an instant. It is useful as a reproach for ourselves, but it is solely for the individual's understanding and benefit. It does protect heaven in that the process is isolated from heaven. Those that find heaven have overcome hell and can freely go between the two as they are no longer corruptible. Those in hell cannot cross the void, because they would and are corrupting heaven until they find they truth within themselves.

Hell was invented in the ancient days by men of power who felt it was the only way to hold the masses of ignorant people under their power. It is the same today. If the people of power today really believed the myths they are perpetuating, they themselves would behave much differently than they are. Seeing their own corrupt behavior should make it plain to anyone, these political, business, and especially religious leaders have not the slightest faith in these things themselves; they do not think them at all necessary to regulate their own lives, or keep them in order; but it is for the average people, the dumb sheep who must be restrained with fears of great terror in the afterlife.
One cannot help noting the resemblance between those wise men of old and some of our own day, who seem so anxious to maintain the doctrine on the ground that it is necessary to restrain men from sin. I think it is time we "dumb sheep" wise up and get out from under the myths these men of corruption have used to hold the fetters of our minds in check and check ourselves in at the sheepfold of the good shepherd who knows how to restrain his sheep with love, not fear. What do you think?


[edit on 12/3/2007 by Solarskye]

it's a pit of spite for an all-powerful being that acts more like a spoiled toddler than an omniscient father figure to place those that don't follow ridiculous rules...

at least that's what i gather from the bible.

Hell is simply a man made concept to keep the religious under control...

as an atheist, i find the whole idea laughable, whereby I stick to basic morals and common sense.

Hell is for the religious.

this is hell and everyday is judgement day. do the best you can,play nice, and you will probably move on.

I believe that Hell was never meant to be a place for the human spirit. Rather a place for all the Angels that rebelled against God, to be separated from God.
When Lucifer deceived (tricked) Eve, and then Adam into disobeying God, sin was introduced into the world (Into Adam, Eve, and us through them) Sin cannot be, (survive) in the presence of God. Therefore a human spirit that has sinned (and all have, but one) Cannot be in the presence of God without being destroyed.
That is why he sent his Son, to be a sacrifice for us (To take the punishment that should be ours) In order for us to be able to stand before God, and not be destroyed by his presence, and avoid Hell altogether.
I believe God does not want anyone's spirit to end up there. But there are laws that must be obeyed, even by God. I try to look at it like a court of law; God is the Judge, Jesus is your defense attorney, and Lucifer is your accuser (prosecutor), Hell is the jail, The Lake of Fire is the lethal injection. Heaven is the reward for being found "not guilty", through Jesus.

reply to post by bmpemb


So explain to me why a new born baby is not sin-free???

???

reply to post by andre18


what is the purpose of hell ? which one are we talking about?----------there are 4 different words that the translaters have put the english word hell onto.#1sheol hebrew=the grave #2geenna greek=burnt to ashes(dead forever)#3hades greek=the grave#4tartaroo greek=the prison for satans demons(presently understood from other scriptures to be here on this earth .dont worry------none of the 3 possible hells we face leave you alive/conscious while in them.adam and eve didnt believe Messiah when He told them that if they ate of the tree in the middle of their garden of paradise that they would die as a consequence.they brought death for them and for us into the world.

reply to post by mr-lizard


I do believe a new born baby IS born sin free. There is a point in each persons life that he or she becomes aware of right and wrong. And that is where you become accountable for your actions, Who knows when that point is? I would say it's probably different for everyone. But at some point everyone does something wrong.

The purpose of hell: Hell is a tool of religion. Hell makes followers of a religion fear the consequences of wandering from the "chosen" path. Basically hell is an idea used to keep to masses in line. It is a tool of religion and religion is a form of control.

Hell is simply a man made concept to keep the religious under control... as an atheist, i find the whole idea laughable, whereby I stick to basic morals and common sense. Hell is for the religious.

it's a pit of spite for an all-powerful being that acts more like a spoiled toddler than an omniscient father figure to place those that don't follow ridiculous rules.

Typical ignorant and false statements made by atheists which oddly contradict what other atheists (or past atheists) say regarding the reality of hell, because they've been there. They also say it's not God that puts you in hell (or the void as they call it). It's your own actions that put you there, so don't blame God. I could quote hell-like NDE's all day long because they're very interesting but also scary. But that would take too much writing. I do however have some interesting quotes sitting in a text doc.

"I'm a surgical nurse at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. We have lots of near-death cases there, and almost all of them are the negative kind. You know what I mean --people who wind up in hell!"

"You've got to tell people about hell. There is one. I know. I've been there. All them experiencers on television telling their pretty stories about heaven -that's not the way it is. There's a hell, and people go there."

"A heart specialist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, has just finished a study of more than 100 patients brought back to life after being clinically dead. ‘The Good News’, he said, ‘is that some of them had a blissful encounter with a being of light.’ The bad news, however, is that over half of the patients ‘had a perfectly appalling time.’ The doctor now firmly believes hell exists. ‘Reluctantly,’ he said, ‘I have come to the conclusion it may not be safe to die.’"

"I had a near death experience in 1995. I was in a complete and total hell for 5 days. I was in the worse places and not just one ....more like many experiences all of them equally as terrifying"

"Many feel betrayed by religion. Many resent the endless banter on television talk shows about "the Light," all that warmth and love and joy exuded from those who seemed to have experienced heaven."


So read and learn and stop the lies about hell being made up to control people already. These encounters don't come from the bible or religion. They come from first hand experiences, many of them atheists. So it looks like religion was right all along. And notice the last quote about people feeling betrayed by religion. Gee, I thought religion made it plenty clear there was a hell. Seems more like people filtering out what they don't want to accept which is typical of modern watered down religion that keeps telling people that everybody is good and there is no such thing as sin.

I'm Christian, but Highly doubt "permanent" hell. I just can't believe what you did in 100 years will get you eternity of hell.

reply to post by Elhardt



The atheists will now tell you it is all easily explainable by either a chemical imbalance in the the brain right at death or the lack of oxygen - take your pick.

Wait for it.