The problem of Hell.

So I got to thinking, how can God be considered loving and yet send people to Hell for eternity? Also how could he condemn someone if they never even heard of him? That's not loving thats cruel.

I've read in Islam that they believe most will go to Heaven and only the extremely bad people will go to Hell. Also Islam teaches that Allah will judge people on their merits on Judgment Day if they never heard of Islam.

Originally posted by TinFoilHatMan55
So I got to thinking, how can God be considered loving and yet send people to Hell for eternity? Also how could he condemn someone if they never even heard of him? That's not loving thats cruel.

I've read in Islam that they believe most will go to Heaven and only the extremely bad people will go to Hell. Also Islam teaches that Allah will judge people on their merits on Judgment Day if they never heard of Islam.

Only Satan and his goons stay in hell for all time. Be happy God created hell for them. I also imagine he judges people on more than their actions, such as a persons thoughts and what their heart desires etc etc. Also, who cares what Islam says, it's what Christ said that matters. And he has already saved those who seek him, regardless if they're saints or sinners.

[edit on 10-1-2010 by Moonman1111]

Eternal Damnation has never made sense to me either. Religion (which is supposed to be based on the word of god) tells us that we must forgive... yet if eternal damnation by decree of god is true, he certainly doesn't make a good role model.

IRM

[edit on 10/1/10 by InfaRedMan]

Originally posted by TinFoilHatMan55
So I got to thinking, how can God be considered loving and yet send people to Hell for eternity? Also how could he condemn someone if they never even heard of him? That's not loving thats cruel.

I've read in Islam that they believe most will go to Heaven and only the extremely bad people will go to Hell. Also Islam teaches that Allah will judge people on their merits on Judgment Day if they never heard of Islam.

Its really way past time to shed the childhood ideas of hell. Hell is not a place
but the state of those who freely and definitively seperate themselves from God.
Hell is eternal seperation from God by our own free choice. God has not judged us,
we have judged ourselves. Think of hell as self exclusion from God.


I think for those who do not know God, or for whatever reason cannot believe,
but nevertheless lived a life for others has done His will, would certainly not have
seperated themselves from God.

reply to post by TinFoilHatMan55


Heaven and Hell could well be our destiny in this incarnation, which would possibly explain why some people have such damn good lives and others don't

Maybe the path we're programmed to take in our present lives determine our programmed path in the next ??
But there could be crossroads moments programmed in that we have to face, where decisions have to be made by us to redeem ourselves for sins in previous lives ??

If we make the wrong choice its back to a #ty next life

Hope this makes sense !!

i personally have not found any evidence, whatsoever, that a pre-determined place for eternal misery, called "HELL," even exists.

i looked for it for years and years and a long time after that

GOD is long-suffering and ever merciful....no matter what you prefer to call GOD - maybe Allah or YHVH or Jesus or FSM, whatever - the true nature of GOD doesn't change.

GOD IS LOVE

this is a concept for which i have found abundant and consistent empirical evidence, in my search for "HELL."

an unexpected and wonderful reward!



and, just an aside, in regard to the long-standing rumor that there are angelic beings who have been condemned to "HELL" forever without chance for parole:

in my search, i also found Tartaros....it was an absolutely empty subterranean cavern.
it was obvious that many beings had occupied the space for quite some time, but they were no longer there!

it seems that there is NO LIMIT to the mercy of GOD, who is LOVE.