I'm very scared of going to hell, but I don't believe in hell

reply to post by 0thetrooth0


You admitted you are selfish and as long as you are more important than him, than you will always fail to find him as your own ego will keep you away from him.

Did you search for God as earnestly as you seek to please yourself? Did the search for God become the most consuming thing in your life?

Realize also I did not ask you if you tested God, but rather did you earnestly seek him?

After all if God is real, he would be the only one who could confirm or deny the existence of hell.

Remember the bible itself says fear is the beginning of wisdom. Not wisdom itself just the beginning.

reply to post by 0thetrooth0

Everyone is just living their life and im here worrying about the afterlife and what ifs. I wish I could be free and happy like you guys

Stop worrying. "Hell" is not real. It takes a long time to 'detangle' from those early-learned concepts, and you are not alone in your fear.
Be free, and be happy. Be nice, be authentic, and be patient with yourself.

The indoctrination into the myth of 'hell' is very hard to let go. I get it, I really do. If you're overcome with worry, do some research - look into the origins of the concept of hell, and how it has been used to instill FEAR into people all along.

You'll be fine. Find your own way there. There are as many 'paths' to 'God' as there are people, and we all get there eventually. You will be fine.

Originally posted by theghoster
reply to post by 0thetrooth0

 

OP,

Don't feel to distressed by this. It is actually natural to fear something that you don't even truly believe in. The belief in a "final judgement" is heavily engrained in the human psyche and in nearly every culture. It is actually natural to have this fear. I wouldn't worry about it much. What is the use, really? It is all just subjective nonsense we humans press upon our surroundings to make "sense" of world. I mean, just think about the very concept of Hell? When you really critically think about it? Does it rally make practical or even moral sense to you?

-TheGhoster

It doesnt many any sense to me at all. I mean suffering for billions of years ok fine, but eternally thats just messed up. The eternal part is the part that really gets to me. Its the part that im mostly afraid of and the part that doesnt many any sense I mean how can we suffer forever and ever..
Its like this fear of hell is engraved inside of me and no matter what anyone says or how dumb the idea of hell is I still fear it.

Thanks to everyone for what you've posted.

"Hell" is a concept derived from old myths like the Greek Hades, designed to scare stupid people into doing what the church wants them to do. There is nothing in any afterlife (which there are none) that is going to be worse than the torture you experience every day as a human animal driven by pain and hunger and fear and sex (and sometimes all at the same time).

Originally posted by 0thetrooth0

Originally posted by theghoster
reply to post by 0thetrooth0

 

OP,

Don't feel to distressed by this. It is actually natural to fear something that you don't even truly believe in. The belief in a "final judgement" is heavily engrained in the human psyche and in nearly every culture. It is actually natural to have this fear. I wouldn't worry about it much. What is the use, really? It is all just subjective nonsense we humans press upon our surroundings to make "sense" of world. I mean, just think about the very concept of Hell? When you really critically think about it? Does it rally make practical or even moral sense to you?

-TheGhoster

It doesnt many any sense to me at all. I mean suffering for billions of years ok fine, but eternally thats just messed up. The eternal part is the part that really gets to me. Its the part that im mostly afraid of and the part that doesnt many any sense I mean how can we suffer forever and ever..
Its like this fear of hell is engraved inside of me and no matter what anyone says or how dumb the idea of hell is I still fear it.

And that is why it has remained a fixture in our culture for so long. Like I said, (I added this after an edit) Hell is a generally useful cultural meme, designed to enforce and justify the rules of society so that we as individual humans don't commit horrible acts to others in the present. Hell isn't real, but it is a useful concept to those in power (as well as ordinary every-day citizens) when general society feels that acting out in immoral ways will reap punishment beyond mere human hands. Nonsensical, but useful. But, the ancient meme is slowly losing its authority over a more educated and learned society (I suspect and hope anyway). Fear not, just be as decent as you can--Hell or no hell. But remember you are human and being a little bad is just part of our DNA--don't beat yourself about it.

-TheGhoster

Originally posted by 0thetrooth0

Originally posted by queenofswords
Don't waste your time worrying, my friend. Life is too short.

~Live a good life and enjoy it. Be thankful for every day and appreciate the beauty and mystery of it all.
~Find balance in everything. It takes mercy AND discipline, rationality AND intuition. Enjoy the dance.
~When you make mistakes, seek forgiveness.....including forgiving yourself.
~Pray whether you believe or not. It is a spoken affirmation of all of the above.

Sometimes I do think about that life is too short and its probably the only life will have and so all we can do is enjoy life. Everyone is just living their life and im here worrying about the afterlife and what ifs. I wish I could be free and happy like you guys

Hell is a relatively recent concept in terms of religious/magical thinking. Think of it this way - the vast majority of people who have ever lived, lived and died and carried on with their lives without the concept of 'going to hell' as we would know it today. So, how ever did they do it?

The obvious conclusion is that the notion of 'going to hell' is simply a plot on the part of modern organized religion to get stupid people to behave themselves and keep in line with what the church thinks they should be up to.

At the end of the day, if you don't go around with the intention of doing others wrong - pushing children into traffic, punching senior citizens, burning down hospitals, that sort of thing - if you live your life as a fundamentally good person, and do your best to do good by those you come into contact with in your daily life - what more could a reasonable, sane God ask of his subject?

Is there no room in your heart for faith without fear of a petty, vengeful Almighty? I'm an agnostic - the truth is, I don't know what's 'beyond.' I'm uncomfortable with the idea that anybody with two feet on the ground could ever possibly say what awaits us on the other side. But I do feel that, if there is a God, then he's way beyond the pettiness that some Chistians and Muslims and Jews often attribute to him.

reply to post by 0thetrooth0


If your truly afraid of hell than you have seen it. God does understand, this you can be 100% sure of. He is simply waiting for you.

The choice is always yours. Continue to live in the fear/hell that you have created for yourself or pursue something bigger than you. God loves you either way, as long as you do the best you can with the understanding you have.

To truly understand fear/hell you must pursue God.

Please read this next statement correctly, because I am not condemning you.

If you fail to pursue him, you condemn yourself to live in fear/hell. This is your choice, you can live they way you are or you can pursue something higher. God loves you either way, he would prefer you seek him, only so that you may obtain the wisdom you are currently seeking.

Originally posted by 0thetrooth0
I wish I could be free and happy like you guys

I've pondered many a sleepless night about my own mortality. I think most of us have. It's human nature.
Why are we here? What happens once we're gone?

Those two questions are responsible for seeding the ideas that have sparked religion, gods and demons, heaven and hell.
No one has answered them yet, and you won't be able to either. Find something else to occupy your mind.
Try Sudoku.

Being a "Foxhole Atheist" does not seem logical to me.

OP, you sound like a just in case Christian.

Follow your own heart...

Originally posted by sacgamer25
reply to post by 0thetrooth0

 

If your truly afraid of hell than you have seen it. God does understand, this you can be 100% sure of. He is simply waiting for you.

The choice is always yours. Continue to live in the fear/hell that you have created for yourself or pursue something bigger than you. God loves you either way, as long as you do the best you can with the understanding you have.

To truly understand fear/hell you must pursue God.

Please read this next statement correctly, because I am not condemning you.

If you fail to pursue him, you condemn yourself to live in fear/hell. This is your choice, you can live they way you are or you can pursue something higher. God loves you either way, he would prefer you seek him, only so that you may obtain the wisdom you are currently seeking.

I have in the past when i was a Catholic I truly searched for him but to no avail. I even wanted to be a monk and so at that point God should have made them accept me and I would be a Catholic monk and rarely do sins and live happily ever after but nooo. Seek and ye shall find, thats not true. ive searched enough so now i have to see god or something heavenly/angelic and hell then were talking.

any last words or anything..

reply to post by 0thetrooth0

I even wanted to be a monk and so at that point God should have made them accept me and I would be a Catholic monk and rarely do sins and live happily ever after but nooo.

Noooo. Is right.
God "should" have done something? Friend, be brave, open your mind and realize that no religion has a handle on the "absolute truth".....

be yourself.

reply to post by 0thetrooth0


You're not going to hell. So sayeth the Ghoster!

-TheGhoster

reply to post by 0thetrooth0


Did you know that 99% of all who are in hell,
are christians...
for they have invented it.

reply to post by 0thetrooth0


If God actually responded when asked too there would be no atheists. Or question weather or not there is a God.

Just be okay with yourself by the time you pass, and you will be fine. I promise.

It is my belief that we are here to learn self mastery, and to learn to control our emotions. That's why the older we get the more pain/suffering/lose we have to deal with.

And as far as "HELL" is concerned look around this is it, we are in the lowest dimension life can function in. There is only better things to come.

reply to post by 0thetrooth0


your soul knows there is life after death, that our lives here are not the beginning and end. yet our society tells you that your stupid to believe in something you cannot see or hear or prove. the Bible says conviction is the Holy Spirit working in you, maybe that "fear" is not fear at all, but the Lord knocking on the door of your heart. so what i am going to tell you is this; dont listen to what anybody on here is telling you, but listen to what your hearts telling you, moreso who is knocking on your heart because that is the Lord. No its not the organized religion version of God, but give up any preconceived notions of God, and let Him start a relationship just between the two of you. This fear is a good thing, and if you let the Lord in, He will open your eyes and replace that fear with joy. your at a good place right now, what do you have to lose? either Gods not real and its all just in your head, or God is real and your facing eternity in hell. But you and i both know nothing anybody in here says is going to ease that fear.

It takes a lot of imagination to be scared of something you don't believe in.

Originally posted by honested3
reply to post by 0thetrooth0

 

your soul knows there is life after death, that our lives here are not the beginning and end. yet our society tells you that your stupid to believe in something you cannot see or hear or prove. the Bible says conviction is the Holy Spirit working in you, maybe that "fear" is not fear at all, but the Lord knocking on the door of your heart. so what i am going to tell you is this; dont listen to what anybody on here is telling you, but listen to what your hearts telling you, moreso who is knocking on your heart because that is the Lord. No its not the organized religion version of God, but give up any preconceived notions of God, and let Him start a relationship just between the two of you. This fear is a good thing, and if you let the Lord in, He will open your eyes and replace that fear with joy. your at a good place right now, what do you have to lose? either Gods not real and its all just in your head, or God is real and your facing eternity in hell. But you and i both know nothing anybody in here says is going to ease that fear.

I know what your trying to do, your trying to go all pascals wager on me. not cool man

It has eased the fear.

I think that if you truly thought about it, you believe in hell 100% of the time its just that you don't think about it or you push the idea to the back of your mind. I understand and am in a similar state in life. I do believe in hell, but I'm not doing anything about it. Most of the time it doesn't bother me, but every once in a while the thought crosses my mind.