Do I Believe in Eternal Damnation? No. Nor do I believe in eternal heavenly bliss. But then, what do I know?
I believe in eternal suffering in hell as eg. the Catholic church teaches
I believe in annihilation as eg. the Jehova Witnesses teach
I believe in universal salvation as eg. some of the early church fathers taught
other, please explain
Do I Believe in Eternal Damnation? No. Nor do I believe in eternal heavenly bliss. But then, what do I know?
Yes, I believe in eternal damnation. Everything has a balance (good - evil) in the physical world so the same is true for the spiritual world. The opposite of receiving salvation and eternal life in the kingdom of God is being eternally separated from Him and cast in the depths of hell with the devil. There is a verse in the Bible which talks of "everlasting punishment":
Matthew 25:46 - "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
Another verse which warms that hell is a very ugly place to be in:
Luke 12:5 - "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him."
A verse which talks of eternal torment:
Revelation 14:11 - "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."
Another verse which describes eternal fate in hell:
Revelation 20:10 - "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
So hell punishment is eternal, just like heavenly reward is eternal. Some peoples will find it unfair, but everything has a balance. Some peoples believe in karma, others in divine justice. In my view, whatever you believe in, you should seek not to do harm onto others, because it might come back to you one day. I think the saying "don't do to others what you wouldn't like done to yourself" is a good means to live by. Furthermore there are really wicked peoples on this earth, who hate God and have no humanity. Before, peoples feared eternal judgment more. At some point the doors could be left open. But now they don't fear it but that doesn't make hell a less real place.
I think we all have a variety of positive and negative experiences which eventually balance out in this life and the afterlife/afterlives. I don't believe in divine judgement. Like Shakespeare wrote: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts . . ."
Hell isn't so much for children, as it is for adults who know better but still reject the Lord, bringing fate upon themselves.
Yes. We adults have a choice between doing what we know is right or what we know is wrong. And rather we like it or not, there are consequences for the choices we decide to make; if not in this world, then surely in the next.Originally Posted by Baorn
Especially idolaters and cheaters.
How do you explain why some people choose to do wrong and others choose to do right?
It's a matter of ego, personal gratification, and maybe defiance when it comes to doing something we know is wrong. Or it could be the result of desperation. It depends on the nature of the sinful or criminal act, really.
Sometimes, even though we know something is wrong, we go ahead and do it anyway. And then we usually end-up regretting the bad choices we make.
I say "we" here, because I'm just as guilty as others for being tempted to do some things I know are wrong. I certainly can't cast any stones at anyone else, when a boulder is hanging over my head.
Not all in life is at it appears to be.
You're absolutely right, Baorn... Did you think I would deny it?Especially idolaters and cheaters.
Not all in life is at it appears to be.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks