Hell: Being distanced from God (tradition, creation, church, experience)

[James the Persian]

Originally Posted by Bouncing Ball

And if none?

We don't believe that it will be possible to have no particular inclination to God once confronted with Him in heaven. This is not just about our attitude in this life but also in the next, which is one of the reasons we believe that those who do not follow Christ may be saved. How can anyone who is truly good in heart hate the source of all goodness?

James

[blueman]

You are right. Suffering will be attributable to being eternally separated from God, but the Bible clearly states that hell is not a pleasant place that there will be more suffering than just the realization of being distanced from God.

[Scuba Pete]

Dante has affected our concept of Hell beyond all reality. Hell is indeed our decision to not associate with God. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when we finally figure out how stupid we were.

[Victor]

Originally Posted by AlanGurvey

Judaism doesn't believe in the hell of Christianity and neither do I.

Is there an equivalent in any of movement of Judaism?

Is this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheol

As close as Judaism gets to Hell?

[Victor]

Originally Posted by robtex

Fluffy, first off great thread. I noticed the same trend also. I think the conception of hell has changed for many that realize that the earth is not hollow as mankind gained knowledge of his envirorment but they need to keep the faith of their "evil one" so many migrated to the idea of hell being seperated from God in the same way that God's use to have shapes and faces lived in the ocean and in the mountains until one day man went into the oceans and the mountains and found God not to be there so God became invisible.

Or maybe you just haven't been talking other Christians (instead of the Bible belt ). The concepts that James and I have presented are quite ancient.

Originally Posted by robtex

What is the most intresting thing about that notion is the camp that says Hell is not a physical place but instead is being away from God also contend that God is omnipresent which means it would be impossible to be away from God.

Technically yes.

[jonny]

Originally Posted by Fluffy

A current trend I have noticed in certain strands of Christianity (and perhaps in other religions as well though I am not aware of it) is the total replacement of the traditional concept of Hell with a completely new one.

Throughout most of Christianity's history, Hell was believed to be a place of eternal torture; fire and brimstone and the like. There are still many today who hold this belief. There is a wealth of Biblical scripture which supports this view.

More recently, people have started to define Hell as simply being distanced from God. The suffering mentioned in the Bible, they say, is in reference to the suffering one would feel at never being close to God.

Which view of Hell do you believe? Where did you get your belief regarding Hell? Is it accurate to suggest somebody can suffer by being parted from something they have never truly known?

There are two "hells" in Mormon theology. One is temporary and the other is permanent. In both cases, hell is defined as being distanced from God and halted in progression.

What I describe as the temporary hell is usually described as "spirit prison" and exists only because people have not had the opportunity or made the decision to partake of ordinances, such as baptism, that I believe are necessary for salvation. Once these ordinances are completed, the person is in effect freed from this "prison" and is able to continue to progress. It isn't a literal prison, but is described as one because the ability for the person to progress is limited.

The permanent hell is often described as "Outer Darkness" because those who end up there will be in a place where they have no interaction with God and they are completely distanced from God. In Mormon theology one cannot simply accidentally and ignorantly end up here. It is a decision that one has to make on their own with knowledge of what they are doing.

There is a little "fire and brimstone" in Mormon theology also. We believe that everyone will have the opportunity to make an educated decision to accept Christ's atonement. Those who don't accept Christ's atonement will have to suffer for their own sins. This will be done during the 1,000 years in the millenium. After the resurrection, these people will be freed from their suffering and receive a portion of God's glory.

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by Fluffy

A current trend I have noticed in certain strands of Christianity (and perhaps in other religions as well though I am not aware of it) is the total replacement of the traditional concept of Hell with a completely new one.

Throughout most of Christianity's history, Hell was believed to be a place of eternal torture; fire and brimstone and the like. There are still many today who hold this belief. There is a wealth of Biblical scripture which supports this view.

More recently, people have started to define Hell as simply being distanced from God. The suffering mentioned in the Bible, they say, is in reference to the suffering one would feel at never being close to God.

Which view of Hell do you believe? Where did you get your belief regarding Hell? Is it accurate to suggest somebody can suffer by being parted from something they have never truly known?

Since God is omnipresent, God is everywhere. God is just as much in hell as God is on earth and in heaven.

If hell exists, it is the very presence of God that makes hell so terrible. Hell, in my opinion, is the consistent manifestation of God's glory directed toward a person to whom God has not affected the atonement of Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God's presence is mediated by grace and forgiveness. Without the work of Christ affected, God's presence would be wholly unmediated and pure, and no one is able to withstand it because no one is divine as God is Divine.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Fluffy

A current trend I have noticed in certain strands of Christianity (and perhaps in other religions as well though I am not aware of it) is the total replacement of the traditional concept of Hell with a completely new one.

Throughout most of Christianity's history, Hell was believed to be a place of eternal torture; fire and brimstone and the like. There are still many today who hold this belief. There is a wealth of Biblical scripture which supports this view.

More recently, people have started to define Hell as simply being distanced from God. The suffering mentioned in the Bible, they say, is in reference to the suffering one would feel at never being close to God.

Which view of Hell do you believe? Where did you get your belief regarding Hell? Is it accurate to suggest somebody can suffer by being parted from something they have never truly known?

I'm only difficult and want to select "Other" because you just HAD to stick that word "eternally" in there about being separated from God, didn't you? harumph!

"And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter."

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 155)

[emphasis mine]