What is the purpose of hell in Christian or Muslim theology?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Think Christianity is dying? No, Christianity is shifting dramatically

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/20/think-christianity-is-dying-no-christianity-is-shifting-dramatically/%3foutputType=amp

While Christianity may be on the decline in the United States, the world is becoming more religious, not less. While rising numbers of “nones” — those who claim no religious affiliation when asked — claim the attention of religious pundits, the world tells a different story. Religious convictions are growing and shifting geographically in several dramatic ways.

The colonial era is over, btw.

Maybe you should move to one of those countries.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled.

Your god is pretty brutal with his children.

‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal.

Which religions do you think actually have an image fo a God like that? That's a kindergarten comment you just made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled.

Your god is pretty brutal with his children.

‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal.

Which religions do you think actually have an image fo a God like that? That's a kindergarten comment you just made.

DP. Google "God of the old testament" and you will find page after page of Christian apologetics admitting that is how the he appears.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled.

Your god is pretty brutal with his children.

‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal.

Which religions do you think actually have an image fo a God like that? That's a kindergarten comment you just made.

DP. Google "God of the old testament" and you will find page after page of Christian apologetics admitting that is how the he appears.

The intent of many who make such claims to make a good God look evil and brutal in order to justify their rejection of Him, His Word, or even His existence. But if God really doesn’t exist and the Bible isn’t His Word, then those who attack God and His Word by calling Him harsh and evil shouldn’t even care to attack Him. By attacking Him, they show that they know He exists and are simply suppressing that knowledge.

Few realize that when they attack God’s character in an effort to make a case against His existence they are refuting their own position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled.

Your god is pretty brutal with his children.

‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal.

Which religions do you think actually have an image fo a God like that? That's a kindergarten comment you just made.

DP. Google "God of the old testament" and you will find page after page of Christian apologetics admitting that is how the he appears.

The intent of many who make such claims to make a good God look evil and brutal in order to justify their rejection of Him, His Word, or even His existence. But if God really doesn’t exist and the Bible isn’t His Word, then those who attack God and His Word by calling Him harsh and evil shouldn’t even care to attack Him. By attacking Him, they show that they know He exists and are simply suppressing that knowledge.

Few realize that when they attack God’s character in an effort to make a case against His existence they are refuting their own position.

Some people who don't believe in god attack BELIEF in god, not the non-existent entity. Obviously, pp doesn't understand non-believers very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:By attacking Him, they show that they know He exists and are simply suppressing that knowledge.

Extremely bad logic. I think Voldemort is a jerk also. Do you think that means I believe he actually exists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled.

Your god is pretty brutal with his children.

‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal.

Which religions do you think actually have an image fo a God like that? That's a kindergarten comment you just made.

DP. Google "God of the old testament" and you will find page after page of Christian apologetics admitting that is how the he appears.

The intent of many who make such claims to make a good God look evil and brutal in order to justify their rejection of Him, His Word, or even His existence. But if God really doesn’t exist and the Bible isn’t His Word, then those who attack God and His Word by calling Him harsh and evil shouldn’t even care to attack Him. By attacking Him, they show that they know He exists and are simply suppressing that knowledge.

Few realize that when they attack God’s character in an effort to make a case against His existence they are refuting their own position.

Some people who don't believe in god attack BELIEF in god, not the non-existent entity. Obviously, pp doesn't understand non-believers very well.

I was told here by an atheist that atheists didn’t believe in God, god, or gods, but also were respectful about the religious beliefs of other people. I guess that’s wasn’t accurate.

I also think if you spend time attacking a non-existent entity, your thinking is greatly flawed and you know the entity does exist, because no rational person would spend their time denouncing and attacking something that didn’t exist. I don’t see anyone on Harry Potter boards arguing with Potterheads about the existence of Voldemort- because everyone knows Voldemort is a fictional character.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled.

Your god is pretty brutal with his children.

‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal.

Which religions do you think actually have an image fo a God like that? That's a kindergarten comment you just made.

DP. Google "God of the old testament" and you will find page after page of Christian apologetics admitting that is how the he appears.

The intent of many who make such claims to make a good God look evil and brutal in order to justify their rejection of Him, His Word, or even His existence. But if God really doesn’t exist and the Bible isn’t His Word, then those who attack God and His Word by calling Him harsh and evil shouldn’t even care to attack Him. By attacking Him, they show that they know He exists and are simply suppressing that knowledge.

Few realize that when they attack God’s character in an effort to make a case against His existence they are refuting their own position.

Some people who don't believe in god attack BELIEF in god, not the non-existent entity. Obviously, pp doesn't understand non-believers very well.

I was told here by an atheist that atheists didn’t believe in God, god, or gods, but also were respectful about the religious beliefs of other people. I guess that’s wasn’t accurate.

I also think if you spend time attacking a non-existent entity, your thinking is greatly flawed and you know the entity does exist, because no rational person would spend their time denouncing and attacking something that didn’t exist. I don’t see anyone on Harry Potter boards arguing with Potterheads about the existence of Voldemort- because everyone knows Voldemort is a fictional character.

And what made you think that one atheist could speak for all other atheists regarding level of respect for religious beliefs? Certainly not all believers think and act alike. Neither do atheists.

It seems like you believe what you want to -- and are repeating your earlier thoughts on how atheists think.

I also suspect that your belief in God is wavering and you try to strengthen it by making silly, weak anti-atheism arguments on line. Of course, I could be wrong, because you are basically an unknown entity just as the atheists (at least 2) responding here are unknown to you.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell is the complete separation from God and His love for all eternity. It is reserved for those who deliberately decided to sever themselves from Him in this life and refused to seek forgiveness and be reconciled.

Your god is pretty brutal with his children.

‘Do what I want or else’ is quite literal.

Why do you say that?

NP.

You don’t see how “worship me or burn forever in hell” isn’t brutal?

Sorry — is brutal. It’s hugely brutal.

I don’t think it is brutal for those who have made a conscious decision to separate themselves from God. It’s really sad that someone would do that, but really since God gave us free will, the sinner (we all are) can make a conscious decision to reconcile back to God. As an aside, it’s pointless to consider who might be in hell as God’s forgiveness is unconditional and knows no limits.

Which god are you talking about? Do the Christens and Muslims all go to heaven? Which heaven?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered about this.

It can't be rehabilitation, unless hell is temporary or the purpose is to make people regret their actions except they will still be suffering forever.

It could be deterrence if people who are living decide to make choices to avoid punishment. The threat of not going to heaven also allows for deterrence, though.

It could be incapacitation, but hell is unnecessary for that purpose if people are dead.

In the Bible or Quran, is there any information about the purpose of hell?

OP, I will attempt to answer this as an evangelical Christian - but just a lay person, not a minister of any kind. "Hell" in the Christian concept is defined as separation from God. This can be both physical and spiritual. From your question, it sounds as though you may believe that God created Hell for a specific purpose, but that is not the Christian understanding. Man created Hell because he refused reconciliation with God. So the word "purpose" in your question makes it difficult to answer - it's more like Hell is the result of man turning from God.

Does that make sense?

Thank you for this answer.

My question is: why doesn't God choose to show Himself so that everyone will know for certain that He exists and that we have the possibility of reconciliation with Him? And why doesn't God simply annihilate everyone who dies without reconciling with Him rather than sending them to an afterlife or allow people the opportunity to reconcile with Him once they perceive His existence after death?

Good point re hell -- even if man created hell, God, being God, could get rid of it, if he wanted to, which apparently, he doesn't.

But re God "showing" himself -that would negate the need for faith, which seems to be a big deal for God -- , i.e., believing in him despite that fact that he does not show himself and in fact sometimes really seems quite convincingly not to be around - e.g., when really bad things happen to people who believe in him.

But another way to look at it, is: "Who the hell are YOU to dictate how God should be!" He's God, after all -- he can do what he wants.

That is rude and irrational.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/23/heaven-and-hell-according-to-various-religions/

Other religions besides Islam and Christianity believe in Heaven and Hell, or a version. It’s not just Islam and Christianity that do so. Even ancient Mesopotamians believed in heaven and hell, as well as Egyptians.

So you don't mind which religion people believe, as long as they believe in their own god?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I also think if you spend time attacking a non-existent entity, your thinking is greatly flawed and you know the entity does exist, because no rational person would spend their time denouncing and attacking something that didn’t exist. I don’t see anyone on Harry Potter boards arguing with Potterheads about the existence of Voldemort- because everyone knows Voldemort is a fictional character.

Voldemort is a fictional character? Prove it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I also think if you spend time attacking a non-existent entity, your thinking is greatly flawed and you know the entity does exist, because no rational person would spend their time denouncing and attacking something that didn’t exist. I don’t see anyone on Harry Potter boards arguing with Potterheads about the existence of Voldemort- because everyone knows Voldemort is a fictional character.

Voldemort is a fictional character? Prove it.