Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I self identify as Muslim and i was taught that hell is like a "hospital" its a place where people with a "sick" soul would go to recuperate and that with time everyone in hell, even Satan will enter into paradise after learning to submit to the will of God and being grateful to Him. I think the the hadith that even satan will enter Paradise is a fairly common one but I also know that since my family moved to the USA in the sixties, the extremist Saudi Salafi tradition has taken hold and most muslims believe in what i think is a "christian" hell- eternal hellfire. I was taught that we dont believe that by our teachers in teh eighties but times are different now, none of my parents friends wore hijabs or shorts, just regular modest clothes and some even drank so we are not particularly inclined to believe in eternal hell, but i dont really know what modern day Wahabi types believe.

Even in Catholicism, it is taught that the devil could repent and be forgiven.


It’s my understanding that Satan prefers to rule in hell rather than serve in heaven. Which is why pride is such a dangerous sin.

My religion teaches that the fallen angel Lucifer was continually in God’s presence and had knowledge of the glory of God. Therefore, he had no excuse for rebelling against God and turning away from Him. Lucifer rebelling against God despite what he knew was the utmost evil.

The Bible gives us no reason to believe that Lucifer would repent even if God gave him the chance (1 Peter 5:8). Lucifer seems completely devoted to opposing God and attacking God’s people. The Bible says that the severity of God’s judgment varies according to how much knowledge a person possesses (Luke 12:48). Lucifer, with the great knowledge of God, is greatly deserving of God’s wrath.

Anonymous wrote:I self identify as Muslim and i was taught that hell is like a "hospital" its a place where people with a "sick" soul would go to recuperate and that with time everyone in hell, even Satan will enter into paradise after learning to submit to the will of God and being grateful to Him. I think the the hadith that even satan will enter Paradise is a fairly common one but I also know that since my family moved to the USA in the sixties, the extremist Saudi Salafi tradition has taken hold and most muslims believe in what i think is a "christian" hell- eternal hellfire. I was taught that we dont believe that by our teachers in teh eighties but times are different now, none of my parents friends wore hijabs or shorts, just regular modest clothes and some even drank so we are not particularly inclined to believe in eternal hell, but i dont really know what modern day Wahabi types believe.

Even in Catholicism, it is taught that the devil could repent and be forgiven.


It’s my understanding that Satan prefers to rule in hell rather than serve in heaven. Which is why pride is such a dangerous sin.

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.

OP. I know. I just asked about Christian and Muslim theology because they're two of the most commonly practiced religions today.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just my opinion as an interfaith minister. The concept of “hell” was created to control the masses. It’s fear based nonsense that has nothing to do with a loving Creator. If you research the original languages in sacred scripture, you’ll learn that “hell” has been misinterpreted intentionally for thousands of years.

Your identification as an “interfaith” minister tells us all we need to know.

It does indeed tell us Christians all we need to know. You may be an Interfaith Minister (worldly compromiser) but you ignore, deny, or flap your hands at what the bible plainly teaches about hell.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. --Galatians 1:8

To me, you are accursed and there is to be no Interfaith anything with you other than to say you are completely wrong. As Jesus said, there is one and only way to heaven:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. --John 14:6

What Jesus said directly contradicts the other faiths who are part of the earthly kingdoms under Satan, not the heavenly kingdom under Jesus.

Hell is the 2nd Death: you are destroyed there, which is justice. Hitler is there, among many other wicked people who would have been as evil as Hitler given the means, determination, or opportunity.

Anonymous wrote:Just my opinion as an interfaith minister. The concept of “hell” was created to control the masses. It’s fear based nonsense that has nothing to do with a loving Creator. If you research the original languages in sacred scripture, you’ll learn that “hell” has been misinterpreted intentionally for thousands of years.

To which I say, So what?

If true, this implies that for 1000's of years, church leaders have been misleading people and the only way to find out is to "research the original languages..."

Meanwhile, huge numbers of people live in fear of eternal suffering based on what they learned from church leaders who are not trying to save their souls, but instead, are trying to "control the masses."

To scare people into doing the right thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just my opinion as an interfaith minister. The concept of “hell” was created to control the masses. It’s fear based nonsense that has nothing to do with a loving Creator. If you research the original languages in sacred scripture, you’ll learn that “hell” has been misinterpreted intentionally for thousands of years.

Your identification as an “interfaith” minister tells us all we need to know.

Tells YOU, perhaps, but YOU can't speak for all of US.

Anonymous wrote:Just my opinion as an interfaith minister. The concept of “hell” was created to control the masses. It’s fear based nonsense that has nothing to do with a loving Creator. If you research the original languages in sacred scripture, you’ll learn that “hell” has been misinterpreted intentionally for thousands of years.

Your identification as an “interfaith” minister tells us all we need to know.

Just my opinion as an interfaith minister. The concept of “hell” was created to control the masses. It’s fear based nonsense that has nothing to do with a loving Creator. If you research the original languages in sacred scripture, you’ll learn that “hell” has been misinterpreted intentionally for thousands of years.

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?

(Same PP again) Ah, but He did show Himself by actually coming to earth in the person of Jesus Christ! God lived, breathed and walked the earth in the body of Christ. (It's mindblowing to sit and contemplate that, I'll certainly grant you!) And He continues to reveal Himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit that is very much alive on earth, just as evil is as well.

Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life and died to reconcile us all to God. Christians believe that during the 3 days Jesus was dead, he "descended into Hell," and then rose from the grave, conquering death, evil and all sin that separates us from God.

To your second question: Christians believe that we, as humans, are created in the image of God. God wants nothing more than a personal relationship with every single person on this planet. But - and this is the kicker - we have to want that relationship too. He never forces any of us to have or receive it, because if He did, we would be nothing more than robots. We are created to be in communion with God, but we have free choice in the matter. Why doesn't God allow reconcilation after death...? I don't know. Maybe He does?

"Hell" in the Christian concept is defined as separation from God. This can be both physical and spiritual.

But what if I don't feel separated from God? Sometimes I'm a saint, sometimes a sinner.

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.

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?

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.

No, he just has standards for the company he keeps.

Why not cause the people he doesn't like to be dead forever after their deaths rather than sending them to hell?

The soul is immortal. Those in hell deliberately chose to be there.

Isn't God capable of putting an end to the soul? And many people do not even believe that an afterlife exists, so how can they choose to go there?

I don't intend this to come across as disrespectful.