Is eternity in hell cruel and unusual punishment?

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danserr said:
Very well then. It’s a metaphor. The point is that I see no reason to take biblical descriptions of a fiery hell literally any more than I see a reason to think that when Jesus called his followers “the salt of the earth” that he was literally calling them salt.
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The Semitic use of metaphor and hyperbole is an established fact. 🙂
 
danserr said:
Very well then. It’s a metaphor. The point is that I see no reason to take biblical descriptions of a fiery hell literally any more than I see a reason to think that when Jesus called his followers “the salt of the earth” that he was literally calling them salt.

Does Wright call them “souls” in an ex-human state? I thought he called them creatures, but I don’t have the book in front of me. Anyway, it doesn’t change the point at all.
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Matthew 13:24-30, “The Parable of the Weeds” describes the gathering of the weeds and the wheat.The wheat is reserved for the barn and the weeds are to be destroyed by burning.
The metaphore developes ,Matt:13:41-42 " The Son of man will send his angles, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers and throw them into the furnace of fire: there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
Jesus often used parables to convey His Fathers message.
You are classifing this parable as “hyperbole” a exaggeration.
Comparing a person to salt is not akin to the burning of wheat and people. In the latter both are consumed by fire one is destroyed and one endures a eternal burning" (the soul is immortal)
There is nothing , gleaned from above, to suggest exaggeration, but rather a clear comparison between the two!
We have another source that describes hell as a burning fire. The writings of Sr.Lucia :
a apparition deemed "worthy of belief " by the Church. One is not required to believe
private revelation, yet as all the latter Popes accept and believe, I think one would be in good company to view hell as Fire and Suffering!

I object to the use of creature to describe “Soul”.
 
thomas_jd said:
Matthew 13:24-30, “The Parable of the Weeds” describes the gathering of the weeds and the wheat.The wheat is reserved for the barn and the weeds are to be destroyed by burning.
The metaphore developes ,Matt:13:41-42 " The Son of man will send his angles, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers and throw them into the furnace of fire: there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
Jesus often used parables to convey His Fathers message.
You are classifing this parable as “hyperbole” a exaggeration.
Comparing a person to salt is not akin to the burning of wheat and people. In the latter both are consumed by fire one is destroyed and one endures a eternal burning" (the soul is immortal)
There is nothing , gleaned from above, to suggest exaggeration, but rather a clear comparison between the two!

I object to the use of creature to describe “Soul”.
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Actually the parable you suggest probably supports my idea. For instance you admit that the wheat and chaff are metaphorical, but then try to deny that the fire is. You can’t just take one part metaphorically and the other literally. I get that you then follow it up by quoting the angels gathering the sinful and throwing them into the furnace of fire, but why should I not also think that is metaphor?
-No I am not saying that Jesus is exaggerating. Not at all! hell is miserable, tremendously so, as I say in my first post, but the misery is every damned soul shut in on itself, not an external fire. The value of the image, of course, is to give an idea of the misery, but it is a comparison, not necessarily to be taken literally. I am not trying to say that hell is not so bad. I am saying the sheer misery in hell is the self-imposed misery of those who freely separate themselves from God.
I object to the use of creature to describe “Soul”
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Creature simply means a “created being,” which all souls are. And I am not inclined to think that the damned are persons, but remains, so I will not use that word for them. Souls in hell, do not have the dignity of persons; they did, but they rejected it, so I don’t think it appropriate to refer to them that way.
 
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