Philosophical opinions on Hell

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ricmat said:
Souls live forever.

Souls that reject God to the end need a place to “reside” where they can be without the presence of God.
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and what is the intent of making hell extremely painful?
 
cpayne said:
If He did not do so, people would continue to move away from Him (their source of good) throughout eternity. So out of love God stops them from doing so.
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The message seems to be that free will was a terrible idea.

Even pious “saved” people move away from God periodically. It’s a part of every person’s walk. If the bus hits you while you’re distracted spiritually, tough stuff, I guess.
 
iamrefreshed said:
So your 30 year old daughter is a alcoholic, do you kidnap her and chain her to a radiator…for her own good?:rolleyes:
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any caring parent would had there been no higher authority (the government) that forces them to leave their adult children alone.

now lower the age so that the children is still under the power of the parents. say, 15 years old. would you let your daughter do drugs? i wont.
 
AgnosTheist said:
i’m agnostic on that. so what was your point? what is the intent of making hell extremely painful?
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You are assuming that is is extremely painful. And then - since it’s painful, well then, it just MUST be some form of punishment. Another assumption.

But what if it’s painful only in comparison to heaven?

What if what we ultimately choose is “just like now”, or something infinitely better?

NOTE: The above message has not been approved by FDA, FCC, CCC, or Nobel Prize Committee.
 
ricmat said:
You are assuming that is is extremely painful. And then - since it’s painful, well then, it just MUST be some form of punishment. Another assumption.
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my question is for christians who thinks that hell is a painful punishment.
ricmat said:
But what if it’s painful only in comparison to heaven?
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you mean its painful only because you dont get all the nice heavenly goodies, but there is really no physical suffering? sounds reasonable. 🙂
ricmat said:
What if what we ultimately choose is “just like now”, or something infinitely better?
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based on the bible’s description of heaven (that folks there would do nothing but sing songs to god), i’d rather prefer an over extended earthly life. as we filipinos always say, in heaven there is no beer, thats why we drink it here! 😃
 
AgnosTheist said:
based on the bible’s description of heaven (that folks there would do nothing but sing songs to god), i’d rather prefer an over extended earthly life. as we filipinos always say, in heaven there is no beer, thats why we drink it here! 😃
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But the bible also describes heaven as a place prepared for us in which there is joy beyond our wildest imaginations.

Those beers better be very very good!
 
For an interesting take on Hell as a deliberate rejection of God, take a look at the movie What Dreams May Come from 1998 with Robin Williams. Its take on Heaven and Hell is not orthodox, but it does a decent job of explaining the concept that Heaven and Hell are the consequence of choosing or rejecting God. In the movie, Williams character dies and gets to Heaven and once there begins looking for his pre-deceased wife and children, and explores why some people are in Heaven and others are not.

Again – I am not saying that this is an orthodox portrayal of the afterlife, but it helped me understand Hell as a deliberate turning from God’s love.
 
Wandered_Off said:
The message seems to be that free will was a terrible idea.

Even pious “saved” people move away from God periodically. It’s a part of every person’s walk. If the bus hits you while you’re distracted spiritually, tough stuff, I guess.
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No, the message is that a relationship with God (which we may possess through free choices) is so infinitely worthwhile that the chance to receive such a relationship is worth anything else the exercise of free will might entail.
 
AgnosTheist said:
based on the bible’s description of heaven (that folks there would do nothing but sing songs to god), i’d rather prefer an over extended earthly life. as we filipinos always say, in heaven there is no beer, thats why we drink it here! 😃
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Then Catholicism’s good for you. We are allowed beer:D
 
AgnosTheist said:
records are one thing, punishments are another. its a world of difference, my friend. 🙂
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True true. The analogy isn’t perfect but isn’t the idea of the finite act causing an infinte response the same?

I think we have to agree on some things before we can discuss the opinion of hell. Do you agree or disagree that the soul is infinite? Would you agree that Heaven and Hell exists? Do you agree that God is merciful and just?

If you don’t believe that the soul is infinite, the real places of Heaven and Hell,or that God is merciful and just, Can you just assume for arguements sake that they are true so that we can discuss the Catholic viewpoint?

The reason I ask is because some of your statements seem to maybe deny any of the three questions as being true. And if thats the case we need to backtrack to first whether Hell exists at all versus what hell is like. 🙂
 
Saul.Tentmaker said:
Both are always sins, but they are not always sins that are “eternal to their end”. For example, I may steal pencils from my workplace because I’m too lazy to go out and buy more pencils. This has not in itself an end in eternity, because it does not fix my will upon sinning eternally, though it may begin bending my will toward that end, and this is why it is venial. It leads to mortal sin.
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Admittedly, this is off the topic of hell, but: doesn’t this justification (“I need a pencil”) leave open the possibility for further theft? If I find myself short on cash for a train ticket, may I assault and mug someone for the money, because I don’t intend to become a career criminal? Thanks for bearing with me.
 
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