Thread: Hell Rational?

If you don't believe in Hell, how do you explain where this thread has gone?

Originally Posted by Capulet

Just like buying crack from your local pusher was helping put him through college. You better start cooking, or explain why you hate inner-city youth trying to get an education!

Crack never was my bag. I'm half-hippie--weed's my thing. Inner-city youth, hey, that was me. No problem with my own.

Give the farmer a break, na? If it was up to me, I'd hand out spades and packets of seeds to everyone. The world would probably be better off. But, just a thought.

Originally Posted by Terry D

If you don't believe in Hell, how do you explain where this thread has gone?

Geez, this thread has gone to pot.

Originally Posted by Terry D

If you don't believe in Hell, how do you explain where this thread has gone?

Just relieving some tension after some hard debate. Nothing to take too seriously.

Originally Posted by Baron

If you've studied the classics (I noticed that you asked for original Greek texts earlier) perhaps you could translate this?

γενηθήτω φῶς

Interestingly, Buddhist teachings made it into in Greek as well. There were a set of copper sheets with Buddha's teachings (the Dhammapada maybe) in Greek that used to exist awhile back.

Originally Posted by caelum

If there was material evidence, like proof the Red Sea had its water mass diverted for a certain time, that would be powerful evidence.

Even though you were referring to Moses, that wouldn't compelling evidence either. Religious events could be shaped around massive physical ones.
In my humble opinion, I don't think one should even look for physical evidence for beliefs, since it seems to be contradictory to have absolute belief and faith then try to have physical, factual evidence to back it up. Factual theory and spiritual belief are in two different realms of thought and have their own reasons to exist.

Originally Posted by Writ-with-Hand

Or... choose God over drowning one's self in a bottle of Captain Morgan...

There's an Incubus lyric from a song about retaking control over one's life from fear that goes "would you choose water over wine?" I wonder if that is a transfer of salvation from God to oneself.
Personally, I can't have faith in an all mighty being. I understand both my current position and why people believe, but I can't seem to move over to the latter group.

I'm sure there's some policy on here about refraining from this type of talk. I'll keep my say away as I've already had a few tellings off.

With regards to the OP, Hell is surely just a state of mind?

Originally Posted by guy_faukes

I understand both my current position and why people believe, but I can't seem to move over to the latter group.

Which is fine.

I've observed happy people with stability, security, and a relative amount of peace and purpose if not romance in their lives, that are everything from atheist to Muslims to Buddhists to Hindus to Protestants to Catholics etc.

I've observed the same thing of those that are miserable or lost or trapped in states of dejection and suffering.

I have an opinion but it is only that. Ultimately each person must choose their path. Who am I to tell the happy Muslim with three wives and yacht or the militant atheist with three girl friends, tailored suits, a Wall Street career, and respect from the most devote Christians that their path is the wrong one?

The most I've gotten out the Christian deal is a Catholic mother that will try to get me screwed into hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt and the numerous Protestant friends and family that think themselves experts on everything from God, Bible to judicial law whilst at the same time harassing me to get my oxycodone prescription filled and give the pills to them so they can sell them on the streets.

But I still stay loyal to the Virgin Mary (or at least I hope I do) and pray to God. Because that's what I do.

And I refuse to ever marry a woman that does differently. So, while everyone has their opinion they claim fact, with the hate in their hearts for me, they better sharpen their knives and put the bullets in their guns, because it ain't fin'a change with me. Therefore, my suggestion to all mankind: Do you and I'll do me. (A Black-American phrase)

Originally Posted by Writ-with-Hand

Which is fine.

But I still stay loyal to the Virgin Mary (or at least I hope I do) and pray to God. Because that's what I do.

)

That's good. That's really good.

If you don't know about this saint and this soon-to-be saint, check them out.

Saint Martin De Porres

Pierre Toussaint

Pierre was buried in a Catholic cemetery on the corner of the street where I lived. His bones were exhumed from the burial grounds and sent to Rome. As a child, I used to play in the cemetery with friends, and I can't tell you how many times I rolled across his gravesite without the slightest clue he lay buried beneath the grass.

I can't wait for him to become a saint. He was an honorable person with close ties to the church. Pierre, born a slave in Haiti in 1766, came to New York City and was a founder of the city's first Roman Catholic orphanages.

Imagine that, a saint from the block? Who wudda thunk?