Board index ‹ Heaven and Hell

[Remote]

What’s the fire for?

When we’re dead, our pain receptors remain in our bodies. If there’s fire in hell, we won’t feel it. So how are we to be tormented? People in the ancient world didn’t know much about science, and didn’t question these things. But I think we’re owed an explanation, if we are to be threatened with eternal damnation.

Wouldn’t it make more sense if we just lost our souls and thereby ceased to exist? What effect could fire possibly have, if we can’t feel pain and it can’t destroy our souls?

[jimwalton]

The fire in Hell is no more literal than harps are in Heaven. Both are language-images to speak of other realities. Hell is going to be an awful place to be, so the image the Bible often uses is that of fire. It also uses images of darkness. Neither are meant to be literal. Images of heaven often speak of gold and gems, but there's no reason to think that Heaven is going to be gold and gems. These are literary images to speak to the realities behind them.

> When we’re dead, our pain receptors remain in our bodies.

I can tell you're already thinking in physical terms, but life after death only has some partial relationship to our lives now. "Death" in the Bible is never a cessation, but always a transition. Our bodies will be changed as we enter our eternal destiny, so physical pain receptors is a somewhat meaningless concept. The true agony of Hell will be a separation from God, not of any kind of physical torment.

> But I think we’re owed an explanation, if we are to be threatened with eternal damnation.

We have been given many elements of explanation about Hell and eternal damnation. I will hope that you have read the Bible, or at least some of it, before you take your what seems to be a pompous stand on this soap box.

> Wouldn’t it make more sense if we just lost our souls and thereby ceased to exist?

In what sense would that make more sense? That would mean that whatever you did in this life that may have been bad or evil or hurtful to others—you were just get away with it. You would die and that would be the end of it. Hitler, Epstein—hey, do whatever you want, because you're just die and cease to exist. There's no justice in that. It means this life is all that matters, and the powerful get to do whatever they want. There is no accountability.

[Cherry]

You need to reconcile yourself to the idea that just because it seems unfair to you has no impact on the real world.The argument from justice, or "life is unfair, so therefore God must exist to mete out justice" is one of the most sad and childish attempts at proving its existence.

[jimwalton]

> You need to reconcile yourself to the idea that just because it seems unfair to you has no impact on the real world

I don't need to reconcile myself to that idea. It's obvious that my opinions are not what regulate reality. Reality is what regulates reality.

> The argument from justice, or "life is unfair, so therefore God must exist to mete out justice" is one of the most sad and childish attempts at proving its existence.

You made quite a jump here. I never used "life is unfair" to justify or proves that "therefore God exists." What I said, if you would read carefully is that if there is no accountability, the powerful get to do whatever they want without repercussion. If that is the case, there's basically no such thing as justice, and there is really no justice in life. And if you believe that, then all attempts at justice by our legislators and judges are just shams and facades for something that doesn't really exist. To me, that perspective diverges with what we all know to be true.

[Remote]

In several verses in various books of the bible, fire is mentioned as a characteristic of hell. I have read the bible, skimming through some of the boring stuff. I can look things up in the bible. And I have, and fire comes up. I’m going on AskAChristian to ask you fine people how you interpret it. Some people believe the Noah’s Ark story really happened. Others say some of the stories in the bible are allegories, and are included because they belong to the folklore and mythology of Judaism.
Anyway, thank you for the answer. If you’d like, feel free to elaborate about what you mean by ”Our bodies will be changed when we enter our eternal destinies [...]”

Does that mean I’ll be given another body, just so I can be tortured?

[jimwalton]

> In several verses in various books of the bible, fire is mentioned as a characteristic of hell. I have read the bible, skimming through some of the boring stuff. I can look things up in the bible. And I have, and fire comes up

Yes, fire is a common image in the Bible for Hell. But it is not the only image. The Bible uses five main pictures to speak of hell.

1. Darkness (Mt. 8.12; Jude 13) and separation (Lk. 13.27-28; 2 Thes. 1.7-9).

2. Suffering and Remorse, expressed in (a) Weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt. 8.12; 22.13; 25.30; Lk. 13.28); (b) fire (Mt. 13.42, 50); (c) cut to pieces (Mt. 24.51).

3. Punishment (Mt. 25.46; Rev. 14.11)

4. Fire (Jude 7; Luke 16.24)

5. Death and destruction (2 Thes. 1.7-9; Rev. 20.14)

> Some people believe the Noah’s Ark story really happened.

Yes, I believe it really happened, but it was not a global flood. That's just part of the story that is hyperbole to make a theological point. It was a large local flood that literally and historically happened.

> Others say some of the stories in the bible are allegories, and are included because they belong to the folklore and mythology of Judaism.

I know people say that, but that doesn't make sense. Christianity and Judaism are historical religions, not allegorical ones. They only have meaning through historicity.

> feel free to elaborate about what you mean by ”Our bodies will be changed when we enter our eternal destinies [...]” Does that mean I’ll be given another body, just so I can be tortured?

I encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. It should only take you a few minutes. After you read that, ask me the questions you have about it.