Seem like we have so many different religions,

[Ironpost]

that seems to have different Gods, how are we to know which one is the real thing. And another thing are Christians the only ones with a Hell? I don't mean any disrespect to any one or religion... just sitting here wondering

[displacedtexan]

1. This is why prayer in school is a stupid issue.

If schools had to meet the religious needs of every kid (time out for every kid to pray to her/his chosen deity), they'd never get through the curriculum.

Also, I think there's a separate forum for religion now.

[bowens43]

2. Stick around, if the administartion has it's way

there will soon be only one religion practiced in the United States.

[htuttle]

3. Chinese have a lot of hells

At least that's what Egg Shan told me.

[RUDUing2]

4. my personal belief is described best by a Kahlil Gibran quote:

"all the religions of the world are but different fingers on the hand of God"...

a close second is: Will you ever learn, Miss Alice, that there are twelve gates into the Holy City
and everybody in the world will come in by one or other of them. (Alice Bailey quote)

[RaleighNCDUer]

16. Is there an atheists' gate? n/t

[RUDUing2]

19. IMO? I think eternity is whatever the person thinks it is...

so it is entirely possible that an atheist just ceases to exist...and that there is a hell for those people who believe that there is one...IMO again it is more a matter of you consigning yourself to hell though then God condemming anyone there...

but hey I have been called a heretic more times then I can count by conserves....

[FloridaPat]

5. A little history.

Here's an interesting point of view. Let' suppose God really does like people. Some days it seems hard to believe. God wants to send a
message to
His/Her souls on earth. He/She sends messengers that are divinely inspired. So every so often, when times are really bad, a Messenger
arrives. If you look at the teachings of all the profits of the major religions, they basically say the same thing - love God, love your
neighbor, pray, fast. It's just the details are different because times change and so do circumstances. If you look hard enough into
history, you will also notice that when these Messengers arrive, there were great historical changes for the better. Just look at the Roman Empire and the
Islam Empire. Trade, knowledge, peace, inventions. Great steps forward in culture and wisdom. The times were great. There were signs - comets are great profit signs. Prophecies were
fulfilled. All the religions point to one and the same God - they just call Him/Her by a different name. You will also notice that once the
Messengers left, and after a certain amount of time, the religion became corrupted. Which is why God keeps sending Messengers to earth.
Now some people think Jesus has returned and what we are witnessing now is the end of the old corruptions and the birth of a new
era that will be the most astounding thing ever to happen on the planet. There will be world peace. There will be no prejudice.
There will be unity across the planet. You just need a little faith!

[MileHiStealth]

6. Basically , there is only one universal force ....

and religions are just certain groups of people
that try to capitalize on that.Have you ever
noticed that at the base of every religion is
the attempt to make you feel guilty for natural
human activities like sex, etc. Than they tell
you to be "saved" you have to join their group.
Do you really think an entity powerful enough to
create the universe really gives a rat's ass what
you eat on a certain day of the week at a certain
time of year ??? I doubt God is into micro-management.
Religions are just mans attempt to control his fellow
man. Once you're one with the spiritual power of the
universe, you'll realize religions are just certain
groups attempts to usurp that power for their own
selfish goals.

[Heyo]

17. ding ding ding ding....

...we have a winner.

This is why I am pretty much a Deist.

The God I know.... does NOT give a crap what you eat on a certain day of the week. An all powerful creator, has a problem with me working on Saturday? I don't think so.

The God that I understand, his deal is this: "Look, just try as best you can to be a good person, treat people with respect, and I'll square it away with you in the end"

Heyo

[Selwynn]

7. Is it really that there are so many different gods?

Or is it that there are so many different languages/ways to express the same underlying truth about diving mystery and its interrelatedness to the human condition?

As to the second question, I don't know if any other religious tradition besides Christianity had a concept of hell, but I do know that believing in a literal fire and brimstone hell is not essential or universal to all professions of Christian faith. I for one see "hell" as something very different. I see it as "hell on earth" - a life of despair lived without hope. That is the "hell" that concerns me.

Sel

[Ironpost]

10. So maybe the poor Iraqi people were living in their hell.

Isn't GOD, HOPE, LOVE, GOOD.

[Selwynn]

12. I would tend to think it is more hell on earth now that it ever was...

..before :(

[sangh0]

14. In many religions, the concept of Hell is not limited to dead people

This concept is often thought of as a state of mind. Death comes into play because once you die, you can't do the things that help you change that state of mind, leaving you in Hell for all of eternity.

IOW, accoring to religious philosophy, there CAN be a "hell on earth". All it takes is some "attitude". :-)

[Selwynn]

20. Yes, that is what I was getting at, more or less...

In my belief, "God" is not something that condemns you to a "hell" but rather something that can rescue you from a hell you alrealy experience.

[Ironpost]

11. sorry hit the key twice.

[datasuspect]

8. as a pythagorean

i strongly object to religion being anything else BUT a secret.

i strongly object to white beans too. have to concur with thales of miletus though: there are gods in everything.

DAMN THOSE IRRATIONAL NUMBERS!!

[Warpy]

9. My mother's favorite joke

An agnostic died, and was met by the welcoming spirit.

"We generally give people the heaven their religion promised them."

The agonstic replied, "I don't know, I really haven't considered what an afterlife should be like."

The spirit said, "Well, let's visit them until you find one that suits you."

They went to visit the Nirvana of the Buddhists, the eternally plentiful hunting grounds of the animists, the pleasure palaces of the Muslims, and all the assorted mansions and gardens envisioned by all religions since the beginning of time. Finally, they came to one last paradise.

"Before you enter, you must promise me that you won't mention any of the other heavens you have seen." The man agreed, and they went in.

"This seems a pleasant enough place, and the people were nice enough, but why couldn't I mention the other heavens?" said the agnostic as soon as they'd left.

"These are the Christians. They think they're the only ones here."

[Heyo]

13. There is no such thing as hell....

... in almost any religion, that I am aware of.

Certainly there is no "hell" in Christianity or the teachings of the Bible, where people supposedly go and burn forever.

That is a creation of man, to scare people who had minds of their own and were drifting from the church.

There is a difference between "eternal punishMENT" (as stated in the Bible) and "eternal punishING" (not in the Bible)

The Bible also says, when a person dies "His thoughts perish"

Seeing the metaphor of being "cast into the lake of fire".. people have used that to scare people into behaving they way they want them to. Even if you take it literally, nowhere does it says you'll sit there in the lake of fire for all eternity.

The real teaching of Christianity as I have come to understand it is. If you follow God's way, you will be given the gift of eternal life. If you don't follow God, you won't and you will just be gone.

And what we do on this Earth doesn't matter much, other than we should just try our best to do the right thing, as sometimes in the future, even those who defy God now will be given a chance to get with the program, and they too may have eternal life.

Whether I personally believe all this is another story, but that is the teaching as I understand it.

Heyo

[Ironpost]

15. Being raised as a Southern Babtist

Seem like I heard a lot of fire and brimestone sermons, Maybe its just my age.

[Heyo]

18. Fire and brimstone maybe.....

..... but even fire and brimstone... doesn't imply a palce where you will go and suffer and burn for eternity.

Such a place does not exist in the Bible.

Heyo

[Ironpost]

21. I'm sorry I wasn't doubting or questioning you in any way

Actually I'm learning a lot. thank you all

[Heyo]

23. Right on...

"I'm sorry I wasn't doubting or questioning you in any way"

Didn't take it that way at all, homie. Just trying to send out a little extra perspective based on the F&B thing.

:toast:

Heyo

[Selwynn]

22. Jesus does refer to being "cast into outer darkness" --

"where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Many interpret that as some kind of final hell of judgment. Revelations has a few things to say about that sort of judgment as well.

The issue here is how one chooses to interpret those things. For me, I find it impossible to take those individual texts in the contexts of the rest of the gospels and come to a conclusion that supports some kind of eternal hellfire.

To me it seems much more harmonious with the context of the rest of the gospel to understand this "casting out" to be a being out of fellowship, out of harmony with God and other people - and this breakdown of relationships which can lead to brokenness, despair and hopelessness is the outer darkness -- the lack of fellowship with God and neighbor that is the hallmark of joyful life.

But that's just me.