Eternal life

In John we are told that whoever believes in Jesus will be given eternal life.

We are also taught that sinners will spend all eternity burning in fire and brimstone in the depths of Hell.

Given the choice between death and an eternity of being tortured in the depths of hell, we can easily assume that most people would choose death.

SO by teaching others about Jesus, aren't you committing many of them to an eternal life in Hell?

 

I actually agree with the Jehovah's Witness on hell. Eternity burning in fire isn't really supported by scripture.

 

George Carlin. Check it.

 

That is too simple and wrong. Gotta do more than just believe. Faith without works is dead.

 

Are you saying then that the scripture in John is wrong? Or are you saying that the term who ever believeth in him means that they must have both faith and good deeds in order to have eternal life, which would mean then that there is no eternal damnation to hell?

 

Trust me, I'm epileptic and have spent countless lifetimes in hell that lasted only 30 seconds on earth. A lifetime in hell is enough to make anyone a believer, that even hell itself must come to an end, and the Baptist was merely waxing poetic, as is normal for them, while insisting on taking everything literally. Being a hermit does that to some people while, others, need little encouragement.

 

Im trying to remember the phrase---something like, "Religion is for those who are afraid to go to hell, spirituality is for those who have been to hell and come back"


------or something like that...

 

That's about the gist of it. Those who have been there don't like to talk about it, while those who talk about it the most have never been there.

 

Wait, how did you came to that conclusion and what scripture you have to back that up?

 

i assume you're talking about John 3:14-15. which says: "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven , the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life." Or is it John 6:47: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." That's what it says. What does it mean? And what is the question? I interpret it metaphorically. Spiritual insight is essential to eternal life--i.e., enlightened understanding. Eternity is not a measurement of time. Truth and beauty are eternal values, even if experienced for a second. Jesus is our guide to Truth and eternal values. At least that's what it means to me. As for all the burning in fire and brimstone in the depths of hell, again I interpret that metaphorically. To get to those view of Hell, we have to leave John's gospel and turn to the Gospel of Matthew and to Revelation, written by another John. The Gospel of John doesn't mention the word. Hell is essentially a bad attitude--a state of mind that we experience on this earth, rather than a place we go to after death. In my opinion, Dante and C.S. Lewis had it right. The doors of hell are locked from the inside. People are prisoners there by their own volition, or rather by their propensity for denial and reluctance to accept responsibility for their own condition. If only we could get rid of those damned Muslims or Mexicans or Blacks or Jews or Catholics or liberals or my wife or my boss or my mother-in-law, or if only I could have more wealth, status, power, or sensual gratification, my troubles would be over. But alas, more is never enough, and there's always some other villain to take the place of the one I wanted to get rid of. Woe is me! Dante even depicted Satan as a prisoner in the Inferno, trapped in a block of ice in the middle of hell--generated by the flapping of his huge wings in a desperate effort to get away from God. I may be wrong in my interpretation, and I wouldn't want others to risk their eternal souls on it. But it works for me.

As for teaching people about Jesus, I doubt that John can reasonably be interpreted as saying that people will experience oblivion but not hell if they don't believe in Jesus.

 

I think that many of the references to a ''lake of fire,'' and so on in the Bible, are metaphors. The thing is, there probably were some back during Jesus' time who believed that hell was an actual destination, just like many feel that way, today.

 

The common sentiment at the time was that everyone must pay for their sins, which is what made Jesus so controversial.

 

True, but according to Christianity, believing in Jesus doesn't mean that his followers should go on sinning because Jesus ''paid the price'', the idea behind Jesus, is to turn away from sin, and repent. Lead a new life because of him.

 

To most people at the time, that made Christianity a religion that indulged sinners and promoted sin. With money being the source of all evil, that meant Christianity favored the wealthy and, most definitely, for quite some time the Catholic church held the monopoly on paying cash for your sins. To this very day, Christianity has proven particularly compatible with more capitalistic countries. Those who cannot be honest about the flaws of their own religion and cannot poke fun at themselves are destined to repeat the lowest of lowbrow slapstick.

You can poke fun at what you want, but how many Christians poke serious fun at the Bible or money? In my experience, they would much rather you attacked them angrily than dismissed them or made fun of them. The Muslims went so far as to put a contract out on a political cartoonist.

 

If only we could get rid of those damn political cartoonists and all rational critics of faith. Then the Jews and the Muslims and the Christians and my in-laws could surely better this planet toward utopia.

 

The meanest amongst us,
Tend to laugh hysterically at toddlers,
Because they relate to Three Stooges slapstick.
Which is why one of the first things Hitler did in power,
Was to make it illegal to crack jokes about the Nazi party.
Those who insist their money and religion are above reproach,
Prey on each other like so many animals, feeding off death and destruction.
Complaining the whole time, there is no justice and the entire world has gone insane.
Anything, rather than insist, we are all brothers and share a common sense of humor.
Anything, rather than insist, there is honesty nurtured, between those who share humor.
The idea they have stunted their sense of humor for money instead of idealism is anathema.
Which is why, I've seen all good people turn their heads each day, so satisfied I'm on my way.​

 

eternal serial mortality possibly. or maybe only so many. nothing requires either. even existence has no default requirement to exist.
we exist now. perhaps before and after. what is not known, is not known.

 

According to quantum mechanics, existence is probabilistic, and the arrow of time may be as well, making it simply the default we experience because the alternatives are largely inconceivable. We can neither imagine dying and no longer existing, nor living forever, because they represent metaphysical extremes in a metaphorical universe. Like being able to see the back of your own head without a mirror.

 

or uncountable. infinity minus one other possibilities, exist. outside of science they are all equally probable.
time's arrow may be the vector of a 3d frame of reference in its own context. creation and deterioration exist side by side.

 

All the evidence indicates there are no hidden variables, 42 is as good an explanation as any, and the Monstrous Moonshine Conjecture now makes it possible to prove macroscopic infinites exist.