Necessity of Hell for spiritual growth

All of the minor fears that exist in the world have to be defeated by a greater fear in order to free you from them. Minor fears are stuff like: will I be able to make my car payment, have nice clothes for that party next week, buy food for myself and or my family..... If you develop a fear that is greater than those (such as spending eternity in Hell) you will stop worrying about them and eventually be cured of them. The only problem is that you have to experiece Hell first before you can let go of all of your worldly fears. Then you are truly free once you have defeated your fear of hell (with Gods help and guidance). Your little worldly fears might pop up every once in a while, but at this time you will have become so used to relying upon God (faith) that they quickly fade whenever they arise.
Only those who have truly experienced Hell can know the truth about Hell.

 

I'm sure you are right...

Nice to have something to bvelieve in...

God bless you..

strawpuppy

 

Not even members of the catholic hiearcy believe in hell.

It's for fools and fundementalist.

 

Kharakov,

I don't doubt that the method for spiritual growth you describe has potential to be beneficial for some people, but so do many other approaches. To say that fear of hell is necessary for spiritual growth seems a bit pretentious.
I, personally, find it interesting that you say fear of hell is to be defeated with god's help and guidance. I have actually defeated a fear of hell, but for me, this happened without god whatsoever. My fear of hell disappeared with my belief in the god of the bible's existence.

 

Yes, but as many who believe the method of defeating the fear of hell is to reject Gods existence, you are now beset on all sides by worldly concerns.

Environment, drug use, alcohol, homeless people, starvation, pollution, ozone depletion, greenhouse gases, conspiracies, politics, hate crime, bills, car payments, unemployment, crazy religious fundamentalists, toxic waste, degenerative diseases, aging, murder, terrorism, not having a clue about what is actually going on.... all of the stuff that I find entertaining because of my relationship with God.

Reject God and truly experience hell- but remain in ignorance of it until you realize how good your life could be. I pretty much have food brought to me daily, go to many kick ass parties, smoke as many cigarretes as God gives me, and the only thing I have to do is have faith that God will take care of all of my concerns, I don't even have to tell people God does everything for me if I don't want to- but since I desire to offer people the good life that I already have i do tell them about God.

 

Now, I know I'm going to get a little slack for this but please hear me out. I grew up catholic, and I always had a hard time believing in the concept of heaven and hell... the fact that you can do pretty much what you want during your life with minimal side effects while you're alive, but then get penalized or rewarded after your death... karma is a more plausible thing for me to believe in.

The concept of sin and what is evil will vary from one person to the next. Murder for example, is a sin which is why we have laws that put people to jail for that. But the exception to killing someone for it to not be murder is if a) it's self defense, or b) if you kill ppl during a war ... and there are even people who believe that people who kill animals for meat or fur is even murder, and there is much more flexibility in these cases legally. How do we know that those aren't instances of murder in God's eyes?

Karmic retribution exists both during this life and after your life... That makes more sense.

 

You cannot do "pretty much what you want during your life with minimal side effects". Every action you make has an effect upon you personally (not to mention the effects on other beings). If an action makes you feel bad it is because you judge actions by the standards of worldly wisdom. A perfect Faith in God allows you to remain in the divine presence even when you are surrounded by what the worldly call tribulation. A perfect Faith allows you to realize that your actions are for the greater good, even though someone possessed by the worlds wisdom might judge your actions as wrong. A perfect Faith also allows you to see the direct actions of God in the world and the personal actions God takes in your life. The old "take the plank outa your eye" trick.

 

Originally Posted by mother_nature's_son
I have actually defeated a fear of hell, but for me, this happened without god whatsoever. My fear of hell disappeared with my belief in the god of the bible's existence.

I have not rejected the concept of god. What I have rejected is any kind of definition or story man has placed on this concept. God may well exist. The problem for me- is that I cannot characterize god.

I cannot help but notice, Kharakov, that you view what is outside your doctrine with much presumption. I do not have a faith in god, and so you decide with complete assurance that I am 'beset on all sides by worldy concerns?'

I actually make it a point to separate myself from worldy concerns often. When I hike through the mountains, my mind seemingly enters a different realm, a reality with which I have a passionate connection. Can I explain exactly what this is and tell you exactly where it's coming from? Absolutely not. It exists and brings peace to my mind -this is enough for me, knowing that what is happening is right- I will not put boundaries on what it could be, because, truth be told, I have no idea what it is.

One who does not make themselves a victim of life can indeed find entertainment in this great adventure.

Honestly, reading your words I can feel what you are describing. I have felt it for myself, on my own terms. I do not have faith in a supreme being watching over me, instead, I feel that as long as the deepest depths of my mind can be at peace, I have nothing to worry about. It's good to remember that everybody is different, especially our minds, and that what works for one may not be beneficial for another.

 

There is no hell for today. Man has many times created a hell of his own- God no longer has a need.
The Lord would have all rise to thier potential.

Listen not to those who hide thier doubts and insecurities behind false professions of God. Too call one's self a Christian and to follow the teachings of Jesus is not one in the same.
One stands here on the brink of dissapointing the Lord; the other is blinded by the light of his Faith.
Let the words on pages of pulp stand as a sign post along the road. The destination directed is today.

 

yeah, good luck with that.

 

set yourself free and dispose of all your fears....fear of hell is not nessesary and in my opinion its damaging....the concept of hell was created by those in power to keep people afraid of questioning their christian beliefs. we create our own reality in life and in death.