Hey guys, I've got a question regarding a somewhat new and very popular doctrine among many believers especially liberal believers. And that being that instead of God punishing nonbelievers in a fiery hell where souls are constantly burning in pain and punished with other mental and emotional agonies for all eternity, God instead just anilities them and they just cease to exist either after they are judged or some may even say that God does this to non believers at the moment of death.
I was wondering can anyone who adheres to this doctrine show me some clear evidence from scripture that this is the case? If not I'm going to assume it's heresy and continue to go with the traditional doctrine of hell as most believers have taught for over two thousand years. But anyway let me know what you think. Thanks and GB.
Question about hell doctrines...
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Seraph
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Re: Question about hell doctrines...
Here's an old topic that I think has good commentary about Hell:
http://discussions.godandscience.org/vi ... =3&t=32970.
My stance (as supported by mine and other members posts in that thread) is that the flames and furnaces used by Jesus to describe Hell are probably not literal flames of physical punishment but they do tell about the anguish of the soul of the unsaved person brought about by eternal alienation from God. In this view, God hasn't created a place to actively punish the unsaved, but rather the unsaved experience the consequence of their sin, which is seperation from God. Support for this is that word commonly translated as Hell (Sheol), often is used to describe the grave as well as how Jesus also often described Hell as being "thown out of the banquet and into the darkness".
That said, I also don't think there is biblical support for Hell being a place of annihilation, where the soul ceases to exist altogether. So basically somewhere in between the two scenarios you've suggested.
http://discussions.godandscience.org/vi ... =3&t=32970.
My stance (as supported by mine and other members posts in that thread) is that the flames and furnaces used by Jesus to describe Hell are probably not literal flames of physical punishment but they do tell about the anguish of the soul of the unsaved person brought about by eternal alienation from God. In this view, God hasn't created a place to actively punish the unsaved, but rather the unsaved experience the consequence of their sin, which is seperation from God. Support for this is that word commonly translated as Hell (Sheol), often is used to describe the grave as well as how Jesus also often described Hell as being "thown out of the banquet and into the darkness".
That said, I also don't think there is biblical support for Hell being a place of annihilation, where the soul ceases to exist altogether. So basically somewhere in between the two scenarios you've suggested.
I am committed to belief in God, as the most morally demanding, psychologically enriching, intellectually satisfying and imaginatively fruitful hypothesis about the ultimate nature of reality known to me - Keith Ward
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secretfire6
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Re: Question about hell doctrines...
I agree with Seraph. After physical death we have no bodies and therefore literal flames and burning would do absolutely nothing. Mental, emotional and spiritual agony is more like it. I imagine it being much worse than mourning the unexpected death of a spouse or child...a terrible pain in the heart, lonliness, dispair and so on.
I read on a website a long time ago that the greek word that appears in the NT as "torment" is acctually the name for a small piece of ceramic tile that merchants would keep to make sure that the payment they recieved from someone was genuine and pure. They did this by scratching the coin on the tile and judged from the type of mark it left. Geologists still use them today in the field to help anylize rocks and mineral content. The site went on to describe how this word evolved into torment in the latin Bible. Basically, under the control of the catholic church, a christian's purity and dedication to God was tested by physical torture if they were ever in question. This site also showed that the phrase "forever and ever" acctually translates directly as "for times and a time". I've never been able to find this information anywhere else though, so I stick with the eternal seperation Idea for now.
I read on a website a long time ago that the greek word that appears in the NT as "torment" is acctually the name for a small piece of ceramic tile that merchants would keep to make sure that the payment they recieved from someone was genuine and pure. They did this by scratching the coin on the tile and judged from the type of mark it left. Geologists still use them today in the field to help anylize rocks and mineral content. The site went on to describe how this word evolved into torment in the latin Bible. Basically, under the control of the catholic church, a christian's purity and dedication to God was tested by physical torture if they were ever in question. This site also showed that the phrase "forever and ever" acctually translates directly as "for times and a time". I've never been able to find this information anywhere else though, so I stick with the eternal seperation Idea for now.