Why do people believe in hell?

[Lion IRC]

Which part of my post did you find dishonest?

The reluctance to answer part.

Or more precisely the offering of false reasons for not answering.

It would have been perfectly easy to answer without preaching.

I'm not reluctant to answer.
I said I'd love to.

 

[ruby sparks]

I'm not reluctant to answer.
I said I'd love to.

Yeah right. So you did.

 

[ruby sparks]

Are you trying to say that you can’t think of a way of answering without preaching?

No that’s daft. Clearly you could have.

Why not just answer, without all this palaver.

 

[Lion IRC]

With all due respect, youre not a Mod.

 

[ruby sparks]

With all due respect, youre not a Mod.

It’s dead easy. You simply comment on a particular belief that either is/was a usual part of Christian beliefs or it isn’t/wasn’t.

We already know the answer anyway. It’s yes. Yes, it is/was commonly even if not necessarily universally held that one could go to hell merely for not believing in or worshiping the Christian god, as DBT said, just before you commented on him saying it.

 

[Lion IRC]

I imagine that if you wanted to be saved by God then believing in Him would be a good first step.

 

[ruby sparks]

Are you referring to someone like yourself?

Because I feel no need to be saved by a god.

 

[abaddon]

Are you trying to say that you can’t think of a way of answering without preaching?

Apparently he's stewing over a minor encounter with a mod, 3 weeks ago, about how he shouldn't be advocating religion in the Secular Lifestyles forum. He hasn't grasped that secularists can advocate secularism in a secular forums but religious person must advocate a religious POV the designated forum (like this one).

 

[Lion IRC]

Are you referring to someone like yourself?

I don't believe in God

 

[ruby sparks]

Ok. I did not know that. I thought you did.

 

[southernhybrid]

I'd love to answer that but there's a no preaching rule here and I don't want to trigger any snowflake atheists.

A simple yes or no would be fine, thanks.

Do you want to be saved?

I was saved from your crazy religion by the time I was 19. I don't need religion to help me be a good person. I help others because giving and caring are their own rewards. Of course, the hugs I get are nice too.

 

[Lion IRC]

Are you referring to someone like yourself?

I don't believe in God

Ok. I did not know that. I thought you did.

I believe it might rain tomorrow.
I believe my football team might win the grand final this year.
I believe politicians...some of the time.

 

[ruby sparks]

Ok. I did not know that. I thought you did.

I believe it might rain tomorrow.
I believe my football team might win the grand final this year.
I believe politicians...some of the time.

So would you call yourself an agnostic?

Not as in gnosis. Just as in not being sure, being undecided. If so that’s cool, and a very, very common position, I believe.

Especially in the Church of England, apparently.

 

[abaddon]

ruby,

Lion IRC is a theist and he's now playing a trick of words. He means "believe" in the sense of 'there's a probability".

By "I don't believe in God" he means "I don't think there's a probability". He means "I know it absolutely".

 

[Lion IRC]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum_of_theistic_probability#Dawkins'_formulation

 

[ruby sparks]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum_of_theistic_probability#Dawkins'_formulation

So what number are you?

I think I’m a Dawkins 6, out of 7. Possibly a 5 or a 7 sometimes, but a 6 on average.

 

[Lion IRC]

A lot of prominent atheists who don't believe in souls or the afterlife have said they wouldn't want to spend eternity in heaven - the opposite of hell.

...although Christopher Hitchens seemed to soften a little in his final months.

 

[ruby sparks]

A lot of prominent atheists who don't believe in souls or the afterlife have said they wouldn't want to spend eternity in heaven - the opposite of hell.

...although Christopher Hitchens seemed to soften a little in his final months.

I personally have never gone along with that. As far as I see it, eternal paradise is an excellent idea in principle.

However.....if it’s at the expense of others suffering in hell.....I can see where those who say that are coming from.

 

[ruby sparks]

There’s a famous fictional short story from 1973 entitled, ‘The ones who walk away from Omelas’.

Omelas is a perfect and happy place, for its many many thousands of inhabitants. There is just one snag. For some reason, in order for it to be that way, a single child held in secret captivity must be in constant misery.

The title of the story refers to the people who decide to leave when they find that out.

 

[steve_bank]

The debate over biblical sound bites on hell illustrates the fundamental problem with Christianity.

The bible contains references to what different people allegedly said centuries apart in time.

They are more like random off the cuff comments by unknown persons. We see it all the time with politicians who contradict what they said in the past. We see it in Christian media with people inventing things out of thin air supposedly with some basis in scripture.

Christians are doing today what ancient Hebrews did, making it up as they go along while managing to somehow infer the guidance and backing of god.