ointer:
Sure, a random poster called festering zit says that I am making a fool of myself and knows all about the bible, so I guess I should feel shame? I'll just move on and say I had never heard this point of view because my point of view is the one that is accepted by mainstream Christianity and the one I grew up in - could you provide some links to this? If I'm wrong about what I've posted, I'm always open to learning more and being corrected.
That said, I quoted C.S. Lewis and that's now the second time you have gotten angry with me because of something he said, not I. Here is some more evidence that supports my point of view from The Gospel Coalition:
In fact, Jesus talked about hell more than any other person in the Bible. In Luke 16, he describes a great chasm over which “none may cross from there to us.” In Matthew 25, Jesus tells of a time when people will be separated into two groups, one entering into his presence, the other banished to “eternal fire.” Jesus talks about hell more than he talks about heaven, and describes it more vividly. There’s no denying that Jesus knew, believed, and warned against the absolute reality of hell.
Jesus doesn’t only reference hell, he describes it in great detail. He says it is a place of eternal torment (Luke 16:23), of unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43), where the worm does not die (Mark 9:48), where people will gnash their teeth in anguish and regret (Matt. 13:42), and from which there is no return, even to warn loved ones (Luke 16:19–31). He calls hell a place of “outer darkness” (Matt. 25:30), comparing it to “Gehenna” (Matt. 10:28), which was a trash dump outside the walls of Jerusalem where rubbish was burned and maggots abounded. Jesus talks about hell more than he talks about heaven, and describes it more vividly. There’s no denying that Jesus knew, believed, and warned against the absolute reality of hell.
Sounds like plenty of references to hell, not just Gehenna, but feel free to refute it instead of just calling me stupid.
There are plenty of resources out there that present the other point of view. The most popular conservative, evangelical web resource is probably here:
http://rethinkinghell.com/
But let me re-iterate. The word "hell" as we know it did not exist in the language at the time of Jesus, nor did the concept. Jesus refers to a proper noun "Gehenna"
which is as mentioned before, a valley outside Jerusalem that was used for garbage.
Perhaps the word didn't exist, but as I posted with citations to several verses in the bible quoting Jesus own words the concept most certainly existed. You're not really trying to say that all of Jesus' references to eternal torment (Luke 16:23), of unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43), where the worm does not die (Mark 9:48), where people will gnash their teeth in anguish and regret (Matt. 13:42), and from which there is no return, even to warn loved ones (Luke 16:19–31), are all just referring to a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem, are you?
As for your website, I looked it over, and it appears that there is a version of Christianity that doesn't believe in hell. Of course, it doesn't believe that everyone goes to heaven - the non-believers are annihlated. I feel so much better now lol There are plenty do, and as you said, "There are plenty of resources out there that present the other point of view", that's really all it is, isn't it? Another group of Christians who think they've got the direct line to God and their interpretation is the right one?
Luke 16 is a parable, and shouldn't be taken as an historical narrative. Besides the word used in Luke 16 is 'hades' which is not hell, or the place of
eternal judgement, it's just the grave. David went to hades in the Old Testament.
A fire that is unquenchable, or the worm that eats what it is eating supports the annihilationist position, and doesn't militate against it.
It sounds like you used to be a Christian, but maybe got burned by someone, or some church? I'm sorry that happened to you, but there
are plenty of great churches out there.
