Can a soul be destroyed? What is the purpose of an eternal hell?

[Closetu]

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Mt. 10:28

The Bible says that everlasting life is a gift from God, while wages of sin is Death. Then where does eternal torment comes into place and what is its purpose if everyone lives forever anyway?

[florin87]

eternal torment comes from your own rebellious unrepentant soul.
what most people fail to understand is that the soul has no material substance, and that heaven and hell are not material either. both heaven and hell are simply the state in which the soul finds itself after death when it is surrounded by god's love.

for the unrepentant said love will feel like eternal torment (ever felt like you were dying inside when someone you were mean to responded with kindness? same thing), while for those that lived according to god's wishes it will be comforting. god does not punish you, god loves you. you punish yourself by turning away from him.

[Helm]

If a soul can be destroyed it will likely be destroyed along with the physical body so that's just materialism. If by soul we're talking of the consciously aware part of the self. Though of course this destruction won't be experienced by the soul in question seeing as it will no longer exist at that point. Eternal hell would just be something an soul would do to itself if its immortal and can't ever be destroyed.

[Closetu]

I wasn't clear in my question sorry. I'm asking this from my Christian perspective and it's bugging me that both concepts of eternal torment and eternal destruction can be supported by the Bible - depends on one's interpretation anyway. I'm leaning towards the concept of eternal destruction (annihilationalism) myself but I don't want to count out eternal torment just because it sounds horrible, and I really don't see its purpose either if it happens to be true, along with points that YT girl points out about social justice. And what's more horrifying is that time will still bound for unbelievers in hell so they will feel every second, every minute of their suffering. - "They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Rev 20:10 So the belief that wages of sin is death, and eternal life is a gift, then why should anyone's soul have to continue to live on forever but not die entirely and what's its purpose?

[Pontifex Maximus]

Eternal torment is also a gift from god. It is his subtle way of telling us to go ourselves.

[Blau&Gruen]

A conversation with a psychologist may be appropriate for the young lady from the clip. I mean this not derogative.

[ROFL Copter]

Religion cannot feasibly exist without there existing a great deal of fear in its adherents. Hell serves that role nicely.

[basics]

" If a soul can be destroyed it will likely be destroyed along with the physical body so that's just materialism."

Helm,

As there is no Biblical record of a soul being destroyed, your " if " cannot apply.

[Pontifex Maximus]

" If a soul can be destroyed it will likely be destroyed along with the physical body so that's just materialism."

Helm,

As there is no Biblical record of a soul being destroyed, your " if " cannot apply.

basics denying the omnipotence of god again in favor of a book of fairy tales. Such an unfortunate contradiction.

[Heinz Guderian]

Getting an eternity of pain for a finite life of sin seems a bit unfair. God should punish wrongdoers for as long as they did their wrongdoing on Earth. And then annihilate them. Wheras the gooddoers can have their enjoyment for the same amount of time that they were doing good on Earth. Or forever. If i were God though i would probably get annoyed with all the freeloaders after a thousand years or so.

[basics]

" basics denying the omnipotence of god again in favor of a book of fairy tales. Such an unfortunate contradiction."

Pontifex Maximus,

Because I said that there is no Biblical record of a soul being destroyed does not alter any properties that God has and why should it? The reason that souls do not die in the case of humanity, is because every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Now if these confessors were vapourised at the separation of body and soul in death that could not happen and would destroy the purposes of God and His Saviour. Do you get the point?

[Blau&Gruen]

The real issue with this video is that the parents and friends of the young lady hopefully hear the alarm bells ring.

[Hax]

Wait a minute. Wasn't the idea of fire and brimstone first propogated by Dante in his Divine Comedy, whereas earlier ideas of Hell was just absolute nothingness?

[Closetu]

Because I said that there is no Biblical record of a soul being destroyed does not alter any properties that God has and why should it? The reason that souls do not die in the case of humanity, is because every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Now if these confessors were vapourised at the separation of body and soul in death that could not happen and would destroy the purposes of God and His Saviour. Do you get the point?

But that's before the sinners are thrown into the lake of fire. Hell, or Hades, is a holding place for sinners until the final judgment of eternal damnation.

Rev 20:14 - 15 "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

We simply don't know that if the 2nd death means eternal torment or eternal destruction of the soul.

[Kabal]

To scare people into believing the lie- OH I mean religion.

[Kabal]

eternal torment comes from your own rebellious unrepentant soul.
what most people fail to understand is that the soul has no material substance, and that heaven and hell are not material either. both heaven and hell are simply the state in which the soul finds itself after death when it is surrounded by god's love.

for the unrepentant said love will feel like eternal torment (ever felt like you were dying inside when someone you were mean to responded with kindness? same thing), while for those that lived according to god's wishes it will be comforting. god does not punish you, god loves you. you punish yourself by turning away from him.

God created hell, and you are saying that we send ourselves there, except that god does, that's like a Criminal saying, "Give me your money, don't MAKE me shoot you." By the way, what passage does it say that hell is not a material place but a state of the soul?

[hellheaven1987]

Getting an eternity of pain for a finite life of sin seems a bit unfair. God should punish wrongdoers for as long as they did their wrongdoing on Earth. And then annihilate them. Wheras the gooddoers can have their enjoyment for the same amount of time that they were doing good on Earth. Or forever. If i were God though i would probably get annoyed with all the freeloaders after a thousand years or so.

I wonder what give God rights to send people hell or heaven - or even better, what right God has to judge others?

[Squiggle]

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Mt. 10:28

The Bible says that everlasting life is a gift from God, while wages of sin is Death. Then where does eternal torment comes into place and what is its purpose if everyone lives forever anyway?

There certainly is a case for annihilationism, I've not personally looked into it extensively so I dont have a specific opinion. Though I will say this, the bible is hardly literal more often than not. Destroy in that context could easily mean, and I suspect it does in context and in the original language, merely great pain and discomfort.

As to the specifics of eternal torment, hell is referred to as an endless void just as it is referred to as fire. I hardly think this is suppose to bring up the idea of a physical location so much as it is the extreme displeasure of being separated from God, a consequence an individual chooses when they do not accept and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus christ.

[Phier]

In the Elder Times, before the moon, wars devastated the people.

The sages of the day, learned in arts long forgotten, forged weapons so horrible that they believed the thought of war would become an impossibility.

These weapons, seven of them, were known as the Demons Teeth. They not only would kill the body but also would rip the soul out of its victim, to be devoured by a being unknown.

They gave the blades to the seven kings of old and the scheme worked. Just feeling the hunger, the power, the evil, in the blades gave the kings pause that if they should fall in battle they would be killed by one of the blades and their souls devoured.

For many generations there was peace, until a son was born to the king in the land of of Jedda. He was incapable of emotion or fear, some say he was not human. One by one he warred on the other kingdoms and one by one they fell. He collected all seven blades and kept them in his great castle until his death. His sons lacked his will and the kingdom collapsed in revolt. The castle was stormed, but what became of the blades there is no record.

Only by finding the blades from the Kingdom of Jedda, the Demons Teeth, can one truly destroy a soul. Let us hope they are never found.

[basics]

" Wait a minute. Wasn't the idea of fire and brimstone first propogated by Dante in his Divine Comedy, whereas earlier ideas of Hell was just absolute nothingness?"

Hax,

Not quite since it is written that these substances fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. As for Hell, well Jesus gave a good description of what that is like when He related the rich man and the poor man at their deaths. Nothing about fire and brimstone is mentioned. Hell is no more than a holding place for unbelievers until the day of judgement yet still it appears a place that in itself is a little more than uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as the final destination will be.