Satan/Hell

[Squiggle]

It seems more and more the idea of Hell and Satan has become an antiquated notion, so I was wondering for the Theists on TWC, what they think of it? Personally, I believe in God but I generally don't believe in Hell and Satan, that Satan is a metaphor for man's own corruption/evil and Hell is on earth. Thoughts? < For Theists.

[Caliph]

Hi Squiggle.
I honestly believe thinking of Satan as a metaphor is cherry-picking in abrahamic religions. God describes Satan as an actual character. He was an angel who stood-up against God & challanged him. Hardly sounds like a metaphor.

[ly0_ly0]

I think he's kinda like a nemesis to god

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[the_mango55]

In my own view Hell's descriptions as a firey pit of torture are probably metaphors, and it's possibly just a place completely separate from God.

[Boer]

I think what appears to be a common idea about Satan and Hell is very confused. Most people who believe in Satan say that he is the ultimate cause of suffering, he's evil, ect. Yet many of the same people has this idea that Satan is in charge of hell and his roll is to torture people there. It is as if God said to Satan (his supposed enemy) "here, you be in charge of handling my dirty work." But, of course, I'm sure Christians will be horrified by depicting it that way.

I must say that neither Satan nor hell are that well defined (or even proved) in the Bible. A handful of mentions of either is all that exists and some of the depictions of Satan are very contrary to modern (Christian) thoughts about him.

[Darth_Revan]

my version of hell is having a bunch of girls on PMS ing at me...lol

[Helm]

Nice to have a place where bad people can go when they die I suppose, not sure exactly how bad you would need to be and how long you would have to stay in there though. Some issues there.

[hellheaven1987]

Nice to have a place where bad people can go when they die I suppose, not sure exactly how bad you would need to be and how long you would have to stay in there though. Some issues there.

Except it depends what "bad people" are...

Non-Christians would end up there, you know.

[Helm]

Except it depends what "bad people" are...

Non-Christians would end up there, you know.

All religions have some kind of hell of some description, some are worse than others.

[hellheaven1987]

All religions have some kind of hell of some description, some are worse than others.

Yes, but I would not let anyone besides myself to judge my soul, even it is God. I choose where I want to go, heaven or hell or whatever.

[Helm]

Yes, but I would not let anyone besides myself to judge my soul, even it is God. I choose where I want to go, heaven or hell or whatever.

I suppose that could work if hell was some kind of deep regret or remorse for misdeeds you will feel when in your non-material form or something along those lines. It would seem like a good system of self punishment.

[Fiyenyaa]

Nice to have a place where bad people can go when they die I suppose, not sure exactly how bad you would need to be and how long you would have to stay in there though. Some issues there.

Except that the desire for some sort of post-mortem justice has become so twisted in the doctrine of hell that it becomes totally unjust. An infinite punishment for any finite crime is unjust. To say nothing of the absolutely ridiculous "crimes" one can allegedly go to hell for.

All religions have some kind of hell of some description, some are worse than others.

Buddhism. There is re-incarnation until you break the cycle, no hell.

[Helm]

Buddhism. There is re-incarnation until you break the cycle, no hell.

There is actually a hell in Buddhism, you can be reincarnated into it until you have burned off all your negative karma. I think that's a fair enough system.

[Fiyenyaa]

There is actually a hell in Buddhism, you can be reincarnated into it until you have burned off all your negative karma. I think that's a fair enough system.

Actually there is a hell. As said before, it's a state you can be reincarnated into until you improve enough to go back to the human or, as I like to call them, "Heaven" realms of existence, or until you reach enlightenment. There is in fact a hell in Buddhism, but it's more a state of being than a physical location.

Ah yes, I forgot about that. It's too easy for my mind to oversimplify the re-incarnatioin process as only existing in this world, but there are several realms as I have now been reminded.
My mistake.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

Honestly, I think there has to be something out there that is trying at its best to make you fail at life and do bad things. Whether or not that thing is Satan, I don't know, and honestly I don't want to find out.

As for Hell, as a Buddhist I believe Hell is a state of being. However in the physical sense of a large, hot, molten pit somewhere underground where you'll be tortured for eternity if your bad, if Buddhism is wrong then I hope Christianity/Judaism/Islam/anything else that believe in Hell is right, because I don't want to spend my after-life with the likes of child rapists or murderers or otherwise evil people.

Buddhism. There is re-incarnation until you break the cycle, no hell.

Actually there is a hell. As said before, it's a state you can be reincarnated into until you improve enough to go back to the human or, as I like to call them, "Heaven" realms of existence, or until you reach enlightenment. There is in fact a hell in Buddhism, but it's more a state of being than a physical location.

[Helm]

"During the late Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period, the possession of a ba and the possibility of a paradisiacal afterlife gradually extended to all Egyptians.[51][52] To reach this pleasant afterlife, the soul had to avoid a variety of supernatural dangers, before undergoing a final judgment known as the "Weighing of the Heart". In this judgment, the gods compared the actions of the deceased while alive (symbolized by the heart, the center of reason and emotion in Egyptian belief) to ma'at (symbolized by a feather), to determine whether he or she had behaved in accordance with ma'at. If the deceased had not done so in life, then he or she could not be expected to do so in the afterlife, and was thus destroyed by the demon Ammut."

That seems like a fairly good set up.

[Caliph]

I do not think anyone really knows any details of what you'll find in Hell. Anyone giving descriptive images of Hell is simply speculating. I was watching the 7 deadly sins on the history channel. It turns out an Italian writer named Dante Alighieri is responsible for many of the popular images of Hell we now have even though what we have is the twisted imagination of a medieval writer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri#Works

As a society, we usually punish the criminals between us by sending them to prison for x amount of years. We call it a correctional facility. I believe God is fair and won't allow the worst sinners between us who spent their life hurting others to simply walk free. Hell is God's correctional facility where depending on how much wrong a person did, they will do x amount of years in Hell, repent and join the rest in Heaven.

Eternal damnation is not the norm and I believe it is reserved for a select few(the worst of us).

[basics]

" It seems more and more the idea of Hell and Satan has become an antiquated notion, so I was wondering for the Theists on TWC, what they think of it? Personally, I believe in God but I generally don't believe in Hell and Satan, that Satan is a metaphor for man's own corruption/evil and Hell is on earth. Thoughts? < For Theists."

Squiggle,

Our first introduction to Satan is the old serpent as described in Genesis. His description is not important, certainly not as important as his power to deceive especially by persuasion. In other words Satan in most cases in the Old Scriptures does not make personal appearances as his authority is at the throne as the accuser or Diablos. Indeed in all Scripture, old and new, it is his power that is reflected and not his physical presence.

Where there is direct actual presence is seen at the temptation of Jesus and the last days revealed by the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Then it is God face to face with Diablos. In the affairs of men this didn't happen to my knowledge but if anyone has other information on that I would be of open mind to receive it. As said wherever the word Satan is used it is to his power that the inferrence is made.

Now concerning Hell this place has no Satanic authority over it, indeed is no more than the holding place for all the souls of unbelievers bound until Messias returns for the final judgement. It could be said that the only connection between them there and Satan is that they preferred to be persuaded by his power than take on board the wonderful Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ when they were alive on the earth and able to do so.

[Helm]

Something like 70% of the worlds population don't take onboard the Gospel of Jesus Christ so he must be a pretty powerful influence.

[Fiyenyaa]

Something like 70% of the worlds population don't take onboard the Gospel of Jesus Christ so he must be a pretty powerful influence.

This is of course assuming one takes all Christians to be "True Christians". Which I somehow doubt basics does (apologies if I'm incorrect in this assumption).