[ SECRET POST #3474 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3474 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.
[Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap]



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02. http://i.imgur.com/8Lfgcp8.jpg
[A Game of Thrones, Tyene Sand; link because OP warned for nudity]


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03.
[Independence Day]


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04.
[Queen at Arms]


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05. [repeat]


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06. [WARNING for underage/shota]

[Boku no Pico]


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07. [SPOILERS for Game of Thrones]



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08. [WARNING for incest]
[WARNING for rape]



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09. [WARNING for gore, torture]
















Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #496.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2- too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I'm an agnostic who's reconsidering Christianity, but the concept of Hell is a big stumbling block for me. I know that some denominations consider it mostly metaphorical, but the story of Lazarus seems to strongly imply some kind of torment (even if it's not necessarily fire and pitchforks).

How do those who call themselves Christians but don't believe in a literal Hell interpret this?

I know some go for the more CS Lewis route, in which Hell doesn't involve physical (physical-spiritual?) torment, but psychological torment doesn't seem that much better.

The thing is, I can't really justify eternal torture on any level. Unless the torture has some kind of positive effect—like undoing the evil that was done—it strikes me as purposeless and cruel.

Now, I understand that many Christians say it's not so much God sending you to Hell as it is you sending yourself there. You essentially choose to follow your will instead of God's, but because you're a sinner by nature, you'll end up in Hell. But it still says that God allows eternal torment.

Annihilationism always seemed like the fairest solution. There, if you don't believe, or are an unredeemed sinner, you just die. My understanding is that this is a minority opinion.

Sorry for the long rant. It's been on my mind lately.

[sarillia]

A common liberal Christian interpretation is that Hell is a state of being separated from God.

[(Anonymous)]

Right, but that's still eternal and awful, isn't it? Why not just delete the soul, so to speak?

[(Anonymous)]

I'm sure there at plenty of atheists and agnostics who will tell you being separated from "god" isn't awful torment at all, just everyday life.

[sarillia]

I kind of figure people who rejected god in life wouldn't care that much about being separated in death. But I guess it all depends on the details of being separated.

[(Anonymous)]

"Just dying" isn't just dying. Matter is matter. I'm an atheist, but I believe in "dust to dust". When I die, my soul will be gone, but my matter will be star dust once again and new beings will be born with bits of me in them. I find that very satisfying and beautiful, if not spiritual in a traditional superstitious way.

[(Anonymous)]

Back when I was a Christian, I was an Annihilationist. Episcopalians (at least the the ones at the church I grew up in) weren't much for an actual, literal hell. Our Priest often said to "take the Bible seriously, but not literally."

I can't really endorse any particular religion as true, because I think they're all made-up. But if you're looking for a fairly liberal, accepting denomination, you could do a lot worse than the Episcopalians. As Robin Williams said, "All of the pagentry, none of the guilt."

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

As someone who was raised in a church that believes in Annihilationism, this is the line of thinking I believe in - what is so merciful about eternal torment? I get the impression that people who think Annihilationism is terrible believe there must be some way out of Hell, but I don't think any version of Christianity has ever seriously included such a thing. Purgatory maybe, but not Hell.

If being consigned to Hell is permanent, then eternal non-existence is better. It's the eternal non-Heaven fate I want (with the obvious caveat that I'd prefer Heaven).

[(Anonymous)]

I was raised a (european) protestant and afaik we (I'm an agnostic now though) believe that people don't go to hell anymore because, you know, Jesus. Everyone is forgiven and goes to heaven. Yes, ehen Hitler.

[(Anonymous)]

European protestants (at least your brand) may not believe in a literal hell, but plenty of American Christians of all stripes do.

Under most variants of Christian theology, Jesus only forgives/saves people who are willing to "accept him as their lord and savior." If you can't force yourself to believe, nope, still signed up for eternal torment if you can't meet God's impossibly high standards.

Accept Jesus, ask him to save you, and you go to Heaven, no matter what horrible things you did. Deny Jesus, and it doesn't matter how good you are, if you ever even think about banging your neighbor's wife or taking a swing at your jackass boss, that's a sin and you're going to Hell.

As a Christian, Hitler would go to Heaven, as long as he didn't commit the "unpardonable sin" of renouncing God. Anne Frank? Unless she accepted Jesus into her heart, she's going to the Lake of Fire.

[(Anonymous)]

Lewis's route is incoherent, in his own word it's like asking if God can create a stone She cannot lift.