If you go by just about every philisophical explaination of hell. its basically pushing the same rock up a hill for all of eternity.

Roughly translated from the bible, hell (correct me if i'm wrong) was the burning poop pits. According to what i have heard from a priest.

Was hell created by man to keep each other in line? take a look at the ten commandments for example. X. And they all can be sumed up in two parts. One respect everyone, because if you did that you wouldn't lie, cheat, or steal, nor would you disrespect God in anyway. The other is keep the sabbeth holy. (Credit for this idea goes to George Carwin)

If you didn't obey the X commandments you went to hell.

I have heard from a catholic class that the only way to actually get to hell is rejecting God its self. How could anyone do that? Yes they could close there mind, and that must be why Jesus said "keep a mind like a child."

"what, you mean its wrong to touture people into confession? No i can't..."

Would hell just be being sent back to this life over and over till you accomplished an "open mind."

And another thing. If God knows everything... what i do before i do it. then how do i have any free will at all?

If God did prove itself to the human race, would we just sit back and let God handle everything?

Any answer or even retort is thanked.

Yada Yada Yada.

That's the best answer you could ever recieve.

hell=psychological control technique. like when your mamma would tell you be good or santa gives you coal.

AI... may i offer you a point of view. it is only my point of view so that doesn't make it right or wrong...

i find it all quite funny really when so many people get caught up in heaven and hell and does he or doesn't he exist and the fact that GOD is presumed to be a man or even defined as human. doesn't this make you smile.

let's just say that GOD created the universe and everything in it. i think that's a pretty fine achievemt really and if i'd done it, i'd sit back and take no further part. then let's say GOD is the universe and not a man, as the illusion goes.

the universe is heaven. GOD created heaven. as far as hell goes, he left that for man to create.

here are some of the things that define heaven (GODmade): love, the mountains, the sky, the sun, the sea, animals, honey (well bees really), all those beautiful plants and people.

here are some of the things that define hell (MANmade): war, guns, bombs, exams, religion and greed.

please don't think i have an evil disdain for religion, i don't. religions are manmade institutions to offer truths, give guidance, support, faith and all the other great things that lie at the heart of them all. we have so much choice here. we should, in theory be able to belong to one of these orders that supports and inspires our beliefs.

isn't it such a human thing to say... my religion (my gang) is the real one, yours isn't, therefore i kill you. i am right. you are wrong! and my misguided illusionary god has made it alright to kill you. what the fuck is that all about!?

what does sadden me is how 'man', in his infinite lack of wisdom and power-crazed fear, raped and abused such devout teachings to his own self-satisfaction.

i get tired of the 'if GOD exists, why has he brought so much suffering etc.' debate. it is not GOD that inflicted this suffering, it is man!

there is little hope for civilisation if we continue along this path of greed, destruction and misguided beliefs, praying ernestly for GOD to intervene and save us all from damnation.

we are all the spirit of GOD, the spirit of creation. we are all part of this universe. we are all responsible, it is not the responsibility of one illusionary being. nothing exists as a separate self. each of us cannot give up this fight and succumb to the continuing destruction of the spirit. greed cannot be allowed to conquer love.

if we feel empowered by the spirit of love and realise loves full and true nature, we will see that our role as one spirit, is extraordinarily important. we are not here to each follow a path of self-satisfaction. our role has such a deeper and magical purpose.

this is heaven. you are in it right now!

namaste

quote:Originally posted by AI:



Was hell created by man to keep each other in line?

.......

I have heard from a catholic class that the only way to actually get to hell is rejecting God its self. How could anyone do that?

.....

what, you mean its wrong to touture people into confession? No i can't..."

Would hell just be being sent back to this life over and over till you accomplished an "open mind."

And another thing. If God knows everything... what i do before i do it. then how do i have any free will at all?

If God did prove itself to the human race, would we just sit back and let God handle everything?

Any answer or even retort is thanked.

Hi, everything you ask depends on one's idea of god, what's yours?

Is god harsh and judgemental? - then for you hell already exists.

Is God the divinity within all being, a part of yourself? Is heaven within your mind? Within your thoughts?

Happy or Depressed = Heaven or Hell?

Cheers http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif)

Actually life is about pleasure. It's just that as you evolve your pleasures evolve as well. It's like a kid putting aside a toy he has finished playing with. I think the most rewarding most pleasurable endeavor while alive is to come to terms with your self. Define who you truly are, and here's a hint, if you associate yourself with things then that's all you are. You are not a body, you are not your credit card, you are not your lifetime achievement award, you are not your work. You are simply and perfectly the creator. Nothing is more frustrating and more rewarding, than experiencing(that is acting it out) that you are the creator of your own experience. Yet once you understand yourself, the frustration dissapears, and all you are left with is pure and utter enjoyment. In fact you will enjoy whatever you decide to be so much that not even being murdered could take away your happiness.

quote:Originally posted by ilbastardoh:

Actually life is about pleasure. It's just that as you evolve your pleasures evolve as well. It's like a kid putting aside a toy he has finished playing with. I think the most rewarding most pleasurable endeavor while alive is to come to terms with your self. Define who you truly are, and here's a hint, if you associate yourself with things then that's all you are. You are not a body, you are not your credit card, you are not your lifetime achievement award, you are not your work. You are simply and perfectly the creator. Nothing is more frustrating and more rewarding, than experiencing(that is acting it out) that you are the creator of your own experience. Yet once you understand yourself, the frustration dissapears, and all you are left with is pure and utter enjoyment. In fact you will enjoy whatever you decide to be so much that not even being murdered could take away your happiness.

Epicurus(sp?) said a similar thing, that life is about the pursuit of pleasure, that pleasure is the highest good to which a mortal man may attain. He also said that unless all beings within our experience are also having pleasure, one was not able to reach bliss.

Bliss, "pure and utter enjoyment", does make suffering disappear, and i agree focus on things rather than spirit leads away from the discovery of your 'self', however ilbastardoh, i'm not keen to test your last thesis http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/smile.gif)

Many you guys' thoughts are reminiscent of Buddhism in a way.

The way I see it, take a little something from evreything, cause evreything has some truth to it.

Wether it's christianity, islam, buddhism, zen, judaism, and all manner of isms. Even science, and politics, etc. Even athiests have truth, but non of them have complete truth. Instead of taking someone else's complete view, why not take that which works and discard the rest. When we breathe air for example, we don't use all the components in the air, just the ones we need, the rest we throw them out.

Fanaticism is dangerous and we see what that does, why not throw it out. Shoving your religion in other's faces is annoying, why not throw it out. Human sacrifice to a volcano god is unnecessary, why not throw it out. Understanding that we are all connected, that's true why not build on that(quantum physics says this is true, buddhism says it's true, christianity says it's true, all major religions say this is true, yet no one practices this). Christmas, we always get more than we give, doesn't that say something about sharing, rather than hoarding things selfishly for fear of loss?

Like searching for gold, you gotta sift through the dirt, and it takes a while but eventualy you find what you're looking for.