Posted by Lou Pilder on February 25, 2008, at 20:50:19
In reply to Re: Lou's reply to Dena-vic » Lou Pilder, posted by Dena on February 24, 2008, at 23:58:13
> Yes, Lou... that's been revealed to me as well, and it's shocking, but I now believe that the "hell" of modern Christianity is a fabrication, based on a combination of twisted Scripture, and the Greek mythological afterlife. Of course, Dante, in his infamous "Inferno", added "fuel to the fire", so to speak.
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> When the Ekklesia was overrun by the State/Church (unholy) alliance during the realm of Constantine, all manner of people became part of Christendom overnight... and they merged pagan teachings and practices with those of the Ekklesia -- special "temple" buildings, special "clergy" class, special days to worship, special rituals to perform. It was no longer seen as a family of God, but as a humann-run hierarchy... it went from organic to organized. And, the people had to be kept in line... what better way to do so than to borrow from pagan teachings about hell-fire -- to threaten the people, using fear to motivate them into obedience. What a terrible way to enter a relationship with the God who loved them enough to die for them.
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> What sort of God would teach us to love our enemies (& who said Himself, "forgive them, for they know not what they are doing"), all the while intending to torture His own enemies for all eternity...?
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> How could I ever love or trust a God who supposedly created some people just so He COULD torment them forever...?
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> And how could I trust a God who wasn't powerful enough to bring people to a place where they would see the truth about Him, and have the option to choose Him?
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> I've come to believe that God is both all-powerful, and all-loving, and so I believe He will save everyone eventually...
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> And this concept would've shocked and perhaps threatened me just a couple of years ago...!
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> Shalom, DenaDena,
You wrote,[...the "hell" of modern Christianity...].
The word {hell} likely came from a European Godesss outside of the biblical revelation, named Helan. I do not know much more concerning that chioce made in 1611 for Hades being translated to "Hell" by the King James group of translators. I do not think that the translators were Jewish.
Another word that they translated as {hell} was gehenna. Gehenna in the Greek was a translation from the Hebrew of a place near Jerusalam called the vally of Hinnom, named after a person by that name. The valley was used as a huge pit to burn refuse, a garbage dump including the bodies of executed criminals. The fires burned continually.
We had a company many years ago that incinerated 24/7. The EPA finally shut it down. The valley of Hinnom, gehennna, was like that, burnning continually the refuse of the city.
The King James translators called the valley of Hinnom, gehennna, "hell." But how many people over the centuries know of that? How many know of that as they read this?
This is important IMO because the major verse for those that want to advance the doctrine of eternal torment uses "hell", but it is translated from the Greek, "gehenna" which was translated from the Hebrew, Valley of Hinnom.
The valley has become a park in Israel now. But 2000 years ago I guess it might have been one of the most frightening things to see in Israel. In one of my posts here, I described crossing the Great Gulf and I think that I mentioned a fire burnning below. I was referring to gehenna, the valley of Hinnom, translated by the King James as "hell".
Now do not get me wrong here. I believe all that is printed in the book called The Revelation about "hell" which is translated from Hades in the Greek which is tranlated from the Hebrew, sheol. But I find nothing in the bible where Hades, or Gehenna or hell actually says that people are tormented without end. But again, do not let me write here that there is not a Lake of Fire, for the book writes of such. And it says who is going to be cast into it.
In chaapter 21, we read in verse 8, [...But the fearful, and unbelieveing and the abominable and murders and sorcerers,...shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death....].
But I also read that those that overcome will not be hurt by the second death, like Shadrach, and that death and hell (Hades) will be cast into the Lake of Fire which is the second death. So I believe that there will be an end to death which will also be an end to hell.
This fire that is imiged in the book has been revealed to me to be a refiner's fire, to purify. And the torment is not physical torment.In a sense, I may agree in a sense with the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, but not the same.
Do not get me wrong here, for I believe all that the bible says about the fiery judgment. But it has been revealed to me that man's way is not God's way.
For when I was on the sand by the sea, I asked the Rider who could be saved. He turned to me and said, "With man it is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
Lou
poster:Lou Pilder
thread:799425
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20070227/msgs/814710.html