Subject:
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Re: The Brick Testament parts the Red Sea
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Fri, 6 Dec 2002 12:55:08 GMT
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Viewed:
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4524 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, John Neal writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:
>
> > That's another question that's always bothered me: how can I in heaven
> > know infinite joy if I know that other people are suffering eternal
> > damnation?
>
> Here's how I see it. First, I'm not so sure about the eternal damnation thing.
> Second, I happen to believe that hell is separation from God. People *choose*
> to reject God, and that is hell. They choose darkness, because of
> selfishness, pride and arrogance. Our characters are formed here on earth.
>
> This is more or less the view of C.S. Lewis in his book _The Great Divorce_ (a
> short, one-sitting read). I found it very helpful reconciling heaven and hell.
>
> > And, if I were damned, how could my damnation be infinite if I
> > knew that other people are enjoying eternal bliss? What kind of selfish
> > jerk would I have to be to begrudge others their reward simply because I
> > didn't likewise earn that reward?
> > The point is that the existence of either heaven or hell, along with the
> > respective occupants thereof, refutes the existence of the other.
>
> What if hell were indeed merely separation from God and that people *chose*
> that existence?
>
> -John
THis is close to my take--hell is not 'fire and brimstone', it's
non-existance(1). If you are separate from God, divorced from God, then
it's like cutting off your hand--the hand can only fulfill it's intended
function when it's attached to the arm--when it isn't attached to the arm
anymore, then it ceases to exist in it's intended role and function. We may
still call it a hand when it's laying on the ground, but the name is
arbitrary--it's just skin and bone. To be a true and complete hand, it has
to sit here at the end of my arm, doing what hands do.
Dave K
(1) I don't adhere regligiously ;) to this idea, it's the prevalant idea in
my mind right now.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: The Brick Testament parts the Red Sea
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| (...) Here's how I see it. First, I'm not so sure about the eternal damnation thing. Second, I happen to believe that hell is separation from God. People *choose* to reject God, and that is hell. They choose darkness, because of selfishness, pride (...) (24 years ago, 6-Dec-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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