What are the denominations of Christianity that teach that hell absolutely does not exist in any way

Thomas said:
Most contemporary theologians would agree with the pope. Hell is not about fire and brimstone; it is about our freedom to say no to God, our freedom to reject love and choose loneliness. If you believe in freedom, you have to believe in hell.
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Exactly. We wrong ourselves by being arrogant and turning away from truth.
Hell is a consequence of our own making.

It isn't a threat that 'a person called God' will act like an evil being, and sadisticly plunge us in a fire.

Almighty God [ not a person .. neither male or female .. not a physical being ] is informing us of a cosmic truth.
Hell is a simile for severe trauma, torment .. of our own making.
 
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I think the origins are tribal: my tribe are 'the people' other tribes are not really people at all. So the rules only apply to 'the people' and those outside are beyond the pale -- the rules do not apply to them others. They are less than human.

So perhaps it is the meaning of the good Samaritan parable, and of the healing of the gentile woman - 'I am come for Israel' -- Christ went beyond that -- Christ is universal?
 
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Cast out, there is no hope for me?
 
Fry said:
What are the denominations of Christianity that teach that hell (eternal fire and brimstone) absolutely does not exist in any way, shape, or form and back this up with scripture and can give meaningful answers to explain the scriptures that seem to support hell?

I'd also be interested in denominations that teach at least that hell is not eternal horrors but is a temporary punishment or rehabilitation of some kind.

Please and thank you :)
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Please tell me you intentionally chose the username Fry because you are concerned about denominations that believe and don't believe in frying in the depths of hell. :D
 
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RJM Corbet said:
Cast out, there is no hope for me?
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I beg your pardon?
Who despairs of the Mercy of God except wrong-doers?

satan is a clear enemy. We have to strive to avoid major sins.
It's not getting any easier as time goes by .. intention, intention, intention
 
muhammad_isa said:
I beg your pardon?
Who despairs of the Mercy of God except wrong-doers?

satan is a clear enemy. We have to strive to avoid major sins.
It's not getting any easier as time goes by .. intention, intention, intention
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I don't mean me as a person in this case I mean me as the person cut out, excommunicated from the protection and shelter of the tribe. Sorry I wasn't clear enough
 
RJM Corbet said:
I don't mean me as a person in this case I mean me as the person cut out, excommunicated from the protection and shelter of the tribe. Sorry I wasn't clear enough
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Ah yes, I'm waffling again :)
Mmm, I would agree with that .. with the addition that having companions who would lie to you for small-change
is not the sort of company that you would find in heaven.
 
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About hell being eternal: perhaps the soul in hell does not know it is in hell? Having blocked all access to God, there is nowhere to look for escape. If I know God does not exist, how will I turn to God?

Perhaps in a sense hell means being stuck with myself for all eternity? That's a very limited place for all eternity.
 
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RJM Corbet said:
About hell being eternal: perhaps the soul in hell does not know it is in hell?
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I don't envisage it like that..
Take "the devil" as an example .. why is he "the devil"?
Does he know that God exists? Yes.
Has he repented, and changed his ways? No.
Why not? Due to arrogance and stuborness.
Does he know that he is "a loser"? Yes.
..so why not become a winner? He won't let himself. He has lost control, and is steeped in evil deeds.


This is the crux of the matter, I think. If we are wilfully committing evil for a long period of time, we
will be 'locked in' on a course that is extremely difficult to change.

Imagine eternity was a finite figure .. say a billion years. Does that help, to think we will be in hell for a billion years,
and then eventually get out?
Phoow .. sounds like forever, to me!
 
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I think it's a case of spiritual truths being 'reflected' in natural terms. It's 'through a glass darkly' as spiritual laws and truths are expressed in natural terms we can get a grasp on. Satan believes he does not need God. But darkness is not the opposite of light; darkness is the lack of light. Light has no 'top end' -- not ten million suns -- but darkness is total in a hole in the earth where there is no spark of light. Nature is limited by time and space and ends in death.

In a way the translation from the Spiritual 'down' into the Natural involves a shifting polarity that constantly moves. It is expressed by the antahkarana swastika symbol. It is always moving, now back, now forward. So it cannot be pinned down by man's words and thoughts. And it is in the movement from Spiritual to Natural that evil enters, through the cracks, so to speak -- or what we as natural beings regard as evil. There is no real Spiritual God/Devil polarity -- only God and distance from God?

For us in the Natural dimension, evil is real enough: defined by our natural limitation as what leads to death. Pain leads to death, essentially -- it is a warning of death. So either the lion starves or the zebra dies.

Something like that?
 
Not denying that we do see total evil in the world. Beings who enjoy causing pain.
 
RJM Corbet said:
I think it's a case of spiritual truths being 'reflected' in natural terms. It's 'through a glass darkly' as spiritual laws and truths are expressed in natural terms we can get a grasp on.
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If you mean that we can only understand things in relation to our lives here on earth, I would agree.
Any other life / dimension is hidden from us for the duration.

RJM Corbet said:
Satan believes he does not need God.
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..sort of. It's probably more complex than that. "cutting off one's nose to spite their face" springs to mind..

RJM Corbet said:
Pain leads to death, essentially -- it is a warning of death.
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Strange you should say that .. I was just thinking exactly the same thing myself.
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I envisage the life hereafter as an extension of this one.
However, all our deeds will be laid bare .. I naturally don't know the exact mechanism
which will separate the righteous from the wicked .. God knows best.
..but as in this life, some souls are blessed with peace & security,
and some are wretched and/or incarcerated.
 
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What is truly evil, but causing pain for enjoyment?
 
muhammad_isa said:
..but as in this life, some souls are blessed with peace & security,
and some are wretched and/or incarcerated.
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As above, so below: but always altered through the prism? Spiritual laws surround and contain and permeate natural laws, but they are not limited by the conclusion of all natural law -- which is death?
 
The babe newly delivered from the womb, umbilicus newly broken: how close and visible the soul is ... and in the last expression of the dead

Incarnate self the power to become?
 
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I don't believe in hell as a physical place where one's soul spends eternity in torment, but rather the lake of fire as it were, where the souls of those having chosen evil over good will be blotted out forevermore.

As it says in, Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
 
RJM Corbet said:
The babe newly delivered from the womb, umbilicus newly broken: how close and visible the soul is ... and in the last expression of the dead
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Nicely put. A new-born-babe is totally innocent. Naturally we are affected by our parents and environment.
..but it isn't until we reach the age of puberty that we have responsibility for our actions.
The devil knows that of course. He also knows that we are naive. For those without knowledge [ and some ],
it isn't hard for him to "derail" us :(

..and yes, I have seen many dead bodies [ in funerals ], and it is often possible to see by the expression on
their face what sort of 'welcome' they got as their souls left their body.
 
muhammad_isa said:
Nicely put. A new-born-babe is totally innocent. Naturally we are affected by our parents and environment.
..but it isn't until we reach the age of puberty that we have responsibility for our actions.
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Our parents and environment affect us in decisive ways, pre and post puberty, and shifting responsibility for the package someone got handed without asking for it is one of the nastiest things that can be done to a human being, in my opinion.

"Kid, your parents neglected/overprotected/abused you in your early development, but you're to blame if you are now acting up, take drugs, enter unwise relationships, or otherwise struggle with your dysfunctions."

Sounds like going through hell for the sins of the fathers?
 
Cino said:
"Kid, your parents neglected/overprotected/abused you in your early development, but you're to blame if you are now acting up, take drugs, enter unwise relationships, or otherwise struggle with your dysfunctions."
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I would say that blame does not necessarily equal responsibility :)
 
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