Become a part of the TranceAddict community!Frequently Asked Questions - Please read this if you haven'tSearch the forums
TranceAddict Forums > Main Forums > Chill Out Room > Fear of hell
Pages (16): [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 »   Last Thread   Next Thread
Share
Author
Thread    Post A Reply
MrJiveBoJingles
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Jun 2004
Location: U.S.
Fear of hell

I think the fear of hell was what really made me start taking religion seriously in the first place. Eighth grade was when it started to click for me, so I started going to church a lot more and reading the Bible. Then in high school I also developed a conviction that the survival of Christianity was vital to the preservation of Western culture.

I stopped going to church in my freshman year of college. I was going out with a girl (still my girlfriend today) but I felt uncomfortable about dating her because she was a non-Christian. I think I can remember her asking me wonderingly why I was a Christian and not being able to give a very good answer, which bothered me. I can remember, at that time, sort of wishing that I wasn't a Christian, so that our belief systems would mesh together more neatly. Then I tried to look at the beliefs I had affirmed for years from the outside, to see how strong or weak they looked when I stepped beyond the assumptions that guided my religious views. I guess I was trying to deconstruct my faith, extirpate it from my mind. And I can remember a specific day, sitting on a bench in the sun and thinking about this, and feeling something inside myself sort of like what you might feel after a breakup, or when someone you really like rejects you. Maybe that was the point when I "lost faith." At night I would half-dream about being sent to hell for not believing, and in some of these twisted visions my girlfriend or parents would be there, too, being tortured alongside me. Eventually these thoughts stopped, but occasionally they still resurface. Fear excited over and over again can stay burned into your head even after you've concluded that it's irrational.

Sometimes I find myself frightened by the possibility that maybe I'm really wrong not to believe in God and that when I die I'll be sent to hell and suffer eternally for being a non-believer. Maybe in spite of having thought pretty carefully about religion, I reached the wrong conclusions. Yeah, a lot of the ideas in religions don't make any sense to me, and the evidence in their favor really seems spare to non-existent, and it seems like most of the world's smartest people don't put much stock in the fire and brimstone stuff (even if some pretty smart ones are religious in other senses), but it seems like my ideas about what "makes sense" or what constitutes "good evidence" could be off-kilter in some way, and I could end up believing the wrong things because of that.

And then I wonder whether I could ever genuinely worship a god who chose to deal out eternal pain to those who didn't believe in him, even if I were convinced there was good evidence for his existence. I'm leaning toward "no."

I have been up all night.

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:27  United States
Click Here to See the Profile for MrJiveBoJingles Click here to Send MrJiveBoJingles a Private Message Add MrJiveBoJingles to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
coroknight
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Apr 2008
Location: Deeper

I don't have a fear of hell because I don't believe in it. Wooooooo


___________________

ಠ_ಠ
<|>
/ω\

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:35  United States
Click Here to See the Profile for coroknight Click here to Send coroknight a Private Message Add coroknight to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.



Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester

Is hell even in the Bible?


___________________
Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24

Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:37  England
Click Here to See the Profile for SYSTEM-J Click here to Send SYSTEM-J a Private Message Visit SYSTEM-J's homepage! Add SYSTEM-J to your buddy list SYSTEM-J is online now Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
MrJiveBoJingles
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Jun 2004
Location: U.S.

quote:
Originally posted by coroknight
...because I don't believe in it. Wooooooo

Yeah, neither do I. The funny thing is that I still fear possibilities sometimes.

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:38  United States
Click Here to See the Profile for MrJiveBoJingles Click here to Send MrJiveBoJingles a Private Message Add MrJiveBoJingles to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
MrJiveBoJingles
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Jun 2004
Location: U.S.

quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Is hell even in the Bible?

Depends on which type of Christian you ask, I suppose. According to the ones I grew up with, it most certainly was.

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:39  United States
Click Here to See the Profile for MrJiveBoJingles Click here to Send MrJiveBoJingles a Private Message Add MrJiveBoJingles to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
coroknight
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Apr 2008
Location: Deeper

quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Yeah, neither do I. The funny thing is that I still fear possibilities sometimes.


If you believed something through your childhood and most of your life then you can't expect the psychological affects to go away immediately.


___________________

ಠ_ಠ
<|>
/ω\

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:39  United States
Click Here to See the Profile for coroknight Click here to Send coroknight a Private Message Add coroknight to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
MrJiveBoJingles
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Jun 2004
Location: U.S.

quote:
Originally posted by coroknight
If you believed something through your childhood and most of your life then you can't expect the psychological affects to go away immediately.

Exactly.

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:40  United States
Click Here to See the Profile for MrJiveBoJingles Click here to Send MrJiveBoJingles a Private Message Add MrJiveBoJingles to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
SYSTEM-J
IDKFA.



Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Manchester

quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Depends on which type of Christian you ask, I suppose. According to the ones I grew up with, it most certainly was.



To be honest the thing that really scares me of the thought of complete nothingness, an end to perception. And the worst thing is that it's the only logical outcome of what I believe. I'd welcome any kind of afterlife, however hellish. It would be a bonus.


___________________
Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24

Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:49  England
Click Here to See the Profile for SYSTEM-J Click here to Send SYSTEM-J a Private Message Visit SYSTEM-J's homepage! Add SYSTEM-J to your buddy list SYSTEM-J is online now Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
Damerchi
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Nov 2005
Location: .

Hey man, I hear you. I left the religion i was indocrinated too, but switch the girl with canadian bacon in my case.

Seriously though, you have to realize the power of this fear thats planted into you. It is the tool that keeps you with the beleif, and a fear strong enough that you dont want the little ones to suffer such a reality and indoctrinate them as well. You essentially teach kids an ideology early on that will greatly affect how they handle any change in their life, and decisions and conclusions will be made on how it affect this sacred ideology. the rational part of you should be able to say "if i had no concept of the monotheistic hell in the first place, i would not be feeling this feeling"

My views of hell are far worse than fire, they are pure psychological mindfucks of twisted reality. The possibilities for this are endless really. The person who originally contrived hell-fire was a noob. how amateur really, todays sciencefiction writers could do much better.

I imagine the prophet mohammed today infront of a modern psychiatrist, and the image is very amusing and comforting.

Old Post Feb-18-2009 12:52  United Nations
Click Here to See the Profile for Damerchi Click here to Send Damerchi a Private Message Add Damerchi to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
Moral Hazard
Oppressing the 99%



Registered: Mar 2005
Location: with the 1%
Re: Fear of hell

quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
Sometimes I find myself frightened by the possibility that maybe I'm really wrong not to believe in God and that when I die I'll be sent to hell and suffer eternally for being a non-believer. Maybe in spite of having thought pretty carefully about religion, I reached the wrong conclusions. Yeah, a lot of the ideas in religions don't make any sense to me, and the evidence in their favor really seems spare to non-existent, and it seems like most of the world's smartest people don't put much stock in the fire and brimstone stuff (even if some pretty smart ones are religious in other senses), but it seems like my ideas about what "makes sense" or what constitutes "good evidence" could be off-kilter in some way, and I could end up believing the wrong things because of that.

And then I wonder whether I could ever genuinely worship a god who chose to deal out eternal pain to those who didn't believe in him, even if I were convinced there was good evidence for his existence. I'm leaning toward "no."


Your fear and doubt seem to be born of an imperfect understanding of Christianity. First and foremost; the church (RC, which should be taken as the most authoritative voice on Christianity... of course I'm somewhat biased) does not and has never held the position that one must be a Christian (of any sect) in order to enter "the kingdom of heaven." You need not fear hell because you do not believe. Second; there is no physical hell (official church position); rather, hell is a state of anguish the soul experiences as a result of not receiving the love of God. Third; God does not choose to deal out eternal pain; rather, the individual chooses to suffer it themselves by rejecting God's love... God extends his love to all equally regardless of whether or not we believe we merit it. Finally, hell is not an eternal state, the suffering only lasts as long as one rejects love; however, given that the afterlife is not a physical place any discussion of time in regards to the afterlife is pure folly, as time only exists in a physical world. I suspect you received a particular bent of religious instruction as a child and require a fuller understanding... with that your fears would dissolve.

If you really want to discuss these ideas or your fears please PM me... I'm no priest but I may be able to help (without evangelizing).


___________________
quote:
Originally posted by RickyM
you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

quote:
Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down

Old Post Feb-18-2009 13:05  Canada
Click Here to See the Profile for Moral Hazard Click here to Send Moral Hazard a Private Message Add Moral Hazard to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
boris_the_bear
Supreme tranceaddict



Registered: Oct 2008
Location: Lower Chernobylstan

quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
To be honest the thing that really scares me of the thought of complete nothingness, an end to perception.


but at the end of day, perception is the source of all human fear, pain and other unpleasant feelings, so if you are to simply seize to exist (aka complete nothingness) you will not be giving a flying fuck about it. but still... its hard to imagine the non-existence of yourself. i think it's impossible to imagine since not existing is radically different from any other form of being, right? and yikes!.. i'm not a christian... hope they have pizza in hell

quote:
Originally posted by Moral Hazard
If you really want to discuss these ideas or your fears please PM me...

omg 666

Old Post Feb-18-2009 13:05  Ukraine
Click Here to See the Profile for boris_the_bear Click here to Send boris_the_bear a Private Message Add boris_the_bear to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message
Moral Hazard
Oppressing the 99%



Registered: Mar 2005
Location: with the 1%

quote:
Originally posted by DJ Damerchi
The person who originally contrived hell-fire was a noob. how amateur really, todays sciencefiction writers could do much better.


I think it's a clumsy metaphor for the level of suffering... honestly, an iron aged people probably couldn't conceive of anything more painful then burning forever without the relief of death.


___________________
quote:
Originally posted by RickyM
you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

quote:
Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down

Old Post Feb-18-2009 13:09  Canada
Click Here to See the Profile for Moral Hazard Click here to Send Moral Hazard a Private Message Add Moral Hazard to your buddy list Report this Post Reply w/Quote Edit/Delete Message

TranceAddict Forums > Main Forums > Chill Out Room > Fear of hell
Post New Thread    Post A Reply

Pages (16): [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 »  
Last Thread   Next Thread
Click here to listen to the sample!Pause playbackPlease id [2006] [0]

Click here to listen to the sample!Pause playbackRene Campo - "Sleep" [2004]

Show Printable Version | Subscribe to this Thread
Forum Jump:

All times are GMT. The time now is 10:45.

Forum Rules:
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is ON
vB code is ON
[IMG] code is ON
 
Search this Thread:

 
Contact Us - return to tranceaddict

Powered by: Trance Music & vBulletin Forums
Copyright ©2000-2026, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Privacy Statement / DMCA
Support TA!