• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

If someone doesn't practice YOUR religion, are they going to hell?

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Thank you Elita 1 that is exactly what i have been looking for. I get so tired of people asking me why catholics think everyone else is going to hell. I keep trying to explain to them that that is not exactly how it works. That your actions during life aren't really part of the equation it is what is in your heart and only god knows that for sure.
 
I think there are only a FEW branches of Chrisitanity that believe that you go to Hell if you do not do specific things (Catholics are one branch). I am Methodist... we do not think that way


Dude! You have been brainwashed. Catholicism is the most progressive of the Christ religions. Heck, they say that its how you live and what you do, not what you say, that gets you into heaven (the ultimate exclusive country club). Methodists and baptists are living ancient lies.


You know... there is a sect of Catholicism that even considers Jesus to be "fake". That Jesus's resurection was metaphorical, and not physical. How is that for progressive!
 
Embracing your own insignificance will take you higher than any religion promises to take you.


Why Mr Engineer, I am considering to make that my Sig. Very pertinant. Kudos.
 
The notion that there is no point to living if our lives are meaningless and insignificant still operates on the human assumption that there must be meaning to everything. It is our ego's that tell us we are great all important creatures, so naturally such a notion of insignificance is upsetting to our conciousness. There is beauty in nothingness if you know where to look. 😛
 
It is the civility produced in religious followers that makes religion worth it. What ppeople do in Mosques, Temples, Churches, or other buildings designed to "practice" religion is for the most part to teach civility, but some other "practices" are also carried out which is just extra-curricular activity. Unfortunetly, these extra-curricular activities are often treated as the most important "practice" and it is used to judge whether someone from another Mosque, Temple, or Church is a "true" believer.

I think the movie Dogma made a valid point(although I'm sure most religious people would dismiss that movie outright), it's not believing that matters, it is taking an idea and trying to see the fulfillment of that idea.
 
Actually I think I've been to hell already.
It's accepted belief that one of the few places that are like hell is Detroit. So therefore if I've gone through Detroit's airport while changing planes, then I've apprently spent a few hours in hell.
Odd, it looked exactly like an airport terminal though. Go figure.
 
i think religion has become way more personal than it used to be. people are more open to interpret things differently w/o any form of punishment and therefore many people do it willingly. religion is no longer something that's written in stone and meant to be followed and understood for what's written. it's only a guide, what you make of it is entirely up to you.
 

Hell is symbolic of eternal separation from God. It was our sin that resulted in our separation from God. Because God is holy (set apart; without sin), sin cannot exist in His presence.
Hell in the typical christianity beliefs is not symbolic. It is eternal damnation burning forever suffering. (that is not a god of love) I do believe God is holy therefor sets hiself apart from people who CHOOSE to go agains his will. That does not mean he as the creator is going to make a place to torture people.

My question is for all of you who believe you going to heaven what exactally does the bible say you will be doing there? Why did he creat earth just to turn around and destroy it?
 
Someone once told me something along these lines:

So what if there is god? or no god at all? what of the existence of heaven or hell?

Even if there is no god, I would still rather live my life decently, helping others, being kind to others, treating others the way I want to be treated. Because, if even at my death I would cease to exist, I would die knowing that I lived the best way I knew how, and that hopefully others lives were a little better because of my efforts.

...it made a lot of sense to me.🙂
 


<< &quot;I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.&quot; >>




the problem with that is that the interpretation is equally valid from many opposing viewpoints.


&quot;Through Me&quot; can mean through my teachings and more importantly through living my life. Or it can mean following the life exactly, or following some points only. Or it can mean the traditionally accepted meaning of accepting Jesus as the son of God and thus seeing Him as an intermediary.

Or, to an academic, it can mean dropping all false pretense and cultural biases in favor of pursuing a pure form of living bases on psychological influences between oneself and the world. To some, Jesus is in nature since He rose to the heavens so he must be up above and below, since he overcame traditional bounds of death and gravity; those worship through nature.


You see the problem created by cultural influences? We all see the world through a lens. That lens is composed of our ideas, experienses, and mostimportantly those cultural norms we acquired from birth to adulthood. Those norms serve as a part of conscience and perception.


Now consider whether that passage implies that organized Christianity, as defined by westerners is the true meaning. If it is through Him, then can not a personal relationship be equally as rewarding if full doctrine is followed?

The argument of course if that Jesus set an example by gathering people and that community is important. I never devalued community. I devalued a particular time and place for gathering with other people.

That was established to create order, which is not a spiritual occurence but a social and cultural one.

The problem is that spirituality, meaning, culture, human nature, and perception are all so intertwined, deciphering the true intent without using our &quot;lens&quot; is nearly impossible and thus all action by humans is subject to skepticism and question.

And to answer the question of the topic, define &quot;practicing. What exactly does &quot;practicing&quot; consist of? Ritual and worship? Experiences of altered perception? Agreement with all the rules of a particular ideology? Or agreement with &quot;the spirit of the law&quot; of a particular value system? See, even though your statement can be interpreted as any of those, are they all right? If they are, then we are all right. If just one is right, what makes the others wrong since they can lead to the same outcome?


The price of admission is hardly worth the quibble.

The value is all in the journey.

[edit] wow I like that. It's going in my sig.[/edit]
 
I must not practice anyone's religion here, because this is definitely HELL! Wooohahh! J/K! This feels like heaven. Yep, pure heaven.
 
<<The price of admission is hardly worth the quibble.

The value is all in the journey.

[edit] wow I like that. It's going in my sig.[/edit] >>

Wow, quoting your own quote, that's really ..great :disgust:




People, what can someone really do that would make them suffer hell for ETERNITY? I don't believe the most atrocious crimes could warrant eternal punishment. No loving god could accept this, only a tyrant of a god would.
 


<< The notion that there is no point to living if our lives are meaningless and insignificant still operates on the human assumption that there must be meaning to everything. It is our ego's that tell us we are great all important creatures, so naturally such a notion of insignificance is upsetting to our conciousness. There is beauty in nothingness if you know where to look. 😛 >>



It is quite upsetting if you believe that your existance is meaningless and insignificant. The world can be a very cold place if you find purpose only through yourself. Why are we here? What is my purpose here? Why do I exist? If our existance is the result of pure randomness, what a disappointing thought it is to know that all our accomplishments are meaningless.
However, we find our value and meaning in the fact that we are created in the image of God. What a thought it is to know that we were created by God and in his image!!! I think it is wonderful to know that we don't have to derive purpose from ourselves or others, but rather just from the fact that there is a loving God who created each one of us personally. God desires that everyone be saved and that we would each find meaning and purpose in life.
 
It is quite upsetting if you believe that your existance is meaningless and insignificant.

Only if you allow it to be so.

However, we find our value and meaning in the fact that we are created in the image of God.

This is called wishful thinking. Your post speaks nothing to the validity of your religion over others, or your perception of emptiness without god, but rather of your basic human vulnerability, that makes you susceptible to believing such pretty thoughts.
 


<< Hell is symbolic of eternal separation from God. It was our sin that resulted in our separation from God. Because God is holy (set apart; without sin), sin cannot exist in His presence.
Hell in the typical christianity beliefs is not symbolic. It is eternal damnation burning forever suffering. (that is not a god of love) I do believe God is holy therefor sets hiself apart from people who CHOOSE to go agains his will. That does not mean he as the creator is going to make a place to torture people.

My question is for all of you who believe you going to heaven what exactally does the bible say you will be doing there? Why did he creat earth just to turn around and destroy it? >>



First of all, he created earth to bring glory to Himself. This is analagous to when you built your first computer, and you proudly proclaim &quot;This is my creation, I made it!!!&quot; Dind't you feel proud of yourself, and give yourself a pat on the back?
However, here's the bad news. Because of our sin, we have in a way 'spoiled' God's creation. Therefore, in the end times, according to the bible, the old earth and old heaven will be destroyed to give way for a new earth and new heaven where sin will no longer exist (Sci-fi-ish isn't it? Check out the book of Revelation). We will no longer have any temptation to sin or suffer. Our sin has been washed away. We will be taken care of, comforted, for eternity living with God. It is said that communion with God in heaven is greater than anything we can imagine. And until we see heaven, that's all we can do; just imagine on how wonderful it will be. You've got everything to gain and nothing to lose!
 
<<It is quite upsetting if you believe that your existance is meaningless and insignificant.

Only if you allow it to be so.
>>

Even if meaninglessness of life is hard to deal with, it has no bearing on the truth. THe truth doesn't have to be comforting.

EngineNr is right, it isn't for everybody.
 


<< It is quite upsetting if you believe that your existance is meaningless and insignificant.

Only if you allow it to be so.

However, we find our value and meaning in the fact that we are created in the image of God.

This is called wishful thinking. Your post speaks nothing to the validity of your religion over others, or your perception of emptiness without god, but rather of your basic human vulnerability, that makes you susceptible to believing such pretty thoughts. >>



Examine yourself, can you honestly tell me that you have never wondered about your purpose here? your meaning for being here? That you derive all of your importance from yourself and maybe others? Have you never felt empty in your life or existence despite you telling yourself that you are important?
 


<< People, what can someone really do that would make them suffer hell for ETERNITY? I don't believe the most atrocious crimes could warrant eternal punishment. No loving god could accept this, only a tyrant of a god would. >>



The issue of hell is not as punishment for your crimes or sin. As I said earlier, hell is symbolic of eternal separation from God because of sin itself. This will sound unfair to you, but to God sin is sin, whether it be stealing a candy bar or killing someone. They're both essentially sin to God, and in His holiness, He cannot allow it to exist in His presence. Thus hell is the concept of separation from God for eternity.
 
<<Examine yourself, can you honestly tell me that you have never wondered about your purpose here? your meaning for being here? That you derive all of your importance from yourself and maybe others? Have you never felt empty in your life or existence despite you telling yourself that you are important? >>

I'd like to add that I don't consider my life important. I mean, the world will go on just the same without me. Only people that are close to me will be influenced. WHy does your life need to be important or have a meaning/purpose?
 


<< I'd like to add that I don't consider my life important. I mean, the world will go on just the same without me. Only people that are close to me will be influenced. WHy does your life need to be important or have a meaning/purpose? >>



Philosophers have discussed this exact same topic for centuries! Perhaps not for you, but for most people, they desire to find a purpose and meaning in their life. I don't think I'm here just to work behind a desk for 8 hours a day to go home, sleep, and do it all over again with the goal of simply earning money to support myself until I die (excuse the cliche-ish-ness). Beyond the basic necessities (survival, etc.), human nature desires to find out why we're here. It's the universal question, &quot;Why do we exist?!&quot;
 
I don't think you've been reading my posts. Everything you ask has been explained. Your contentions prove nothing other than the vulnerability that religions exploit; you sound as though you're pitching a cult.

Myself, I'm trying to follow what I've explained here. Remember what I said before, about embracing your own insignificance? Nothingness is not what it seems, because nothing is also everything. I guess you could call me an unconventional Buddhist 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top