Discussion Is anyone else afraid of going to "Hell" or a similar place?

[Apathy79]

I don't think I've been evil enough for that level. But a more difficult reincarnation or perhaps lower astral seems like a possibility worth hedging against as much as possible.

 

[Forveleth]

But the Christian descriptions of hell are extremely terrifying to me even if the chances of it being real are very low. Being burned and tortured in such vicious ways is simply something I don't want to risk.

Remember, religions were made to control people. Some people respond to promises of reward (heaven), some people respond to threats of punishment (hell). They had to make up both to make sure everyone obeyed.

 

[EquinoxAlchemist]

Not really? I mean, I can't imagine what comes after death. Probably you just stop existing and that's about it, I mean there was a time before you so, there will be one after. Never could believe in religion or any of that and there was a time when I tried.

 

[polm]

No I think I've done my time already

 

[cemeteryismyhome]

When I was a Jehovah's Witness I believed if I was bad then I would cease to exist at death, no afterlife at all. If I was good then I would not exist for a while and then later be resurrected in paradise on earth. I'm Catholic now and believe in Heaven and Hell, but, on my way to becoming Catholic I learned that it's not what most people seem to think. The common perceptions even among Catholics ranges from incomplete to completely wrong. People are rejecting caricatures of Church teaching, not what it actually teaches, which is quite deep and profound and interesting. If anyone is still reading: Personally, I don't think Hell could be any worse and I suspect we're already in it right now. It doesn't hold me back. If I end up in Heaven, I will be way out on the far end of the parking lot by myself, watching from afar.

 

[maplefig]

Yes. I had a moment of panic about this a few weeks ago when I was almost certain about my exit plan. If life on earth is already suffering, I'm afraid to find out what kind of place comes afterwards. I have already committed my fair share of 'sins'. I'll be heading there anyway if it exists.

 

[Hotsackage]

The planet, which is beautiful, has been turned into hell, by billionaires, and fraudulent presidents

 

[Galahad]

I'm an atheist but I still fear the idea of hell or that after I die I could end up in a really bad place. I know that after death there is corpse decomposition and it doesn't make sense for us to go somewhere else, so an afterlife can't be real. But the Christian descriptions of hell are extremely terrifying to me even if the chances of it being real are very low. Being burned and tortured in such vicious ways is simply something I don't want to risk.

I'm atheist too but believe when I die the lights will go out so to speak and that's it. I don't believe in any afterlife, I will cease to exist and the world will carry on spinning without me.

We all have our own beliefs but I find mine much more comforting and acceptable than the concept of heaven and hell.

Pragmatically, since there is no deity why should there be an afterlife? It's all a falsehood fed to us by religion.

 

[orcapythia]

I've heard in hell someone who exits themselves may be forced to relive their death forever. This thought holds me back personally because most accessible methods aren't so peaceful.

 

[DTA]

Personally I believe we create our own afterlife. We see what we expect to see.
But if Hell is real, that means God is real. If God created everything then he created Hell. That means it was God's plan right out the gate to torture some of his creations. That's a pretty sick mind there. So if Hell exists then everyone is going there because an eternity in Heaven with such a God IMO is just as bad as the lake of fire. We would only be picking our flavor of Hell!