NationStates Jolt Archive

I was just watching the Archbishop episode of Blackadder on DVD, and one scene got me thinking. Blackadder as archbishop of Canterbury is talking to a dying man about heaven and hell:

" No, you see, the thing about Heaven, is that Heaven is for people who like the sort of things that go on in Heaven, like, uh, well, singing, talking to God, watering pot plants...

Whereas Hell, on the other hand, is for people who like the other sorts of things: adultery, pillage, torture -- those areas."

It's a bit extreme, but it somehow raises a question that always puzzled me. Imagine I absolutely wanted to get into heaven and followed every rule set by the bible to the letter in order to get there, hating every moment of it. Would I not hate heaven as well, as the same rules apply there? Then what would be the point of getting there in the first place? Or would I suddenly be free to do what I always wanted to do, no matter how pervers or cruel? Wouldn't I be much happier in hell?

I was just watching the Archbishop episode of Blackadder on DVD, and one scene got me thinking. Blackadder as archbishop of Canterbury is talking to a dying man about heaven and hell:

" No, you see, the thing about Heaven, is that Heaven is for people who like the sort of things that go on in Heaven, like, uh, well, singing, talking to God, watering pot plants...

Whereas Hell, on the other hand, is for people who like the other sorts of things: adultery, pillage, torture -- those areas."

It's a bit extreme, but it somehow raises a question that always puzzled me. Imagine I absolutely wanted to get into heaven and followed every rule set by the bible to the letter in order to get there, hating every moment of it. Would I not hate heaven as well, as the same rules apply there? Then what would be the point of getting there in the first place? Or would I suddenly be free to do what I always wanted to do, no matter how pervers or cruel? Wouldn't I be much happier in hell?

OMG I was watching that exact same episode of Blackadder on video last night! Freaky...

I don't really have anything intelligent to add at the moment so here's a quote: "Choose Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company."

OMG I was watching that exact same episode of Blackadder on video last night! Freaky...

I don't really have anything intelligent to add at the moment so here's a quote: "Choose Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company."

*lol
It is one of my favourite episodes...

But the question is, is there really a choice? I mean if I hate being good, and will be forced to be good in heaven for all eternity, that sounds more like hell, doesn't it?

my dad went to school with some kids from some uber-weird christian sect... not johos... worse. anyway, every day they would berate him and his friends over lunch about how they were going to heaven and my dad and friends were going to hell for all their transgressions.
after hearing this a little too much, my dad just turned round and said "well heaven is going to be fucking boring if you're the only two there" ;)

i think that applies here... heaven would probably be boring as... well... hell (to use a popular simile). probably no rock music, no porn, no sex (or at least not much and probably not very exciting stuff either), no booze.... i mean, if thats fine for you in life then so be it, you belong in heaven maybe. but for the rest of us - and that hypothetical person who only does the goody-goody stuff to get into heaven - then hell would definatley be more fun (and more of a "paradise" than boring heaven), surely?


of course, we are talking fiction here...

Personally, I find the believe that there's no afterlife of any kind, just blessed nothingness, the most comforting of all. But the question did intrigue me in a hypothtical, philosophical and psychological way.

to quote a famous shock rocker,

"It says right here that you gotta be a Saint to go to heaven, well, the way i see it, you've only gotta be youselves to go to Hell!!"


i'd rather burn for an eternity after living 80years of my life as freely as i can, than serve a tyrannical Authority for all eternity.

I was just watching the Archbishop episode of Blackadder on DVD, and one scene got me thinking. Blackadder as archbishop of Canterbury is talking to a dying man about heaven and hell:

" No, you see, the thing about Heaven, is that Heaven is for people who like the sort of things that go on in Heaven, like, uh, well, singing, talking to God, watering pot plants...

Whereas Hell, on the other hand, is for people who like the other sorts of things: adultery, pillage, torture -- those areas."

It's a bit extreme, but it somehow raises a question that always puzzled me. Imagine I absolutely wanted to get into heaven and followed every rule set by the bible to the letter in order to get there, hating every moment of it. Would I not hate heaven as well, as the same rules apply there? Then what would be the point of getting there in the first place? Or would I suddenly be free to do what I always wanted to do, no matter how pervers or cruel? Wouldn't I be much happier in hell?
as far as i can tell, we will have a different standard of fun after we are dead. none of the sinful things we love now are going to interest us. after all we will be basking in the glow of the presence of god, who needs poker??

in hell, yeah everyone would like to be doing adultery pillage and torture but all they get is brimstone and fire and eternal torment. unless one brings their extreme masochism to the next life, no one is going to enjoy that.

...heaven would probably be boring as... well... hell (to use a popular simile). probably no rock music, no porn, no sex (or at least not much and probably not very exciting stuff either), no booze.... i mean, if thats fine for you in life then so be it, you belong in heaven maybe. but for the rest of us - and that hypothetical person who only does the goody-goody stuff to get into heaven - then hell would definatley be more fun (and more of a "paradise" than boring heaven), surely?


of course, we are talking fiction here...


Unfortunately, as humans we cannot comprehend what heaven will be like. When you think about it, if God is powerful enough to make the universe, then surely he is powerful enough to make heaven.... and to make it kick-ass in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

Oh and by the way, if your idea of 'fun' is limited to rock music, porn, booze and sex then you are living a very very narrowminded life my friend...

as far as i can tell, we will have a different standard of fun after we are dead. none of the sinful things we love now are going to interest us. after all we will be basking in the glow of the presence of god, who needs poker??

in hell, yeah everyone would like to be doing adultery pillage and torture but all they get is brimstone and fire and eternal torment. unless one brings their extreme masochism to the next life, no one is going to enjoy that.

So one doesn't bring one's personality to heaven, only to hell? Sorry, but that doesn't make much sense.

See, the point is, if I don't give a sh*** about the presence of god here, why would I in heaven?

Unfortunately, as humans we cannot comprehend what heaven will be like. When you think about it, if God is powerful enough to make the universe, then surely he is powerful enough to make heaven.... and to make it kick-ass in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

Oh and by the way, if your idea of 'fun' is limited to rock music, porn, booze and sex then you are living a very very narrowminded life my friend...

Personally I have a much broader experience of life, I like listening to metal as well.

So one doesn't bring one's personality to heaven, only to hell? Sorry, but that doesn't make much sense.


Good point.... I wonder if we'll be able to recognise each other?

I think your innermost being is the thing that gets to heaven or hell (soul, if you like), the part of you that has emotions, so I think maybe you will be able to recognise people..

Unfortunately, as humans we cannot comprehend what heaven will be like. When you think about it, if God is powerful enough to make the universe, then surely he is powerful enough to make heaven.... and to make it kick-ass in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

Oh and by the way, if your idea of 'fun' is limited to rock music, porn, booze and sex then you are living a very very narrowminded life my friend...

So, you ar esaying that all the kick-ass things are only forbidden in this life, but they'll be perfectly all right in heaven?
To be honest, rock music, porn, booze and sex are pretty much the most fun things I know of.

So one doesn't bring one's personality to heaven, only to hell? Sorry, but that doesn't make much sense.

See, the point is, if I don't give a sh*** about the presence of god here, why would I in heaven?

Presumably if you don't give a shit about the existance of god then you won't be in heaven?;)

Heaven..?
Which one?
Being crippled and willy being lazy these times I wonder What I could do in a Muslim heaven with 72 virgins...
Anyway I'll never go there coz I never killed an old lady with one kilo of C4 plastic around my head...

(Often you will see C4 molded into a square, but a sphere-type charge guarantees the highest blast)

:eek:

So, you ar esaying that all the kick-ass things are only forbidden in this life, but they'll be perfectly all right in heaven?
To be honest, rock music, porn, booze and sex are pretty much the most fun things I know of.

Oh dear :(

So one doesn't bring one's personality to heaven, only to hell? Sorry, but that doesn't make much sense.

See, the point is, if I don't give a sh*** about the presence of god here, why would I in heaven?
well we dont bring our bodies to heaven now do we? so all of the temptations of the flesh no longer apply

maybe you bring your personality maybe its you but a "better" you. in theory, the new existance of heaven is so overwhelmingly blissful that most (maybe all) of your old pleasures are pale in comparison.

you may have been completely satisfied with your old straw matt but now that you have a sealy posturepedic you will never want to sleep on the straw matt again.

here, you know nothing about what its like to be in the presence of god. why WOULD you give a fuck about it? once you get to heaven, you find out that it is the best of all possible experiences and that it never gets old.

but the biggest point is that there is NO pleasure in hell. there is only torment. sure you might meet up with some old rockers there, but you cant hang out. all you can do is wail and gnash your teeth. there is no down time for jam sessions. you dont get to serve, satan has demons for that. the only thing you get to do is suffer

so even if heaven seems a bit dull, a dull eternity is better than an eternity of torment.

Heaven..?
Which one?
Being crippled and willy being lazy these times I wonder What I could do in a Muslim heaven with 72 virgins...
Anyway I'll never go there coz I never killed an old lady with one kilo of C4 plastic around my head...

(Often you will see C4 molded into a square, but a sphere-type charge guarantees the highest blast)

:eek:
you still have time.

The real question is: Is there a heaven and hell? I find it hard to believe that an all loving, forgiving God could condemn anyone to an eternity of suffering. Christian dogma is full of such contradictions. :headbang:

Hug a Buddhist Today!!!!

Heaven..?
Which one?
Being crippled and willy being lazy these times I wonder What I could do in a Muslim heaven with 72 virgins...
Anyway I'll never go there coz I never killed an old lady with one kilo of C4 plastic around my head...

(Often you will see C4 molded into a square, but a sphere-type charge guarantees the highest blast)

:eek:

Oh,one could take that quite the wrong way,if one was a muslim...:rolleyes:

By the way,one is a muslim.:mp5:

Just joking,of course.

There's only one logical thing to do: live as if there were no heaven or hell, make your own rules and don't let other people tell you what to do!

Unfortunately, as humans we cannot comprehend what heaven will be like. When you think about it, if God is powerful enough to make the universe, then surely he is powerful enough to make heaven.... and to make it kick-ass in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

Oh and by the way, if your idea of 'fun' is limited to rock music, porn, booze and sex then you are living a very very narrowminded life my friend...
well this is a highly subjective issue. for all you know heaven could be a single deckchair in the middle of a small, very crowded field, and you all have to take turns sitting in it.
it is not possible to know nor is it reasonable to assume anything about heaven. the entire debate is moot as there may not even be such a thing as heaven. or god.


however, i was using them as examples of "fun" things in modern life. also, to each his own, so shove it.


if you know me, you know my posts tend not to be overtly serious - i try to make my points without ever straying into the world of serious debate nowadays (enough debate already, thanks)... so take my post with a pinch of salt and a sense of humour

Good point.... I wonder if we'll be able to recognise each other?

I think your innermost being is the thing that gets to heaven or hell (soul, if you like), the part of you that has emotions, so I think maybe you will be able to recognise people..
thats the eternal question now isnt it? its the reason most people go on believing. to know that we will never ever see our beloved dead again is just too hard to bear. as the old hymn asks "will the circle be unbroken by and by, lord, bye and bye?"


Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
I must be strong, and carry on
Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven

i wish i had a link to every Far Side or Calvin and Hobbes i can quote: In this case from the former. "Heaven's got all the dancers, but we've got all the music."

i also wish i could apply my encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Marvel, Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, etc to something more useful.

I was just watching the Archbishop episode of Blackadder on DVD, and one scene got me thinking. Blackadder as archbishop of Canterbury is talking to a dying man about heaven and hell:

" No, you see, the thing about Heaven, is that Heaven is for people who like the sort of things that go on in Heaven, like, uh, well, singing, talking to God, watering pot plants...

Whereas Hell, on the other hand, is for people who like the other sorts of things: adultery, pillage, torture -- those areas."

It's a bit extreme, but it somehow raises a question that always puzzled me. Imagine I absolutely wanted to get into heaven and followed every rule set by the bible to the letter in order to get there, hating every moment of it. Would I not hate heaven as well, as the same rules apply there? Then what would be the point of getting there in the first place? Or would I suddenly be free to do what I always wanted to do, no matter how pervers or cruel? Wouldn't I be much happier in hell?

Don't you think that the heaven and hell as describe in the Bible, Koran and other books is meant to be taken in a non-literal way. Doesn't the description in those Holy Books defy scientific logic; and wouldn't God and the heaven and hell that He intends for us be logical if nothing else

The real question is: Is there a heaven and hell? I find it hard to believe that an all loving, forgiving God could condemn anyone to an eternity of suffering. Christian dogma is full of such contradictions. :headbang:

Hug a Buddhist Today!!!!
no thats not the question. the answer to that is too easy.

NO. there is no god, no heaven, no hell, just this crappy life we get to live one time and better do our best with because we dont get a second chance.

if you know me, you know my posts tend not to be overtly serious - i try to make my points without ever straying into the world of serious debate nowadays (enough debate already, thanks)... so take my post with a pinch of salt and a sense of humour

Alright, calm down.... maybe you should have made that more clear though? Not everyone goes through all the posts you've sent to understand your personality. And by the way, I have a sense of humour, but I didn't think that was funny..

well we dont bring our bodies to heaven now do we? so all of the temptations of the flesh no longer apply

maybe you bring your personality maybe its you but a "better" you. in theory, the new existance of heaven is so overwhelmingly blissful that most (maybe all) of your old pleasures are pale in comparison.

you may have been completely satisfied with your old straw matt but now that you have a sealy posturepedic you will never want to sleep on the straw matt again.

here, you know nothing about what its like to be in the presence of god. why WOULD you give a fuck about it? once you get to heaven, you find out that it is the best of all possible experiences and that it never gets old.

but the biggest point is that there is NO pleasure in hell. there is only torment. sure you might meet up with some old rockers there, but you cant hang out. all you can do is wail and gnash your teeth. there is no down time for jam sessions. you dont get to serve, satan has demons for that. the only thing you get to do is suffer

so even if heaven seems a bit dull, a dull eternity is better than an eternity of torment.

Given that positive emotions are basically chemical processes in our brains, I daresay that we will be neither able to feel joy nor pain, once dead. If we do indeed leave our bodies completely behind.
The assumption that we still will be able to feel those things, though, points to some parts or semblances of our bodily functions remaining. In that case, the "temptations of the flesh" will most likely still be there...

Alright, calm down.... maybe you should have made that more clear though? Not everyone goes through all the posts you've sent to understand your personality. And by the way, I have a sense of humour, but I didn't think that was funny..
fair enough, but it wasn't an issue for other people here because they know me

i just don't like being told whats fun and what isn't

my apologies

no thats not the question. the answer to that is too easy.

NO. there is no god, no heaven, no hell, just this crappy life we get to live one time and better do our best with because we dont get a second chance.
If you really think the answer is that easy, you have never honestly contemplated the question.

Hare Krishna..Hare Rama...Hare, Hare...

If you really think the answer is that easy, you have never honestly contemplated the question.

Hare Krishna..Hare Rama...Hare, Hare...
well arent you full of yourself!

no really, dead is dead. you only get one chance so do your best and dont let fear hold you back, youll only regret it.

no thats not the question. the answer to that is too easy.

NO. there is no god, no heaven, no hell, just this crappy life we get to live one time and better do our best with because we dont get a second chance.

Yours may be a "crappy life", mine on the other hand is filled with wonderous creations and beautiful people. Perhaps you shoul live your life as if "we don't get a second chance"!

THINK LESS, LIVE MORE!

Given that positive emotions are basically chemical processes in our brains, I daresay that we will be neither able to feel joy nor pain, once dead. If we do indeed leave our bodies completely behind.
The assumption that we still will be able to feel those things, though, points to some parts or semblances of our bodily functions remaining. In that case, the "temptations of the flesh" will most likely still be there...
i dunno. certainly many things would have to be utterly different once one no longer has a body to worry about.

its a thorny concept. we KNOW that we dont take any part of our body with us when we die. we have the body that is left behind. nothing is missing. so what is contained in the soul that leaves the body at death?

psychics like sylvia brown and john edwards say that the dead that THEY see are never vengeful or pissed at us for doing them wrong. they are always happy and wish us the best (although i would love to see an episode of john edwards where the spirit asks why the audience member put that pillow over his face or at least tells them where in the back yard he put the can of cash) not that i believe in psychics but its an interesting thought that our pissy relatives who were obsessed over who stole the last donut (max barry reference) now dont care about anything like that. that implies a remaking of the personality.

i dont see how we could possibly fit into a perfect heaven with our imperfect emotions wrecking the place. no one wants to see some perv trying to pick up an archangel at the local pub after he has a few pints too many.

Yours may be a "crappy life", mine on the other hand is filled with wonderous creations and beautiful people. Perhaps you shoul live your life as if "we don't get a second chance"!

THINK LESS, LIVE MORE!
i thought you were a buddhist.

did you miss the part where "life is suffering"?

i dont see how we could possibly fit into a perfect heaven with our imperfect emotions wrecking the place. no one wants to see some perv trying to pick up an archangel at the local pub after he has a few pints too many.

So, either we'll all become complete confomists regarding emotional satisfaction, or else heaven won't work?
Sorry, I still value my idividuality too much, and this place started to sound an awful lot like a Borg Hive right now.

well arent you full of yourself!

no really, dead is dead. you only get one chance so do your best and dont let fear hold you back, youll only regret it.

Full of myself, imagine that! What else could I possibly be full of, aren't we all full of ourselves? How could we be full of someone else?

IT IS A GOOD DAY TO BE ALIVE, ENJOY!

i thought you were a buddhist.

did you miss the part where "life is suffering"?

I don't recall claiming to be a Buddhist, are we jumping to conclusions now?
The goal of Buddhism is transcend suffering, not to create it or experience it.

Hug A Tree Today! ( Do not assume now that I am a tree, please)

I don't recall claiming to be a Buddhist, are we jumping to conclusions now?
The goal of Buddhism is transcend suffering, not to create it or experience it.

Hug A Tree Today! ( Do not assume now that I am a tree, please)
pardon my assumption

yes the goal of buddhism is to transcend suffering. that is because life sucks

i dont see why you would bother challenging the notion that our lives are crappy. sure we can make something good out of them (after a fashion) but there is no escaping the crap....

loved ones die
bad things happen to good people
babies are born with dire defects
you are living right along when WHAM you are diagnosed with ms.
you are trying to do your best but you are surrounded by those who want to stop you because you are the wrong race or ethnicity
your house burns down
you get downsized
your grandmother gets cancer

do i need to go on? there is no life without suffering. why pretend otherwise?

So, either we'll all become complete confomists regarding emotional satisfaction, or else heaven won't work?
Sorry, I still value my idividuality too much, and this place started to sound an awful lot like a Borg Hive right now.
doesnt it though.

but

what IS the soul?

doesnt it though.

but

what IS the soul?

I'm pretty sure that I don't have one, so I'm the wrong person to ask. I do know I've got my individuality, my own concepts, morals and preferences, though, and I'm not willing to give the mup to live together for eternity with a bunch of other drones...

The way I see it, Hell will be indistinguishable from Earth, while Heaven will be an alien monoculture. I choose Hell.

The way I see it, Hell will be indistinguishable from Earth, while Heaven will be an alien monoculture. I choose Hell.
perhaps the secret that we forget when we are born (you know the one that the angel makes us forget by touching our mouth and making that odd mark that is between our nose and lips?) is that this IS hell. we are doomed to live eternity in this place living over and over again suffering in all the various ways that people suffer. we only know the truth when we are in that limbo that exists as we wait for our next incarnation (just to make the suffering that much worse when we arent living through it)

pardon my assumption

yes the goal of buddhism is to transcend suffering. that is because life sucks

i dont see why you would bother challenging the notion that our lives are crappy. sure we can make something good out of them (after a fashion) but there is no escaping the crap....

loved ones die
bad things happen to good people
babies are born with dire defects
you are living right along when WHAM you are diagnosed with ms.
you are trying to do your best but you are surrounded by those who want to stop you because you are the wrong race or ethnicity
your house burns down
you get downsized
your grandmother gets cancer

do i need to go on? there is no life without suffering. why pretend otherwise?

We create our own suffering. To be unattached to the outcome is to transcend suffering. All this "crap" you speak of are ego positionalities. Happiness is found within, seeking happiness outside of ourselves can only lead to suffering. The ego attaches "specialness" to objects, people, that we mistake for happiness, this can only eventually lead to feelings of loss, which in itself is only one of many ways of experiencing suffering. All suffering is delusional and self-created.

Now having said all that I must go on with my day, nice talking with you Ash...

perhaps the secret that we forget when we are born (you know the one that the angel makes us forget by touching our mouth and making that odd mark that is between our nose and lips?) is that this IS hell. we are doomed to live eternity in this place living over and over again suffering in all the various ways that people suffer. we only know the truth when we are in that limbo that exists as we wait for our next incarnation (just to make the suffering that much worse when we arent living through it)
Oh joy. Never mind then, eh. This must be one of my less unpleasant assignments.

I think if you looked at the Christian interpretation of hell you'd be really stupid to say that hell is a place you'd want to go to. Remember... if heaven is beyond our comprehension, then hell is too. Eternal torment? No thanks.

Being a christian and living in England, I don't know much about what other religions say when you die. That's not because I'm ignorant, by the way.

I'm pretty sure that I don't have one, so I'm the wrong person to ask. I do know I've got my individuality, my own concepts, morals and preferences, though, and I'm not willing to give the mup to live together for eternity with a bunch of other drones...
in theory you dont get a choice. its either eternal bliss or eternal torment.

on the good side, one of the mystic nuns of the middle ages (i always think its st claire but im probably wrong) asked god for 3 boons. to suffer an illness that almost killed her but she survive it, to suffer as those who watched jesus die suffered (to suffer as jesus did was too prideful) and to suffer as those in hell suffer (those mystic nuns of the middle ages sure were into suffering)

she got her boons. she almost died. she had a vision of the suffering of the disciples and mary. but when she was to suffer as those in hell suffer, she found out that there is NO ONE in hell. it was empty. it turns out that in god all things are possible and all people are eventually redeemed.

Oh dear :(
Good afternoon,
In that case should we say hell betweens to heavens??
Because dispiting freedom with real illusions couldn't manage in a compulsory way...
But recognzing you're right enjoying life.
Amically.

Personally, I think Heaven sounds kinda nice whatever you're into. I think its probably tailored to everyone's individual likes and interests times a squillion.

Hell just sounds painful, something i'm none to fond of.

We create our own suffering. To be unattached to the outcome is to transcend suffering. All this "crap" you speak of are ego positionalities. Happiness is found within, seeking happiness outside of ourselves can only lead to suffering. The ego attaches "specialness" to objects, people, that we mistake for happiness, this can only eventually lead to feelings of loss, which in itself is only one of many ways of experiencing suffering. All suffering is delusional and self-created.

Now having said all that I must go on with my day, nice talking with you Ash...
id rather not be the person who feels nothing the day her mother dies. to not suffer is to not be human.

have a good day. i hope the weather is nice where you are. bad weather on the weekend sucks.

perhaps the secret that we forget when we are born (you know the one that the angel makes us forget by touching our mouth and making that odd mark that is between our nose and lips?) is that this IS hell. we are doomed to live eternity in this place living over and over again suffering in all the various ways that people suffer. we only know the truth when we are in that limbo that exists as we wait for our next incarnation (just to make the suffering that much worse when we arent living through it)
thats so goth. *cries*

or maybe its emo. ;)


either way, there's some truth in it (not to belittle your point) but a little existential for me right now...

...(to suffer as jesus did was too prideful)

Sorry if I'm reading this wrong.... are you saying being tortured & crucified for doing nothing wrong is too prideful?

Oh joy. Never mind then, eh. This must be one of my less unpleasant assignments.
theres always next time....


im glad i dont believe in what a wrote. what a depressing truth that would be.

yes the goal of buddhism is to transcend suffering. that is because life sucks

i dont see why you would bother challenging the notion that our lives are crappy. sure we can make something good out of them (after a fashion) but there is no escaping the crap....
Buddha was a whining ponce who spent the beggining of his life sheltered from reality. Later on, when he realized that the real world isn't all beautiful wives and cupcakes, he decided that everything was horrible and became the first man to "go goth."

That said, Hell is supposed to be horrible because it is filled with all the bad people. Now, you may think (in your selective view) that such will be fun, because you get to hang out with all the cool people. However, you also get to spend eternity with Jeffrey Dahmer, the BTK guy, Hitler, Stalin, Attila the Hun, and those old ladies who go to the Express line when they obviously have more than 12 items. What the fuck is wrong with you, you old bag! Those 15 tins of cat food are clearly not 1 item, and you damn well know it.
But, I digress. Hell sucks because you have all the problems of real life (remember your crappy boss? The woman in the express lane? They're coming with you) without any good people, divine intervention, or laws to help you keep safe. And, since your already dead, you can't die again, so no mercy on that front.

Sorry if I'm reading this wrong.... are you saying being tortured & crucified for doing nothing wrong is too prideful?
noooo to compare yourself to jesus is too prideful. to think that you COULD suffer the way he did is too prideful.

its a nun thing eh?

Buddha was a whining ponce who spent the beggining of his life sheltered from reality. Later on, when he realized that the real world isn't all beautiful wives and cupcakes, he decided that everything was horrible and became the first man to "go goth."

That said, Hell is supposed to be horrible because it is filled with all the bad people. Now, you may think (in your selective view) that such will be fun, because you get to hang out with all the cool people. However, you also get to spend eternity with Jeffrey Dahmer, the BTK guy, Hitler, Stalin, Attila the Hun, and those old ladies who go to the Express line when they obviously have more than 12 items. What the fuck is wrong with you, you old bag! Those 15 tins of cat food are clearly not 1 item, and you damn well know it.
But, I digress. Hell sucks because you have all the problems of real life (remember your crappy boss? The woman in the express lane? They're coming with you) without any good people, divine intervention, or laws to help you keep safe. And, since your already dead, you can't die again, so no mercy on that front.
*shudder* eternity with line cutters! id never get my daily drop of water!

noooo to compare yourself to jesus is too prideful. to think that you COULD suffer the way he did is too prideful.

its a nun thing eh?


Ah.... my bad ;) Sorry!

I think if you looked at the Christian interpretation of hell you'd be really stupid to say that hell is a place you'd want to go to.
Christians can't even agree on what it is like. I have spoken to some who insist it really is lakes of molten sulphur and red illumination from all the molten lava, and demons will whip you with spiked chains while you break rocks or something. I have also spoken to some who say Hell is merely an absence of god's company. Which not only doesn't sound so bad, it actually sounds pretty attractive, considering what a sociopath he is. So I'm not worried about it. Hell is a positive choice. ;)

Christians can't even agree on what it is like. I have spoken to some who insist it really is lakes of molten sulphur and red illumination from all the molten lava, and demons will whip you with spiked chains while you break rocks or something. I have also spoken to some who say Hell is merely an absence of god's company. Which not only doesn't sound so bad, it actually sounds pretty attractive, considering what a sociopath he is. So I'm not worried about it. Hell is a positive choice. ;)

The thing of it is that the Bible isn't increadibly specific on what exactly happens in hell, generally, it is made out to be extremely unpleasant, with a great deal of fire, darkness, (Yes, fire can be dark, why not?) crying from pain, gnashing of teeth, etc. etc., It seems to me unlikely that it was created for gratification of desire.

The thing of it is that the Bible isn't increadibly specific on what exactly happens in hell, generally, it is made out to be extremely unpleasant, with a great deal of fire, darkness, (Yes, fire can be dark, why not?) crying from pain, gnashing of teeth, etc. etc., It seems to me unlikely that it was created for gratification of desire.
depends how kinky you are ;)

Oh dear :(
Actually he's right-they are the best things to do...and rugby.

I was just watching the Archbishop episode of Blackadder on DVD, and one scene got me thinking. Blackadder as archbishop of Canterbury is talking to a dying man about heaven and hell:

" No, you see, the thing about Heaven, is that Heaven is for people who like the sort of things that go on in Heaven, like, uh, well, singing, talking to God, watering pot plants...

Whereas Hell, on the other hand, is for people who like the other sorts of things: adultery, pillage, torture -- those areas."

It's a bit extreme, but it somehow raises a question that always puzzled me. Imagine I absolutely wanted to get into heaven and followed every rule set by the bible to the letter in order to get there, hating every moment of it. Would I not hate heaven as well, as the same rules apply there? Then what would be the point of getting there in the first place? Or would I suddenly be free to do what I always wanted to do, no matter how pervers or cruel? Wouldn't I be much happier in hell?
That's always been pretty much my feeling on the subject. If Heaven exists, and if it is the way many Christians describe it to me, then being in Heaven for the rest of eternity would be a punishment beyond words. Not to mention that I would have to be surrounded by the kind of people who believe in that nonsense...yuck. Better a lake of fire than an ocean of superstitious twits.