Does anyone have any advice in terms of getting over the fear of hell?

[searchingforpeace]

I would be ready to go if it were not For this. The idea of this life being is horrible as it is and then facing something a million times worse with no escape for ever terrifies me beyond comprehension. Has anyone found a way to rectify this?

 

[MyChoiceAlone]

why would you believe in such a place? it serves no purpose.

 

[LifeIsCrazyNemb]

I would be ready to go if it were not For this. The idea of this life being is horrible as it is and then facing something a million times worse with no escape for ever terrifies me beyond comprehension. Has anyone found a way to rectify this?

There is no hell, its an invention/fiction/mysticism. I highly recommend you to read 2 books that will help cope with that: The demon haunted world by Carl Sagan / The Selfish gene by Richard Dawkson.

 

[tbroken]

I don't think you should be worried about it, maybe you could go in coma and have nightmares, but i'm not even sure of this.

 

[lifewasawillowtv]

I had a similar issue. You get to a point where you just don't care. Once you've crossed that line it's just apathy.

 

[Darkover]

look at it this way you're already in hell if the universe can bring you back alive after you die you'd be straight back into this hell where anything can happen to you, born into any machine in any circumstance that is possible within the universe

 

[Praestat_Mori]

I assume, when you believe in hell you also believe in god or a similar higher being that judges you after death.

If an almighty, all-merciful, all-forgiving god created you, making your life on earth a hell and forces you indirectly to commit suicide which this god considers a sin to punish you afterwards in hell forever then this is truly a sadistic god.

It's not logic to be punished in hell when hell is already on earth.

This is my personal opinion.

 

[Homo erectus]

I would be ready to go if it were not For this. The idea of this life being is horrible as it is and then facing something a million times worse with no escape for ever terrifies me beyond comprehension. Has anyone found a way to rectify this?

Maybe we are already in hell. I don't know why the universe would want to punish people by sending them to hell. Only humans have this hellish idea.

 

[sserafim]

Maybe we are already in hell. I don't know why the universe would want to punish people by sending them to hell. Only humans have this hellish idea.

This is what I believe as well.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I once saw a really good YouTube video- which I haven't been able to find since, that explained that the concept of hell in the Christian religion came about at a very specific time...

Back in the day, the poor peasants working in the fields would be told that their reward would come in heaven. So- some decided to expediate the process and kill themselves. Why suffer doing back breaking work when elysium waits? Supposedly- it was at this point that the idea of suicides going to hell became prominant. The rich arseholes- including the clergy couldn't afford to keep losing their workforce so now- suicide was an option with utterly horrific consequences.

I really wish I could find more to back this up. Now and again I search but, draw a blank. Maybe someone else will have heard of this theory though and be able to flesh it out...

But in general- I'd just say- look at religion. Look at how closely it mirrors civil law. Do you suppose that's an accident? I'd say- likely not. Laws were presumably introduced to try and curb some of our more animalistic behaviours- stealing from one another- both money and spouses! Killing people that get in your way. Acting for personal gain all the time. Think about who those laws protect the most- the rich of course. Who's more likely to steal? Someone poor and starving or, someone rich who can make their money without risk?

Our religious texts were written (something like 40 years after Christ's death in the case of the first gospel) by people who could (obviously) read and write. How many poor folk do you think could read and write in those days? These people were obviously rich and powerful. Why shouldn't they have written these texts with a few things added in to help them out?

It's terribly compelling isn't it? If you're not willing to obey the laws of the land. If prison doesn't frighten you then, how about hell? It's a bloody good deterrent!

On a personal note, I'd like to add that I have doubts too though. I was brought up in a household which believed in God and heaven loosely at least. Then later, someone who did believe in hell and that suicides go there! So, I do sypathise how hard it is to shake those fears entirely.

Really though- it's not exactly a comforting thought but, I also feel like- God already hates me! God already knows what I think of them and I'm sure that alone is enough to be sent to hell. God seems to like devoted fans rather than people who question everything about them and their actions. So, quite frankly- if there is a God, I'm already screwed! Plus- honestly- I don't want to live in another place they had a hand in creating. I don't fancy going to heaven forever either- although, it would be nice to see my family again.

 

[MyChoiceAlone]

also remember that you won't have a physical form to torture.

 

[FuneralCry]

I see this world as being only hell with religion being completely fictional, it's just a way to brainwash people. I believe death to simply be the absence of everything, nothing more than an dreamless, eternal sleep where all is forgotten about. All I fear is existing in this evil, repulsive world that is filled with endless suffering, ceasing to exist is what comforts me instead.

 

[sserafim]

also remember that you won't have a physical form to torture.

Wdym by that?

 

[MyChoiceAlone]

meaning, your body is here on earth. either cremated or buried.

 

[DandiFynalicious]

I used to think I would go to Hell but I don't think there is anything after we die anymore. I have no evidence to convince me a consciousness can exist without some form of physical brain be it electronic or biological.

The religions of the world are contradictory and none have met their burden of proof anyway.

I could totally see any god that would make a world like this creating a place like Hell though. Seems pretty on brand.

 

[isthisit?]

I went to a christian private school and we we had a kinda philosophy class and in that class we made presentations and argued about faith and religion. I got the subject of hell and heaved, do they exist, why, why not. I concluded with hell breaks christianity because hell couldnt exist because if god is all good then how can he make something bad, that must mean god isnt perfect and if god isnt perfect than wouldnt the bible be wrong and if the bible is wrong than christianity cant be true. There just isnt a good reason to believe in any faith.

 

[InAgony]

I have the same exact fears as you, although I have got to the stage at times where I'd kill myself regardless because I'm in such a desperate state, but then I can't seem to overcome other fears - pain of dying, not succeeding and having health complications as a result I.e. making life even worse than it is.

I really feel for you on this, because I know what the contemplation of eternal extreme suffering is like when you are also suffering so badly in life. I wish there was an easy answer.

 

[Rational man]

Presumably a

I would be ready to go if it were not For this. The idea of this life being is horrible as it is and then facing something a million times worse with no escape for ever terrifies me beyond comprehension. Has anyone found a way to rectify this?

Presumably a place created by humankind by their gods. Looks like this place called hell is full, judging by the hell here on Earth, created by human's.

 

[Circles]

Listen, if a god or whatever higher power there is or not who decided to create life without all of our consent and thinks it's okay and decides to send any living being to hell who wants to escape from life that's full of senseless suffering that they created or allowed to exist then God or whatever isn't someone who I would want to spend an eternity with.

 

[KANCEL]

Any being that would create a place of eternal torture, for any creature, no matter what the crime, is NOT worthy of worship.
If there was a God, it would see my middle finger as it sent me to Hell!
Only way my knee would bow is if it was cut off

 

[sserafim]

meaning, your body is here on earth. either cremated or buried.

What if you live on though? Does your soul get tortured then?

 

[MyChoiceAlone]

What if you live on though? Does your soul get tortured then?

anything is possible i suppose when you're dealing with the almighty. ok so if there is a hell, heaven must then exist too right? what would you do all day? you'll just go insane with boredom. it all just seems so senseless to me.

 

[ultrasharpy123456]

If hell is real (which it isn't) and God (who doesn't exist) was gonna send you there you can just know that it was meant to be. There was nothing you could have done. To be honest we're already in hell. And hey if you're someone like me you can just know that you deserved to go there.

 

[sserafim]

anything is possible i suppose when you're dealing with the almighty. ok so if there is a hell, heaven must then exist too right? what would you do all day? you'll just go insane with boredom. it all just seems so senseless to me.

Personally, I don't believe in heaven or hell, so idek why I replied to your comment lol. I think that reincarnation is more likely, then the next most likely is permanent non-existence.

 

[searchingforpeace]

thank you so much guys that helps a lot.

 

[MyChoiceAlone]

oh you suck weren't even involved in the conversation. jk

 

[searchingforpeace]

I'm not sure what you want me to say. I was just reading all the comments and taking it in but it was helpful I'm not sure why I had this problem

 

[FrozenPond]

I'm not onboard with too many ideas that originated nearly 5000 years ago. Lots of superstition and misinformation was floating around back then. People didn't start washing their hands to prevent illness until less than 1000 years ago… lots of knuckle dragging going on. Religion, the origin of the concept of hell, is clearly bogus ooga booga bullshit.

 

[Homo erectus]

Is hell a Christian or Buddhist idea, or something else? It seems Dante also talked about many levels of hell. Sometimes I wonder if these religious ideas traced back to the same source and were made popular by some global organization such as the East India Company.

 

[LifeIsCrazyNemb]

Is hell a Christian or Buddhist idea, or something else? It seems Dante also talked about many levels of hell. Sometimes I wonder if these religious ideas traced back to the same source and were made popular by some global organization such as the East India Company.

Hell is an old concept just like GOD. In old Mesopotamia there was a concept of underworld looking like the hell concept.
Nonetheless this idea became stroger and more popular after medieval times and the rise of the church. Dante's masterpiece La Divina Commedia help consolidated this old idea.