Do People Really Worry About Hell?

[_Yoda]

Because I tend to be lazy and never get around to doing things, I knew that I'd be in big trouble. Even though I never drank liquor, coffee or tea, never smoked, and never had premarital sex, etc., I was still never going to be good enough. I was never consistent enough with doing the things we were told to do. We needed to keep a journal, magnify our callings 100%, share the gospel with our friends, have daily scripture study, do our visiting teaching, keep food storage, have daily prayers, and on and on. I knew I fell short, and if anything was going to keep me out of the highest degree of glory, it was going to be the stuff I was too lazy to do.

I didn't it let it bother me too much, but as I looked at myself and the ones I loved, I knew that most of us would fall short, and that we would most likely never make it to the Celestial Kingdom together. It worried me.

I can absolutely relate to this.

This is the one thing I hated about growing up LDS. I used to think that my EV friends had it made. If you were a terrible person (and that meant murdering someone, etc.) then you went to hell. Otherwise, you went to heaven.

With the LDS faith, there are all these degrees, and more chances to feel inadequate and not measure up.

If you fall short, you don't get to be with your family. That, in essence, is your hell.

I used to have nightmares about all of my family and friends "making it" to the Celestial Kingdom, and me being left behind because I just couldn't measure up.

[_truth dancer]

Funny... I never worried about Hell, or OD...

What I DID worry about was the CK.

As a child I thought I would be alone without my family... my father was not a member so I would not be with my parents or siblings or anyone.

Then as I grew older I KNEW it was not for me... the idea of being a queen, priestess, polygamous wife and having never ending spirit children, having 1/3 of these children sent off to OD, putting the rest through this horrible test... all of it, ALL OF IT, just felt so awful.

I had a lot of fear and sorrow, and pain associated with the whole thing... I mean what is there to look forward to if the highest glory in heaven is my biggest nightmarish Hell? And what does it say about God?

~dancer~

[_barrelomonkeys]

I think you will find that for those of us who really truly believe(d) our religion, the idea of heaven (or 3 degrees of glory) and hell (or outer darkness) was very real.

Yes, there was a lot of time spent feeling guilty. A LOT.

Constant worry, if only in the back of the mind.

Also, it was not just the sins of commission that I worried about, but the sins of omission, too.

Because I tend to be lazy and never get around to doing things, I knew that I'd be in big trouble. Even though I never drank liquor, coffee or tea, never smoked, and never had premarital sex, etc., I was still never going to be good enough. I was never consistent enough with doing the things we were told to do. We needed to keep a journal, magnify our callings 100%, share the gospel with our friends, have daily scripture study, do our visiting teaching, keep food storage, have daily prayers, and on and on. I knew I fell short, and if anything was going to keep me out of the highest degree of glory, it was going to be the stuff I was too lazy to do.

I didn't it let it bother me too much, but as I looked at myself and the ones I loved, I knew that most of us would fall short, and that we would most likely never make it to the Celestial Kingdom together. It worried me.

I'm so sorry Always Thinking! That seems like it would be a horrid way to live! I embrace my laziness often. I think of it as one of my better traits. ;)

[_barrelomonkeys]

I think the LDS belief of it being nearly impossible to reach "hell" is rather comforting. I had a boyfriend (who left the church) tell me hey, if I'm only good enough for the Telestial Kingdom it's still better than here and I think here is great!

I find the belief that all sins are equal too large to even get my brain around. Not all Christians believe this way but some do. They say yeah, I said "oh my God" and I'm just as bad as a murderer, although I'm saved through Jesus.

I also think religion allows us (in many cases) to think of hell as a place where all the people WE hate are. Sometimes I do wish there were a hell for people like Hitler and others who really have no conscience. I wish they would suffer forever for their actions.

From my previous LDS life I remember practically killing myself with my efforts to be good enough. Ironically I don't ever remember feeling I was Celestial material. I guess I felt I was flawed and lacking in my deepest self and no amount of scripture reading or praying was going to make up for it.

Mishmagnet I too can't wrap my mind about the idea that all sins are equal. That seems absurd to me that saying "god sux" is akin to mass murder. Just really off in some way!!

Sorry to you too about your guilt and feelings of being flawed. Do you still carry that bit of conditioning about with you? Still striving to be better because of the Church's influence? Do you think you took anything positive away from it?

[_barrelomonkeys]

Liz and truth dancer I know my step-son (so sad I'll be losing him soon as a step-son :( ) was very concerned that he wouldn't be with his father in heaven. That appears to be such a cruel thing to teach children.

Trinity, I'm with ya on motherhood = hell. Especially middle of the night no sleep vomit type of motherhood.

[_MishMagnet]

Well, I do tend to be perfectionistic and a black and white thinker. At this stage I don't know if it's just my personality or if it's church influence. I no longer feel deeply flawed. I suppose I've met enough people to know we are all dealing with the cards we've been dealt. We all have our stories, circumstances, strengths and weaknesses. When I left the church I did find the self-esteem which had always eluded me and rather quickly at that. The self-esteem (in my case) came from having to make my own decisions and from being forced into self-reliance.

I dunno.

Positive things - I've never cared much for money. I mean, everyone likes money and probably wants more money however the things that are important to me are people and experiences - not things. I do feel this is due to my upbringing in the church.

[_Sethbag]

These people sure do worry about Hell. If you've watched the Richard Dawkins "Root of All Evil?" show that they did for British TV, you've seen his interview with the guy who runs one of these Hell Houses. It's pretty scary stuff. Not the hell part, but that they would subject young kids to this crap and scare the poo out of them to make them fear and hate gays and anyone else who runs into their agenda.

Richard Dawkins, in that TV piece, interviewed a lady who is a psychologist who helps people overcome their religious fears as they leave strong mind-controlling cults, and she herself choked up when asked about her childhood fear of Hell. She'd grown up in a cult herself which had a very strong belief in Hell and which scared the crap out of her when she was young, and now she's in her 50s or 60s and it still can choke her up just thinking about it.

[_The Nehor]

I don't think the threat of hell works on people who don't love God.

Separation from the being I love most and strive to emulate scares me. Being told I can not only share in his presence but become like him is joyous. I think that's a healthy desire for heaven and a healthy fear of hell. People who are just afraid of the torment of hell and are haunted by it in my experience develop a nasty persecution complex and live their life in fear.

The concept of sin is the same way. When it means a few points off the scoreboard and a re-evaluation of your odds of making it into heaven it is vulgar. If it is recognized as a betrayal and wound to who you love it is cast in different terms.

[_Always Thinking]

I don't think the threat of hell works on people who don't love God.

Maybe it should read: I don't think the threat of hell works on people who don't believe in God.
True.

Separation from the being I love most and strive to emulate scares me.

Sounds familiar...

Being told I can not only share in his presence but become like him is joyous. I think that's a healthy desire for heaven and a healthy fear of hell. People who are just afraid of the torment of hell and are haunted by it in my experience develop a nasty persecution complex and live their life in fear.

Yeah, it worried me, but I don't think I felt haunted by it, or developed a nasty persecution complex. But now that my views have changed, the worry is gone. I didn't feel like I lived in fear. I felt a lot like you, just a "healthy" fear of hell. Thing is, I'm just not so sure anymore that it is healthy.

The concept of sin is the same way. When it means a few points off the scoreboard and a re-evaluation of your odds of making it into heaven it is vulgar. If it is recognized as a betrayal and wound to who you love it is cast in different terms.

I'm not sure what you are trying to say with this last paragraph. Can you clarify?

[_The Nehor]

I don't think the threat of hell works on people who don't love God.

Maybe it should read: I don't think the threat of hell works on people who don't believe in God.
True.

Separation from the being I love most and strive to emulate scares me.

Sounds familiar...

Being told I can not only share in his presence but become like him is joyous. I think that's a healthy desire for heaven and a healthy fear of hell. People who are just afraid of the torment of hell and are haunted by it in my experience develop a nasty persecution complex and live their life in fear.

Yeah, it worried me, but I don't think I felt haunted by it, or developed a nasty persecution complex. But now that my views have changed, the worry is gone. I didn't feel like I lived in fear. I felt a lot like you, just a "healthy" fear of hell. Thing is, I'm just not so sure anymore that it is healthy.

The concept of sin is the same way. When it means a few points off the scoreboard and a re-evaluation of your odds of making it into heaven it is vulgar. If it is recognized as a betrayal and wound to who you love it is cast in different terms.

I'm not sure what you are trying to say with this last paragraph. Can you clarify?

I agree the threat of hell has even less effect on someone who doesn't believe in God. I think it just has a very bad effect on those who believe in God and factor him in as a reality but do not hold strong feelings for him.

Sorry I was unclear. I am saying that the concept of sin is ridiculous to one who does not believe and tends to have a bad effect on those who believe in God but do not care for him.