Why I don't fear hell

[_zeezrom]

Any chance that she might be there?

[_Runtu]

This is one complaint from ex-Mos I have never understood. There is no hell in the Mormon universe, at least not one that anyone on this board could get into.

I never feared hell, but I was afraid that I wouldn't make it to the celestial kingdom. The concept of infinite suffering for things you believed or did in a finite mortal life is to me quite unjust, which is why I don't believe in it.

[_Fence Sitter]

I never feared hell, but I was afraid that I wouldn't make it to the celestial kingdom. The concept of infinite suffering for things you believed or did in a finite mortal life is to me quite unjust, which is why I don't believe in it.

Exactly! And, at least in Mormon soteriology, the concept of infinite rewards for a finite mortal life seems as absurd.

[_zeezrom]

I would love to write a story about a boy who found himself among the 1/3 that chose poorly in the pre-existence and ended up in outer darkness.

I would also like to read more fantasy on the subject of adventures in the Telestial kingdom. Anyone know of such literature?

[_Equality]

This is one complaint from ex-Mos I have never understood. There is no hell in the Mormon universe, at least not one that anyone on this board could get into.

Riiiiiight. No hell in the Mormon universe. Let's see:

15 Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit.

And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end.

1 Hearken, O ye people, and open your hearts and give ear from afar; and listen, you that call yourselves the people of the Lord, and hear the word of the Lord and his will concerning you.

2 Yea, verily, I say, hear the word of him whose anger is kindled against the wicked and rebellious;

3 Who willeth to take even them whom he will take, and preserveth in life them whom he will preserve;

4 Who buildeth up at his own will and pleasure; and destroyeth when he pleases, and is able to cast the soul down to hell.

81 And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.

82 These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.

83 These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit.

84 These are they who are thrust down to hell.

85 These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work.

11 And they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted, and their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of the rising sun;

12 And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that he may prove them also and take them in their own craftiness;

13 Also because their hearts are corrupted, and the things which they are willing to bring upon others, and love to have others suffer, may come upon themselves to the very uttermost;

14 That they may be disappointed also, and their hopes may be cut off;

15 And not many years hence, that they and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the wall.

16 Cursed are all those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord, and cry they have sinned when they have not sinned before me, saith the Lord, but have done that which was meet in mine eyes, and which I commanded them.

17 But those who cry transgression do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves.

18 And those who swear falsely against my servants, that they might bring them into bondage and death—

19 Wo unto them; because they have offended my little ones they shall be severed from the ordinances of mine house.

20 Their basket shall not be full, their houses and their barns shall perish, and they themselves shall be despised by those that flattered them.

21 They shall not have right to the priesthood, nor their posterity after them from generation to generation.

22 It had been better for them that a millstone had been hanged about their necks, and they drowned in the depth of the sea.

23 Wo unto all those that discomfort my people, and drive, and murder, and testify against them, saith the Lord of Hosts; a generation of vipers shall not escape the damnation of hell.

18 Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.

21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.

23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

34 Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell.

35 Wo unto the murderer who deliberately killeth, for he shall die.

36 Wo unto them who commit whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell.

And this: http://www.LDS.org/ensign/1986/04/i-have-a-question?lang=eng

There's actually quite a developed doctrine around the concept of hell in Mormonism.

[_Aristotle Smith]

There's actually quite a developed doctrine around the concept of hell in Mormonism.

The Mormon concept of hell is about as clear and as stable as the Mormon concept of God. If you try and make sense out of everything Joseph Smith said or wrote on either subject, you can draw any conclusion you want.

In one sense I can agree with you. The quotes you provided speak about hell as a nasty place that you would definitely want to avoid. But since the doctrine has been so fluid, you can also argue that it's temporary, everyone gets a kingdom of glory, and that the stuff about the eternity of hell is just metaphoric.

The bottom line is that I guess you can make hell whatever the hell you want it to me in Mormonism. I just never was around people who were into the more heavy duty hell, they usually preferred to emphasize that no one stays in spirit prison and that everyone gets a kingdom of glory in the end.

[_Morley]

As a teen working my way through everything Twain, my favorite heaven/hell story was Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven.

[_Tarski]

Here is a definition of hell that really scares me and might be something atheists and agnostics can live with.

Hell is the condition of no longer being alive but having left behind an irrevocable history of shameful actions.

This is scary enough and it doesn't matter that I won't be around as a conscious animal after I die--as a moral person, it still horrifies me. I want to have done right things.

[Guest]

Here is a definition of hell that really scares me and might be something atheists and agnostics can live with.

Hell is the condition of no longer being alive but having left behind an irrevocable history of shameful actions.

This is scary enough and it doesn't matter that I won't be around as a conscious animal after I die--as a moral person, it still horrifies me. I want to have done right things.

I completely agree. I have some regrets that keep me awake at night. It's interesting that few of these regrets parallel those identified by any religion. (Indeed, a few of the most significant of them were caused by my adherence to Mormonism.)

[_Drifting]

I don't fear Hell because I've sat through over 350 Fast & Testimony Meetings.

Seriously though, I don't fear Hell because my kids have forgiven me all my wrongdoings and accept me for who i am, flaws and all. And i them (which was easy because they are perfect). That's way more important to me than worrying about any grudge that God might be holding against me.