How many 'believe' because of fear of eternel hell?

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   Baileybearposted 13 years ago

   Doubt I'm going to get honest answers from believers, but...
   
   ...a christian wrote on my ex-christian hub:
   
   “I believe this life is the only one I've got,” but just what if you are wrong? What if there is something after this? Wouldn’t it be better to believe and it turns out not to be true, than to not believe and it turns out that there is a heaven and a hell?
   
   What, fake a belief, just in case hell is real?

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      Woman Of Courageposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Good question, I can give you a honest answer personally from me. I believed in God before I became a christian. I did not become a christian out of the fear of hell. I gave my life to the lord because I felt God's love for me and I wanted to change my life and live according to God's holy word. By reading your post, it seems that the person was in doubt. I have no reason to doubt. I know that God and hell is real. It is not fair for you to assume that everyone believes out of the fear of hell because of your experience. Would you like for someone to slap a false label on you?

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      The Smiling Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      157926966 pretend to believe. That's what my random number generator tells me.
      What a silly question. Why ask questions to which you already know the answer?
      Some feign faith,  some don't care, and some truly believe.

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         Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         but isn't that just being a hypocrite?

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            The Smiling Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            explain

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               Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               feigning faith

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                  The Smiling Manposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  What's there to explain? They're the just in case crowd. Or they pretend because to fit in with their peer.  They're the only ones that know they're being hypocritical.
                  
                  Though fact is, feigning faith is pointless, you have to truly believe. Regardless, these people exist.

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      vox vocisposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You can't fake a belief. God knows your heart better than you do. He created you.

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      AKA Winstonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I made this same wager with Pascal - he lost.

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      well it can't be any crazier than one guy I went to high school with, as he believed in four different religions.  Just in case.

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      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      very thought-provoking read
      
      http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Case-Agains … al-Torment

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   Beelzedadposted 13 years ago

   Pascal's wager. Here's a rebuttal:
   
   "God might reward honest attempted reasoning and punish blind or feigned faith." RD.

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   hanging outposted 13 years ago

   Coming to jesus because a person does not want to go to hell is a wrong motivation. I personally do not believe in a hell of punishment forever and ever, because that does not equate with the love of God which i know to be true. I have to blame Catholicsim for that 'fear doctrine' and so moving back to the question.
   Our eyes have to be on jesus in and for all things, especially his work on the cross. "if ye love me ye will keep my commandments." If we do not find the love of God. "God gave his only son that whosoever believes on him may not perish." we will eventually wither and die spiritually.
   Brotheryochanan has an excellent hub called, why i chose not to believe in hell. An eye opener.
   But if God can find avenues to awaken the believer in His love then the christian has a much much better chance of entering into a relationship with God through christ, a relationship based on love and not fear.

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   libby101aposted 13 years ago

   Since God sees and knows all... if someone believes just in case of hell then God knows their heart and really they have motives and truly do not know God! I would not want to stand before God and him knowing I truly did not believe in my heart, yet my belief was based on fear of a hell. Hell doesn't even equate to the wondrous glory of God. If one truly is a believer in God they do not fear hell whatsoever!
   
   I did not come to God because of any fear of Hell. I came to God because he drew me. I was in the Army when I was overwhelmed with lonliness. And through him I felt comfort! One does not understand unless they've truly felt God draw them. Once I let God in, I found true comfort in talking with him many times a day. I remember looking up into heaven and talking to him as though he was standing in front of me. When the icy rain water poured over my body for hours, I would praise God for his blessings on me. When I was pushed to the limit... I would praise God for his blessings on me...when I had to crawl through snow for hours and couldn't feel my own body I would praise him and somehow found strength through him to keep going and through all that he was right there with me every step of the way!
   
   I always believed there was a God. The fear of hell didn't weigh in my decision to believe!

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   Disappearingheadposted 13 years ago

   The point is that if the majority of Christians were honest, they do believe, certainly initially, out of fear of Hell and not becasue they love Jesus. This is the core message of the pushy evangelist: "You need to believe in Jesus or you are going to Hell."
   
   Love for God prabably does come later, but the initial sale is a get of of Hell free card.

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   PHDundermybeltposted 13 years ago

   I also doubt you will get honest answers. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize many want to ensure their ticket to heaven. And truthfully who can blame them? An eternity in paradise verses a burning hell?? It seems the fear is not in the hell fire and bremstone but the God who can send them there!

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      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I suspect this will be the case - they insist it's love, but it's really fear

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   skypilot888posted 13 years ago

   I left the Roman Catholic Church because of the doctrine of hell
   (I was 19 and just moved out of my parents home). I came back to the Roman Catholic Church 10 years later and enlightened about a whole range of different religions as well as religious experiences. I realized that "God" doesn't send anyone to hell because His Son paid the full price for everyone's sins. Whether, we send ourselves to either heaven or hell because He gave each of us free will and will not force anyone to love Him.
   If anyone truly wants to avoid hell, it is VERY SIMPLE: Truly love God from the depth of your heart (not the mind) and love thy neighbor (for each of us has God in us) as thyself (for you have God in you, as well, so FORGIVE YOURSELF as well as ALL OTHERS and God will be revealed to you! P.S. You know you got it when you feel no condemnation within because of FORGIVENESS ... especially forgiving oneself! Only love ... eternally love!!!

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      Rishy Richposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      When you say: Love God from the depth of the heart (not the mind), what do u specifically mean?
      
      It should be noted that people has lived with artificial heart.
      
      
      & what difference it makes to God when you love him? Why would God, a perfect being above all flaws & needs would want your love? Why would he care for your love?

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         hanging outposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Love is what brings people into relationship. Without love all of Gods ways would just be rules to adhere to. "If ye love me ye will keep my commandments". This is so true and so is the opposite.
         If ye do not love me ye will keep none of my commandments.
         It is so much easier to relate to God when the motivation is love, not fear.
         Love comes from the gratefulness of the heart when we realize how much he has done and how much he is going to do. And love is encouraged because He never lets us down and keeps us in all our ways. We get to put all our burdens and worries upon him and not remember them or be under power of them because He looks after us.
         Its kinda romantic.

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            Rishy Richposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            It would have been better if you at least tried to answer my question. There are people who lived with artificial heart, buddy.
            
            Relationship & love occurs between people & its a thing for people. Why would God care for it? Why it makes a difference to Him? Your post says nothing about that.

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   Old Peteposted 13 years ago

   As a believer (I'm reluctant to use the word Christian) I have never believed in 'hell' in the sense that people see the need for a 'get out of hell free card'.
   I have often wondered how many 'Christian' people, if asked the question, "Are you going to heaven when you die?", would reply along the lines of, "I hope so"
   
   This seems to me to be just one example that has convinced me that there is an enormous difference between the Christian RELIGION and the Christian FAITH!

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      hanging outposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      None of the people you asked were saved and born again. Salvation is immediate. There is no worry about whether we are saved. Its as good as gold. A done deal. Even if we walk away, we can be brought back to christ again the same way as before. If we drop the ball, we need not worry about our salvation, we can come boldly before the throne of grace and ask forgiveness again and He will (as the prodigal son) open his arms.
      Some false religions do not know. My mom has been an anglican all her life, church on sunday, never lies type of woman and yet during my most recent visit there i asked her if she knew she was going to heaven and she said, she didnt know.
      she knows now! Glory to God! Saved by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ!  The purpose of the cross revealed.
        hope that helped

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   Rishy Richposted 13 years ago

   How many 'believe' because of fear of eternal hell?
   
   Answer: All.
   
   However, all believers here will end up in the same Hypocritical answer: 'NO, We Dont", making this thread absolutely useless. What they deny or fail to realize is that their love for God is Totally Conditional in nature & without incentives & reinforcements, this will not last a second. Some believers do it for positive reinforcements (Heaven), while others do it when negative reinforcements are applied (Hell).
   
   A person who does not care for or believe in Heaven & hell, does not need to & will not have to believe in God either because then the believing or not believing in God is not going to make any difference to them.

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      hanging outposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I am quite sure i slip around your definition completely. I think, by reading brotheryochanans hubs he does too.
      Hell is a doctrine that the lid is coming off of. Heaven is a place we are not meant to live in. These are old doctrines.
      These are not essential doctrines anymore.

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         AKA Winstonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         How very odd that the teaching supposedly from Jesus himself is no longer considered "essential doctrine".
         
         "and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"
         
         This is exactly how the urban legend of Christianity has evolved - from an all-Jewish Apolcalyptic message from a Jewish rabbi to and for Jews about a coming kingdom on earth to now simply believing in the fairy tale.

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    skypilot888posted 13 years ago

    From your point of view, Rishy Rich, like John Lennon's "Imagine"?

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    starme77posted 13 years ago

    hell is real .... we're livin in it now ... then .... if we do good we get to go on .... if not .... then we're stuck here forever

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    J.R. Smithposted 13 years ago

    Ok, I'll admit. Before I believed, I feared . I was afraid of Hell,which opened the door to my belief in God.

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