Eastern Orthodox view on Hell

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   Emile Rposted 13 years ago

   All the threads on hell here recently made me wonder what the Christian church actually thinks about the subject. 
   
   I’ll be honest; I’ve always found the Eastern Orthodox church to have the most intelligent take on any Christian subject; so I decided to find out what they think.  It’s pretty cool.
   
   They say, God is everywhere so there can be no separation from God.  So, they figure; everyone spends eternity in God’s presence and it is your spiritual state that creates heaven or hell.
   
   If you love God, being in his presence is heaven.  If you hate him, being in his presence is torment and suffering; or hell.
   
   So presence is punishment or paradise; depending on the individual. Which means Hell is self inflicted for as long as you chose to stay in that state.
   
   I have to say, I adore  this explanation. I’m curious what others think.
   
   How come people in the West that have to believe in God don't take up a philosophy like this one? It's Christian.

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      Aficionadaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't know that this was the Eastern Orthodox take on the subject, but it is an explanation that I had come to independently a few years ago.  I'm sure a lot of my fellow Christians would or will disagree.
      
      It's been ages since I've had any church history classes, but I'm pretty sure that the Eastern Orthodox branch considers itself to be the closest to the original teachings of the early church (not that others would necessarily agree...).  I may have to get out some of my old textbooks to check!
      
      Thank you so much for posting this!

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      Barbara Kayposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The problem with this view is that it isn't Biblical.

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         earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         What is or is not biblical depends on a lot of things apparently.
         The best book to use to support or debunk any scripture is the bible itself.

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         Emile Rposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I think the Eastern orthodox church disagrees with your assessment. Or they said this to pull one of our legs. They always were such kidders.

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   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   A nice idea if left undefined, and a truthful way to see ourselves as well.
   
   We are the sum total of our own thoughts, and we are responsible for our own happiness and well-being.
   
   I don't need to have a god for all that to work pretty well though.
   
   I guess as I love my life and am enjoying it immensely, I have the right non-god.

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   classicalgeekposted 13 years ago

   I'm curious as to your source. I'm Eastern Orthodox, and I think my priest would disagree with you. As far as I can remember we define hell as the absence of the presence of God. We can ask God to leave us, and He will, because we have free will. That is why the parable of the Gergesenes gives the Orthodox such pause.
   
   http://orthodox.net/redeemingthetime/20 … of-god”/

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   Greek Oneposted 13 years ago

   We refer to it as the Greek Orthodox Church (we being Greeks, of course)
   
   Our concept of Hell is much like that of Australia...
   
   down under, very warm, and full of Bee Gees' music

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      Emile Rposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have to say, I don’t like that. I like what I read better.  So, you must not be a ‘true’ Orthodox since you disagree.
      
      But seriously.  Really? I don’t know much about the way the churches are set up.  I thought Greek Orthodox was a denomination in the Eastern Orthodox church. Do you guys all agree on that? I got that information off of Wikipedia. I think they outrule the Pope.  I could be wrong.

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         Greek Oneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Basically the Orthodox and Catholics split up centuries ago because of various issues.. most notably the authority of the Pope.
         
         The are several 'Orthodox' church groups, mostly based on geography and language.
         
         With apologies to Wiki, my understanding is that the Orthodox church's view of Hell is much like the Catholics and Protestants

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            Emile Rposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Darn. Another branch bites the dust.

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               Greek Oneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               we have lovely pastries at our functions

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                  Emile Rposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Oohh. I can see a conversion in my future. Any limit on helpings?

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                     Greek Oneposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     It's all you can eat with the Greeks(or drink with the Russians)

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                  classicalgeekposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  I'm Russian Orthodox. We have vodka at ours.

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                     Emile Rposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I can see my ancestors were born in the wrong hemisphere. I have so got to become Orthodox. You guys are cool.

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