Sometimes I wonder if I’m living it: hell on earth. Other times, I feel like God’s on my side. Some say that hell is a compilation of depression, anxiety, anger, pride, lust and pain. Doesn’t that fit the description of life here on earth? We all go through depressive states, anxiety of different forms, and other things that we can all relate to. There are people who believe that life here on earth is hell. Of course this goes against what I believe in, however, I feel that evil is much more prominent than 'good' here on earth. There are many people who insist that there can’t possibly be a God with all these bad things happening in our world. I can see their why they think that, but I also know what I feel to be true.Enslavement to sin: human nature and human desires. How do we manage to be perfect? Perfection is only seen in Christ, Jesus. We can’t possibly live up to His perfection, however they do tell us that we can try to be more like him the best we can. How do we know when we’re doing “enough”? Whose idea on “enough”…is enough? Who can judge what is “enough”? Each person holds their own cross to bear; their own favorite deadly sin. Pick one, pick two, pick all seven of them if you want. Aren’t there more sins then just the seven deadly ones? The Ten Commandments are to be kept and followed too. Then you have all of the ‘in between’ types of sins. The 'gray area' sins. So many sins, so little time here on earth.
If we were baptized from the original sin and believe that Christ died for all of our past and present sins, then aren’t we forgiven for everything? If we don’t have “evil intentions” with an evil heart, then are we even sinning at all if it’s all out of human nature? I sometimes write about how some people take for granted the death of Jesus and what it stood for. For instance, if we fully believe that Jesus died up on the cross, then why do some Christians feel that the old law still exists? It was abolished when Christ died up on the cross, as it says so in the bible.
Back to my main question: are we choosing to live in a temporary hell, just because some Christians make other people feel guilty about being human? Or do you feel that our human nature- our animalistic instincts, even if we love God, will still validate our ticket into eternal damnation?

29 comments:
UN CARO SALUTO DALL'ITALIA
E BUON NATALE ...LINA
didn't god plan everything out beforehand? so it doesn't matter what you do, it is already predetermined whether you are going to haven or hell.. at least that's what a calvinist would say...i think
I guess life really is what you make it. You can think that things are so bad and be feeling like you are in hell on earth but there is always someone who is less fortunate than you are. When you live by the Lords word and have faith in him and his powers then everything will be okay. Things will iron themselves out and the outcome will be very good. People will choose how they are going to live their lives and must hold no-one else accountable for their actions but themselves.
Clever girl...but I don't believe that even in our worst of times that it compares to the HELL hell will be.
You bring up good points. I am reading Mother Teresa again and I am amazed that she reconciled herself by faith alone to walk in darkness, feeling abandoned or separate from the God she was committed to serve. She is amazing. Despite all she couldn't see and feel in her life, she still trusted God. I would do anything for such faith. How does one get it? I think we often live in the dark night of the soul, along with Job's "yet he slay me I shall praise him." It's tough to be a believer sometimes. I get you, my dear friend.
Deb - You really touched on some pretty profound theological questions there. It goes back to that ancient debate about imparted versus imputed righteousness. Are we made good only through God's Grace (and Jesus' sacrifice). That is, are we simply called righteous even though we know we are not? Or, are we able to at least begin to become truly righteous ourselves through the sanctification process?
I think both.
I just go back and read St. Augustine when a question like this comes up. He talks about it much better than I can. Cheers!!
Even in the darkest of times, I trust in God to help me. And He does.
How can God, how does His best to help us muddle our way thru this life, have final damnation in mind for us, if we TRY to follow His way? I don't buy it. God is merciful and I don't believe He would punish us that way.
Just my thoughts.
I know it’s all been asked before, but it never gets truly answered. I have a friend who practices Judaism, and says that after we pass over, we go through 12 months of hell. I asked him if it was similar to the Catholic way of thinking, in terms of purgatory, and he responded that it stemmed from Judaism first. I thought the afterlife didn’t know ‘time’---and that “time” was much different than what we know here on earth.
So bad or good, do we all go through “purgatory”---a temporary hell? He also said that he believes that earth is hell.
And yes, I do know that things can be worse, but I’m trying to put an example of what I believe the devil throws at us: anxiety, depression, anger, etc. Things that are worse are war, hunger, suffering and diseases.
It’s interesting what people believe and how vast those beliefs are.
Thanks for your response!
I prefer to think the good outweighs the evil. Evil just makes better news stories. Good is boring.
I knew you were a lil' devil Mikster! :D
Growing up a Jehovah's Witness we were taught that hell does exist. What I didn't realize until the age of 30 was that hell is actually being a Jehovah's Witness.
I remember a good friend of mine while growing up, who also was a Jehovah's Witness, wasn't allowed to celebrate her birthday... My family and I didn't know this. So, one day, we gave her a surprise party for her birthday and she cried and said it was the best day of her life because no one ever acknowledged her birthday before. I've always wondered why they didn't celebrate certain occasions...
I don't let others make me feel guilty for things. I use my faith to guide me and heal when I hurt.
Our time on Earth may feel like what we believe hell to be but I would strongly disagree that it actually is hell. Gods spirit is alive in me here on earth right now. If He, through Christ's sacrifice, is a part of me then this couldn't possibly be hell. I don't believe God would choose to have any part of his being as a part of satans realm.
"then why do some Christians feel that the old law still exists? It was abolished when Christ died up on the cross, as it says so in the bible."
Check out Revelation, early chapters, letters to the churches. If the old law were completely abolished and our behavior didn't matter, then there would have been no need to warn the churches, would there?
If you turn to Galatians, as well as other books I could reference, it clearly states the opposite. Will I go to hell if I eat shrimp? Old argument...but new "safety net" which is faith in Christ's death.
Peace. ++
You may reference all you like, but you still have not addressed the point. Hell is about consequences in the next life. The text in Revelation deals with God threatening rebuke and punishment to churches (believers) for their actions in this life, to be carried out in this life and possibly in loss of heavenly rewards. The churches that were not conducting themselves in a Godly way (and what other reference do we have for that other than scriptures) were threatened with action. Another referernce is the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. They were believers. They had every bit as much freedom as you do. They lied about a gift, and God killed them. Salvation saves us from Hell. It does not save us from consequences. Nor does it make sinful activity "not sinful."
We are all sinners, Gary. It's just that you don't have enough faith that Jesus took away all of our sins---so that we wouldn't perish. If you believe, then you are saved... We can't be perfect, but we can strive to be more Christ-like.
Have more faith. :)
"We are all sinners, Gary."
That has always been my contention. My argument with your postings is that you deny your sin, and claim it is no sin at all. Have more faith, and perhaps you will be free of it.
Then I say throw the first stone, Gary.
As we will never agree, because I do not believe that loving someone of the same sex is a sin. It's the promiscuity - the lust that gets every homosexual and heterosexual...yet, we are all saved by the grace of God.
Be at peace with yourself. You seem so tense and uptight. I will pray for you. Once you're at peace with yourself, you'll find that you stop focusing on everybody else's "sins" or what you think is a sin...
Peace! ++
Deb,
If I am not the one at peace, then why is that you are the one that is writing consistently that you feel you are living hell on earth, or that you are unjustly persecuted? The only thing that you have to go on when you say that I am not at peace is that I disagree with you. Has it perhaps occurred to you that you feel so persecuted and in constant need of reassurance because you are not only denying your own sin, but you are promoting it as not a sin? Looking at your writings, I would not be so quick to judge me as the one of us that is lacking in peace. But do pray for me, as I will pray for you.
Gary, if you don't like my writing, I suggest you read someone else's blog that pleases your soul. However, you're always welcomed here.
This post is just a general post about how we all suffer. We all go through life trial's and sometimes it's worse than others.
We are all in this together. I'm not "promoting" sin--it's already promoted and brought to our attention.
Jesus saved us. I totally believe that. There are so many sins, big, small and in between--yet they are all equal. So, how can we live a "perfect" life? We can't. But we can have perfect love with God and know that He has saved us through love.
No,I'm not always at peace with myself, which is why I ask questions. Asking questions and learning about life is a positive thing---I would think.
It seems that you have already received all your answers, so you don't seek anymore understanding. There's so much understanding and direction that we can still use---even if somebody thinks they know it all. They don't. So much more out there Gary.
I promote questions. I promote the love of God and the love for the people in our lives.
I don't tell someone, "Well this is wrong and you should live this kind of life", because it's not my place to do so...
Only God can tell us that. Only God can judge.
And yes, I know this is another thing you will disagree with...but like I said, this isn't the only blog that speaks about God.
You might want to check your options as far as reading goes.
Thanks for your time,
Deb
Deb,
If your site was as you described, I would have moved on. You are not being honest with me, or yourself.
You say "I don't tell someone, "Well this is wrong and you should live this kind of life", because it's not my place to do so... "
But you do. You constantly judge people that disagree with you. Read your writing. Your questions are loaded with judgment. Look at your next post:
"Do you think religious homophobes, the ones who focus so much on homosexuality, are the ones that are repressing their own ‘cross to bear’?"
Even as you ask the question, you frame it in deragotary terms and suggest an answer that fits your mindset. That's not an honest inquiry. That's suggesting that those who oppose you are villains, and inviting the crowd to agree with you.
Look at this post: "are we choosing to live in a temporary hell, just because some Christians make other people feel guilty about being human?"
Again, your question frames a villain of your choosing.
Now, the blog right after this:
"But, when you get somebody of religious standards bashing and mocking the homosexual community, it most likely has everything to do with their insecurity with their own sexuality."
Again, you move immediately away from any substantive arguments that those who disagree with you have. Instead, you make implications on their personal lives. You JUDGE them, which is particularly ironic, considering your next writing is:
"They’re not ‘trying to be more like Jesus’----they’re literally judging one another and throwing stones at everyone who seems to possess their similar qualities."
So I'm afraid you'll pardon me if I say I really don't believe that you are promoting God and God's love. To this observer, it looks like you are promoting judgment of those who disagree with you. I'd be willing to bet if you laid off the hypocrisy in that regard, you would probably not hear from me again.
Well Gary, I respect your views, but then again, you have to also respect mine. I'm a believer in God, and I don't believe that I am promoting sin.
We just disagree. I feel (and this is my own opinion), that people who focus on judging someone constantly have some repressed feelings. In the case of homosexuality, I would definitely think or believe you have some tendencies just by the way you harp on it so much.
I hope this finds closure for you.
First - this has been a very interesting entry to read. Deb always makes me think.
Second - I think that Deb certainly has a perspective that differs from my reading of the scriptures based when it comes to homosexuality.
Third - I shouldn't say too much, because I like to write erotica, and I'm sure that's not going to be read during church services any time soon.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about judgment and repentance and how "The Church", whatever the denomination, should deal with sinners.
Since we are all sinners we all fail to live up to the standards set for us by Christ. The fundamental principles stated in the 10 Commandments, and restated in the 2 great NT commandments (Love God, Love your neighbor) set forth a standard of behavior that is expected of Christ's disciples.
So how do I deal with people around me who are sinners?
I have become much more forgiving as I have seen my own struggles more clearly, but, we can, and must, make decisions about who we associate with. A problem drinker should not hang out in bars, an adulterer should not troll the chat rooms, a shoplifter, should not go shopping alone. In order to stay out of temptation, I must judge who I think is living a life compatible with my goals and avoid those who are not.
I can not judge if a person is worthy and heaven-bound, or heading to hell. All I can do is observe his behavior, offer support in making good decisions, and try to set an example by making good choices myself. So our actions, our behavior, demonstrate our level of commitment to our faith.
As a Christian, I read, I study, and try to understand, and then I invite others to come unto Christ and gain his salvation. The scriptures define what is sinful, and what is not, what is to be sought after, and what is to be avoided. The whole idea of repentance is about making judgment, ridding ourselves of the “bad” and embracing the “good.”
Within my faith community, we have agreed upon a the interpretation of those standards and we ask all who join with us to live by those standards. Those who don’t are making choices to separate themselves from our community, and from our understanding of God’s will. Sometimes that involves a formal disciplinary action and, in extreme cases, administrative separation from the congregation. But any discipline, or counseling, or judgment, must be done out of a pure love and concern for those involved.
If our goal is to bring all men unto Christ, then we must, at times, reprove and correct, and then embrace and fellowship, and support, and love those as they repent (change) and return to righteous behavior.
This is a great topic, but I'm at work, and lunch is over, and i have a million things to do.
My life is full of OCD, Anxiety and Depression. But i can't say whether or not i blame god.
i will leave that decision for my last day on earth
http://dzrbenson.com/blog/
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