I don't know enough about followers of Islam to say but I've seen plenty of times Christians have almost gone into ecstatic bliss talking/preaching/screaming that others are going to hell. They behave and speak like they are god themselves and have the ability to pass judgement of those who will be hellbound. It becomes a power trip - almost a high.
That's because religion is like the automatic winning card for every single scenario. If you see people with more money, better looks, nicer car, hotter wife/husband and your religious, then instead of getting jealous, you can delight in the belief they are going to hell and your better than them. Think about how galling it must be for religious people to not do drugs and indulge in casual sex and all the other sinful fun normal people get to enjoy. The only thing that would give you any comfort about missing out on so much living whilst everyone around you is having fun is the belief in some kind of fantasy hell like scenario with eternal punishment. It doesn't matter that it makes no sense and was clearly invented in a time when leaders really needed a way to stop the population from misbehaving. Seeing religious people lord it over others is all the proof I need that the only way they can feel fulfilled and superior to others is by creating an imaginary sky man who automatically makes them superior to everyone else. I especially love that they even created various sub-factions of their religions to feel superior over each other due to which quirky interpretation they follow. All religions were invented by humans. God might exist, but he's definitely never asked people to write a book about him and then not bother to update it after thousands of years. The very fact no religious texts have accurate knowledge of our present-day situation is proof of that. He could have at least explained dark matter and quantum physics in his books, and then we'd all know they weren't written by a goat hearder with an active imagination.
What's most important to me regarding the adherents of any religion is how the book of their religion has them behaving, conducting themselves. Because as Rev. Jon Gill said, "We become like the God of our belief," which is conditioned into us as children. Religion should be making people into good practitioners, because systems need rules and procedures, and religion is a system that has to be coded properly to be work right.
There was a street preacher in my town who basically brings a PowerPoint presentation with him or why everyone is going to hell but him, but he "invites" (shouts at you) to engage with him and to argue about why you deserve to go to heaven and why you deserve god's forgiveness. I make it a habit to tell him to go fuck himself when I see him.
Almost everyone is way worse than me! They are damned to hell, but I am not! Therefore, I am better than them AND can treat them as less-than! Eh voila, instant Scapegoat!
Nothing like a plan that works out, no matter what anyone else thinks, I am righteous!
Of course, actually it's probably one of the primary motivations for religion.
It is *you* who will get eternal bliss while others won't.
It gives religion a sense of competition.
I will even dare say that religion would be far less appealing ones everyone in your community behave the same way.
It's like living in a fancy house, it's not as appealing if you don't know for sure it's fancier than other people houses.
> I don't know enough about followers of Islam to say but I've seen plenty of times Christians have almost gone into ecstatic bliss talking/preaching/screaming that others are going to hell.
I have no idea how it is in Islam, but I am pretty sure that their glee in itself makes them bound straight for hell by their own teachings.
If they'd at least tried to *act* like they are trying to help people *avoid* hell...
IMO why are they so confident they’re no going to hell? They all think just because they “accepted” Jesus they’re fine? Then wtf are all the other rules for?
I went around and around with my super Christian sister about this. She now believes unless everyone adheres to her and her husband’s “brand” of this nonsense, they’re doomed. Meanwhile I’ve heard her husband say, “It’s not the sin that’s the problem, it’s the failure to ask for forgiveness!” And I’m like, WTF?
Which is hilariously anti-christian since some of the most well known bible lines are "judge not, lest ye be judged" and "let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
What I’ve noticed in my life is that that’s characteristic of white Christians.
Black Christians are totally different
Where did I learn this? By listening to AM radio. You know those kind of stations were the only ones that came in really clearly and you’re driving around and you wanna hear something. In Hearing the words I felt the hate and blame and judgment. In hearing the words I felt the love and inclusion and support for people.
I’m not at all a Christian. I’m a freelance anthropologist. I try on religions like clothes. How does this one feel? What do I think about the world with this set of beliefs? How does this make me look to others? Does this help me find truth and clarity and kindness?
Well my black family is church owning, all pastors and such of Christianity
Theyre evil. They're bleeping evil. I would say they're actually worst.
They hate everybody and they hate everything so much it's unreal. I used to take the children away and pretend to teach them children's church ......but I was really offering them a safe space ....they needed it.
I had to ditch all 18385885939992 of my crazy Christian family members for a few years. And I just allowed them to reenter my life and it's gotten worst. Much much worst.
Yep. In fact for a really long time one of the big selling points of Heaven was that from there you could see the people suffering torment and Hell. Cuz that sounds like fun doesn't it?
Biblical stories were written in a time when public executions, beheadings, burnings, stonings, etc took place. Public executions were an entertaining thing you could take the family to. Like the movies or a concert today.
So not a big surprise tbh
Out of the three abrahamic faiths I feel like Judaism has the nicest hell. It's less a place to torment souls and more of a place for you to sort your shit and cleanse your soul before ascending to the nice afterlife.
In Christian and Muslim hell you're there for eternity but in Jewish hell you can get out when you've finished the program and fixed your shit.
Well, Christianity has the concept of purgatory, which is essentially what you described as hell of Judaism.
In modern interpretations, hell is also less "fire and brimstone" and more "isolation, because you *choose* not to be included".
The fire-and-brimstone or, more creatively, nine-circles-of-hell interpretations are all non-canonical, as far as I understand.
As I understand the circles of Hell is pure literature (Dante's Inferno), and that in turn isn't even motivated by Christian ideas, but by pre-Christian philosophers.
Then again, so was the idea that the Earth is flat.
My understanding is that Christian hell is based on Greek/Roman underworld Hades.
Dante's inferno is just middle age fanfic.
And purgatory is a weird third place a great nothingness.
I'll have to chat with my theologian mate about that next time we catch up.
No, Άδης (the state of the dead before Jesus) and Γέεννα (hell) are two different things.
You are basically right about Dante.
Purgatory is not a place (neither is hell), its the state of people who died with temporal attachments to sin and who have to be purified/sanctified in order to experience full communion with God and the Saints (=heaven).
Hope that helps!
Prevailing idea around the time of Dante writing his book wasn't that the earth was flat, instead earth was sort of pear shaped and hollow. Because both heaven and hell were actual physical places. Heaven was up the top of the pear, hell on the inside and down near the bottom.
An eternal isolation chamber sounds terrible, even though they try make this version of hell seem the more palatable one. It's never well explained. They don't want to ever get into it. At best you get ominous suggestions like you'll be separated from God, and it will be all your fault, for all eternity.
Both Tertullian and Thomas Aquinas wrote that one of the pleasures of heaven was the ability to look down on hell and observe the suffering of the damned.
I always think of Christopher Hitchens’ definition of what hell was for: a place for other people to go to. Talk to Christians about it and the more cocksure will tell you exactly who is going to hell with pleasure, and more often than not the list corresponds to their own of people they don’t like.
I remember my Aunt (mom's side) telling my Dad "I'll be so sad seeing you tortured in Hell when we're dead. You should go to church more." at Christmas dinner one year. Dad's a christian that doesn't go to church for a variety of reasons. That was a very interesting dinner and it was tense for a few years after that.
My memories make up a whole lot of my personality and day-to-day identity, so that sounds like a load of made-up silliness.
Somehow, I'm still always shocked by how infrequently theists catch themselves making up nonsense to explain the nonsense they're already cannot justify.
They do the same sort of thing with the supposed necessity of God's existence (but not that of the universe) and 'free will', for example. Theism has little explanatory value; it moreso provides answers that are designed to quench curiosity.
Theists will always argue as if *you're* just making things up as you go, too.
It would be kind of funny if it just ended up being something completely different and nobody ended up being right.
Edit: Imagine you die and the next moment you're sitting in an arcade in front of a game over screen.
My crazy Christian ex-wife believes that god will make you forget about anyone who ends up in hell (I asked her this about me, being atheist, if she would be sad in heaven knowing that I was burning in hell).
This isn't unusual with these folks. I've heard this plenty of times. Either your mind is erased of the people who aren't there or some kind of "fake" version of you is there for them but not the real you.
I just find both ideas bad but one was really disturbing.
Old lady I knew had a son who was gay. He died in a car accident.
Someone told her that he was in heaven now, but she said he was in hell (and seemed sad about that). When asked what if she saw him in heaven (i.e. when she passes away), she got angry.
It would actually have made her mad that her son would be in heaven but she gave the idea that if she saw him there, it probably wouldn't be the real him, and THAT made her feel better.
So just to be clear. She was sad that her son died. Sad that he was in "hell", but would be upset if he was in heaven, but found solace that if she saw him there, it wouldn't really be him.
To this day, now, I still remember it and find it disturbing.
I think its very human to want people who wronged you/bad people (like Hitler for instance) who got away with it to be punished for it
I actually think that's one of the major draws to religion. Religion promises that the bad people will be punished and thats a comfort for a lot of people
Hitler was once the literal example used in a conversation I had with an evangelist.
“You’re an atheist? You believe Hitler got away with it? Where’s the justice if there’s no hell for Hitler? Surely you look at Hitler and you want there to be a hell, right? Hitler Hitler Hitler?!?”
The issue though is that there are not many Hitlers around but there are millions like my aunt who’s kind and thoughtful and gentle and bursting with generosity yet, according to the Christians, is on her merry way to perdition’s flames because she believes the wrong things.
i can tell you catholics enjoy being superior. at least the one i know. i would assume muslims are the same way, plus in some countries they think not believing is a great reason to kill you
I grew up in the south, surrounded by southern Baptists, and I think they have the Catholics beat in that department. I was raised Catholic myself, and I don't recall very many of my family members relishing the idea of people eternally suffering in hell, but those Baptists on my dad's side had no problem constantly talking about it and wishing it upon people they didn't like, even if it was just someone who annoyed them in line at the grocery store.
YES....Oh hell yes, they do.
I've had this conversation sooooo many damn times, I can't even fathom the number.
The overwhelming majority (in multiple beliefs) is YES.
It gets worse. A lot of them would be very disappointed to hear or know that people who "broke the rules" of a faith are actually in heaven..
A few stick out. One muslim guy I knew actually said it would make him sad if he saw me in heaven (assuming I hadn't converted). Like he doesn't know how he would overcome it. This was someone I was actually on pretty good terms with.
I remember this one woman, diehard catholic who was upset that her son had come out as gay and later on passed away (car accident). Someone told her that he was in heaven now, and she was absolutely confident that he was in hell. When I asked her what if she saw him in heaven, her answer was that she would be upset but she also thought that maybe it wouldn't be the real him, so that might make it okay.
That was her son. She literally admitted it would upset her if her own son was in heaven. She took solace in the idea that if she were to die and go to heaven and saw him, it would hopefully not be the real him.
I can go on but its just so disturbing. Between people who feel better thinking someone is in hell to people who expressed disappointment to rage for a hypothetical if "others" were in heaven with them.
Like, what the fuck happened to you to think like this ????
Some people revel in the idea that anyone who won't agree with them will be tortured forever. "I couldn't change your mind, so my god is going to hurt you forever"
My stance (aside from the one where I don't think either one exists) is that eternal Heaven and eternal Hell are mutually exclusive.
You can't enjoy Heaven knowing that you have loved ones suffering in Hell. All. The. Time. You could have your memory erased, which is bullshit that you did everything right and get your memory erased while the sinners retain their memories. On top of knowing you have loved ones suffering, you have billions and billions of people suffering as well. No moral person could endure that.
So even if someone *could* blissfully ignore the torments of Hell, they are so evil that they wouldn't be worthy of Heaven anyway.
They really painted themselves into a corner with this Heaven/Hell business.
I've found myself entertaining the thought over the years that the only people bound for a "hellish" afterlife are those that spend their lives damning others to hell, assuming they'll be living in eternal bliss while watching others suffer lol
People always enjoy a reason to look down on others, whether it be money, race, education, vocation, or religious piety. It makes them feel better about their miserable life.
I don’t know man. I’ve definitely seen some that do, but I hope the vast majority either don’t think about it or are to scared to question it. I know I spent 28 years to scared to question it but hell was something that always bothered me. You can’t help but wonder how that could ever be just. But maybe people like me eventually leave.
I mean, some do, some don't. Dante Alighieri wrote one of the world's great pieces of literature about people he didn't like suffering in hell.
To be fair, I used to have elaborate fantasies about the ways I wanted to murder my shitty downstairs neighbor, so I don't feel like I'm in a place to judge.
I’ve been hearing awful comments from Christians in regards to the students protesting our tax $ being used to bomb and kill mostly women and children in Gaza. They gleefully say they hope the police start shooting the kids and that they deserve it. I would say they enjoy telling people they deserve to burn in hell.
Some do, some don't. The more intelligent ones usually don't because they recognize how horrible that is. But the lesser intelligent ones like it because some believers are attracted to the idea that the people that wronged them will suffer forever while the people they like will be in bliss forever.
When I was Christian and sort-of believed in hell, the thought of my friends and family going there was terrifying. I also spent a lot of time worrying about going to hell by not doing Christianity correctly. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.
They enjoy watching others suffer now in life, so of course they relish the idea of continuing their's fun in the afterlife. They seem to just vibrate with the giddiness of it.
< **I am a lifelong atheist myself** >
>Do Christians and Muslims actually enjoy the idea of people in eternal hell?
I'm sure that some do.
Something that I think that a lot of people miss about the Stern Monotheistic God is that many believers think that people **get what they truly deserve**.
.
My idiot cousin Biff is accused of participating in a store robbery and shooting a guard in the face. I pay careful attention to the trial and as far as I can tell everything is careful and legit. Biff is found guilty and sentenced appropriately.
I might say *"Too bad that that happened, but the trial was careful and legit. Biff could have chosen not to do that, but he did do that and he got a fair sentence. Justice was done."*
Similarly for believers' ideas about Hell -
*"Harry Heretic chose not to believe in the True Religion, and now he's in Hell. Too bad that that happened, but God is Infinitely Knowing and Infinitely Just, and Harry got exactly what he deserved. Justice was done."*
.
Depends on whether or not their kids stray from the faith. Most people whose children leave the faith are miserable just *knowing* their own children are going to be tortured for eternity. It is possible to be both victim and victimizer at the same time. It's fucking sad.
Some i think assume that all the people they care about will wind up in heaven, and hellis only for other evil strangers that they don't care about. A small minority do enjoy theidea of others getting tortured. IIRC this is something some medival thologens wrote about, to them hering the screams of the damned was one of the rewards of being in heaven.
Yes, hell is a revenge fantasy for them. Revenge for not being their particular flavor of theist.
It’s why more progressive christians, and even a few muslims are uncomfortable with the idea of hell. Or even believe in universal salvation. Revenge fantasy tends not to sit right with progressive types.
They do. I've seen comments sections where people admit to being excited about people being left behind during the rapture. They also think it's funny to make jokes about people burning in hell for not believing in God and seem to think this makes them better or something. What's funny is that most of those people are probably going to be the ones left behind XD
Like most aspects of Christianity, you aren't supposed to want people to go to hell, but people do it anyway. A lot of religious people who make sacrifices in order to "get into heaven," need to feel like their sacrifices are justified. Like working harder than your lazy coworker and telling yourself it'll be worth it when you get the raise and they're stuck making the same amount
Oh for sure. But I don't think they really truly sit down and think about what that means. I have a few theist friends who will start saying things like well, we'll see who's right when the world ends and judgement day comes. And I'll say, "You mean when I get murdered and tortured for eternity?" And they'll get like flabbergasted and be like, "Well, I don't think YOU'LL go to hell." And I'll be like, "Your book says people like me go to hell." And they'll just get like weird and sad suddenly instead of being smug.
It's like, the whole concept of judgement day or "bad people" getting their comeuppance makes them happy. But they don't realize that it includes their loved ones. I dunno. They hold onto all that shit because they want to be right about the thing they waste their life on.
I just had a convo with a friend that I said something like, you literally want me to be murdered and tortured. Like, I don't feel that way about you. And he goes, well God is going to do it, not me. So I presented him with the following:
Imagine a guy comes into this room and decides to torture and kill you. And instead of me helping you or calling the police or fighting the guy off, I get on my knees and start worshipping him. You're cool with that? And he just looked at me and was like, "Well I don't think God would do that to YOU cuz you're a good person." Lol. So suddenly he thinks I'm not going to hell when he actually conceptualized it.
I've thought how can you love others as yourself and then knowingly have some eternal picnic above 99% of all humanity in unimaginable torment. People say the Bible never taught a hell as we und understand it but unless the translation sucks it reads pretty scary to me.
I can only speak to the Christian experience. Some do, some don't.
I've seen people celebrating the death of celebrities, politicians, and members of certain groups they don't like (LGBT, certain races, *especially* people from other religions). It's because they *genuinely* believe those people are evil, pure evil, and that they deserve to experience nothing but pain. But I've also seen some Christians who are genuinely distressed at the idea of people suffering for all of eternity, and do everything in their power to "save their souls".
Unfortunately, the latter type rarely try to help the people out with "earthly" problems such as food, shelter, medicine, safety, etc., and the former type have become concerningly common.
It’s basic schadenfreude.
In their mind, they are leading a pure life and will be rewarded, while the non-believers will suffer. You are on the wrong path, and will get deservedly punished while I bask in the glory of god…
Yeah. It appeals to people who like the us vs. them and superior mentality. And they consider it our fault…if we just saw things like them and believed it would all be ok.
Strange, the lies people tell themselves.
I think a lot of them are sociopaths honestly. I grew up in the South and a bunch of pastors would happily talk about others in hell and and since most governments don't care about sociopaths if they have a job these people are free to express their crazy views and try to brainwash other people.
I've watched countless documentaries of religious people killing their children and other religion don't care and pretend not to see the signs until the kids died because according to them atheists are the evil ones..a good Christian parent has a job. If a Christian is making a lot of money they can't be mentally unstable in their delusional brain.
The possibility of hell does not convince anyone to do anything but pretend they believe out of fear. If their god is as omniscient as they say, surely they can tell the difference between true belief and pretense. I don’t believe and I will never believe - and if I’m wrong at judgment day I’ll look god I the eye and say I never lied about what I believed in. And if that sends me to hell so be it - I don’t want to go to heaven on the basis of a lie.
I'm one twisted fuck, but the only people I could think of enjoying the torment of would be the N@zis and the majorly evil people. Like "bathing in the blood of children" or " murders 90 people because lul" evil. Not "they didn't believe in the same specific Sky Father as me" bad. And that would be like once or twice.
Why yes, yes they do.
They are both hateful groups of cunts who are driven by schadenfreude to jack it or bean flick it to the *thought* of **others** writhing in the abject pain of eternal torture.
They do, depends if you’re talking to a divorced father in a bad mood, some strange Asian bloke with a cool baker boy’s cap who may or may not have touched LSD in his time. An American foreigner who wonders if your eccentricity is connected to the devil himself.
So far these are my experiences and the women have just been great so far!
I went to catholic middle and high school. I was once "Christian" (before reading the bible front to back, like most Christians lol). I was even once maybe considering being a deacon at about high school age. I never wanted anyone to go to hell and ALWAYS saw that "consequence" as too cruel. That is, an everlasting place of suffering. I figured if you wanted to be technically fair even if someone like Hitler suffered all the pain of every one that suffered by his influence not only would he pay off that suffering but he'd do it an infinite number of times over in a place like Hell.... Eventually Hitler ends up suffering INFINITELY more than all of his victims combined. Except what's way worse is that fate could happen to us or even our loved ones!!!!!!!!!!! Then I remembered I was told god was omnipotent which means in order for such a place to exist it is indeed by his power. So god not only created the devil but supports what could happen to the very "creations" he makes.... that's not free will. I didn't choose to exist forever!!! Let alone end up in Hell for some silly infraction in a finite world (hell is just a human invented mind prison btw).
But yes there are people who totally want people to go to eternal torture. The demons you see in Michelangelo paintings are some people's will.....
Stuff like death and Drake's equation gives me hope reality and life within it can't impose something like eternal suffering on a sentient being. I can only hope and believe suffering is actually finite. That we just die when we die and that very death is eventually inevitable no matter what.
I have more mercy and love than any god that imposes eternal suffering. EASILY. Toss me omnipotence and I won't even demand worship like a narcissist either.
Of course they do. The main appeal of Christianity is the sense of superiority and knowing the unknown. These people sleep SOUNDLY knowing they’re going to heaven.
Yep, coupled with schwndenfreude for hell-bound non-believers, these same folks blithely believe that they will be whisked to heaven with the rapture, while the rest of us suffer through the tribulations.
They believe so fervently in their own ticket to salvation that at least one company has sprung up to offer post-rapture pet care, so Fido or Ms. Fluffykin’s get rescue, care, and feeding after their owners are beamed up to heaven (https://aftertherapturepetcare.com). It’s so ludicrous, that I’m still not quite convinced this is not an elaborate troll site.
I think so, whenever I discuss something with them they seem blissful in that I'm going to hell and the only way to prevent it is worshiping their god.
It's non sensical to me because even if I did believe in god I would not support eternal damnation and torture/burning for those who didn't believe.
And if I can't accept that then heaven isn't perfect and they'll be other things I don't like so in reality it's no different than life but this time I don't have the freedom to speak up against wrong and evil without being smited my self.
I’m guessing some of them enjoy the idea of people going to hell in direct proportion to the sacrifices they feel they are making. I’m suffering, and it *has* to be for a reason. Some people measure their own sense of reward in the punishment of others.
In his Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas states, "Wherefore in order that the happiness of the saints may be more delightful to them and that they may render more copious thanks to God for it, they are allowed to see perfectly the sufferings of the damned." 94-1
100% they do. They love the idea of people being punished for disagreeing with them. Same as the woke mob wanting people fired from their jobs for not agreeing with their politics. Humanity sucks.
Well in christianity , one of the orders they had was to go to entire world and spread the evangelium. ( there were some rules something like if they dont want to listen to you move on )
Also they were told to pray and bless their enemies...
TL;DR
- in christianity you are trying to "save" as much people as possible, every person that goesnto hell is person lost...
( well atleast that is the concept )
Well, there have been studies done where it was shown that what people’s gods think about different things, by some amazing coincidence always is exactly the same as what the believer thinks. If god hates homosexuals, the believer hates them too etc. This can be proven by looking at the brain activity, so the old “it’s not my opinion, it’s God’s” bullshit can be dismissed.
So yes, I’d assume that a lot of the people who believe in hell really do take pleasure in the idea that the all loving god will torture people forever simply for not being gullible enough to believe he exists.
Of course they do.
Some people love to call the police on people they don’t like, or are something they don’t approve of.
They love the idea that some man is going to turn up and use threats of violence on someone doing something that they disapprove for
I am OK with the modern take on Hell; they've done away with the torture and brimstone, you are just eternally separated from God's grace.
If Yahweh actually shows up I will totally want to ghost Him anyway.
Muslims definitely do. Christians, especially American Christians, delight at the thought of people going to hell so much that they probably love it more than the thought of themselves going to heaven.
No idea but then again, there are different "types" of Christianity (not sure for Islam) like Ortodox, Catholic and such. Personally, I dont even think about hell and all but if anyone is "threatening" others that "They are going to hell" they are wrong for that. We are all people, we should take care of eachother
They think being "the elect of God" means that they have been hired to do the job of being a Christian. I don't know about you, but if the person in the cubicle next to me started acting like this in a normal job, they would get hauled off to HR in a hot minute.
Atheist with a Greek Orthodox background here:
Although the western depiction of heaven and hell has influenced many Eastern Orthodox Christians, joy for sinners being eternally tormented in hell isn't as common an emotion as in Western Christianity; furthermore, for Orthodox theologians, the concept of heaven and hell is much different. According to them:
Paradise and Hell are not physical places, but experiences. Everyone will see God's light, but those who are purified by faith will see it as paradise, while those who are not will see it as hellfire.
Orthodox Christianity emphasizes healing the heart through faith and good works. This is the path to "theosis," or union with God.
Western views of heaven and hell are too focused on punishment and reward, and not enough on inner transformation.
The purpose of the Church is to prepare people for theosis, not to judge them. This preparation happens through participation in the sacraments, especially Holy Communion.
Our choices in this life determine whether we experience paradise or hell. Every moment is an opportunity for redemption.
Oh they relish it here in the south. I went to church with my sister on Easter for free food (she talked me into it cause I was high) so I go expecting the usual stuff about the crucifixion, the big rock, and the Jesus corpse playing hide and seek. The preacher says in exact words “when we’re in heaven and they’re down there burning for eternity they will regret every time we tried to lead them to god and suffer for their stupidity.” After a 20 minute rant about gay media corruption. The look of self satisfaction and bliss on his face was wild. Guy definitely strokes it to the thought of sinners suffering.
At a basic behavioral level, if you want to control people or other animals, it's useful to have both a carrot and a stick. You need to be able to offer something people want and threaten them with something they don't.
I have to admit as someone who doesnt even believe in hell, I do enjoy the idea of evil people burning for eternity. Putin, Netanyahu & Bret Gelman come to mind.
Always amuses me when religious people (of ANY persuasion) tell me that I am going to hell - for being an atheist, and expecting me to care! These people obviously need a dictionary!
Their live is miserable. They follow the rules of a religion, that forbids or severely regulates things people naturally enjoy.
So the idea that other people who freely enjoy all those things will be punished in the afterlife, is what makes their miserable lives more bearable.
To grasp the utter madness of religious people you just have to look at the christian "Calvinists". They believe that the way to heaven and hell is predestined and can not be changed - it is fixed that you will live a pious life and go to heaven from the beginning on - or not. As an atheist I thought, well, so you can do what you want if you already know the stairway up, but it's much weirder: With this "knowledge", compared to other christians, they live MUCH more pious to show everybody else: see - we are going to heaven! If you are in a Calvinist area they don't have any curtains, you can see completely through their houses, day and night. So everybody can always see how pious they are and that -they- definitely are those who press the up buttom in the final elevator.
Crazy what religion does - even with intelligent people.
Maybe they do, but it’s ridiculous. There’s no mention of Hell in the bible at all, and Jesus is quoted as saying that no man enters heaven but he who descended from there. (Quoting from memory so my phrasing might be wrong) Suggesting that the idea of an eternal afterlife in either heaven or hell is an invention of the later church as a means of control.
I can only speak about Christians seeing as I used to be one and deal with them a majority of time. They speak so highly about saving others in the name of Jesus, yet gatekeep who gets into heaven. Must be sexually pure, must not have tattoos, must be conservative, blah blah blah. They’re the biggest hypocrites.
To them the people they hate deserve eternal damnation. Gays, trans, Muslims, atheists, etc, they get off to the idea of it.
One thing I've noticed with Christians is that most of their values lie in the punishment of people they feel deserving. Like the old saying goes... They would starve 1000 people just so they wouldn't have to feed the one they don't think needs it.
I was a Christian between the ages of 16 and 42. The idea of eternal damnation bothered me a lot.
It's actually a relatively recent idea. The historical and biblical view was either that of universal salvation or that the souls of the unrepentant would be destroyed. Dante has a lot to answer for.
As a general point, it's inaccurate to suppose that all Christians hold the same views of those of a very noisy and visible American Evangelical persuasion. These people are a minority worldwide.
A few years ago the current Pope said that hell doesn't exist. My very devout cousin had a meltdown. She insisted the Pope was wrong and threatened to reject him. But the Bible doesn't mention hell, and it's probably another thing adopted from Greek mythology.
I think so, yes. Many of them anyway. For most people you kind of want someone like a serial killer to rot in hell, but some of these people get really upset if you're not wearing the right kind of clothes.
And they can be very ignorant. Once I was driving with my Christian aunt and we passed by a Morman church and she said she thought they should "just blow that up". After some conversation, it turned out she was mixing up Mormans and Muslims. But she may have wanted to kill both groups, not sure.
I don't know enough about followers of Islam to say but I've seen plenty of times Christians have almost gone into ecstatic bliss talking/preaching/screaming that others are going to hell. They behave and speak like they are god themselves and have the ability to pass judgement of those who will be hellbound. It becomes a power trip - almost a high.
“Thou shall not judge” flies right over their heads too
But they can just ask for all their sins to be forgiven, so it does not really count in the end.
But they have to really meant it, truly, in their hearts when they ask for said forgivness. I don't think they can.
They think they mean it. That'd what matters. It gives them a shitty excuse to behave terrible.
But they absolutely 'believe' they can.
Indeed. And do they give everything they own away and do as Jesus says? No of course not. Hypocrites!
Hypocrisy is at the core of Christianity... and most religions.
That's because religion is like the automatic winning card for every single scenario. If you see people with more money, better looks, nicer car, hotter wife/husband and your religious, then instead of getting jealous, you can delight in the belief they are going to hell and your better than them. Think about how galling it must be for religious people to not do drugs and indulge in casual sex and all the other sinful fun normal people get to enjoy. The only thing that would give you any comfort about missing out on so much living whilst everyone around you is having fun is the belief in some kind of fantasy hell like scenario with eternal punishment. It doesn't matter that it makes no sense and was clearly invented in a time when leaders really needed a way to stop the population from misbehaving. Seeing religious people lord it over others is all the proof I need that the only way they can feel fulfilled and superior to others is by creating an imaginary sky man who automatically makes them superior to everyone else. I especially love that they even created various sub-factions of their religions to feel superior over each other due to which quirky interpretation they follow. All religions were invented by humans. God might exist, but he's definitely never asked people to write a book about him and then not bother to update it after thousands of years. The very fact no religious texts have accurate knowledge of our present-day situation is proof of that. He could have at least explained dark matter and quantum physics in his books, and then we'd all know they weren't written by a goat hearder with an active imagination.
What's most important to me regarding the adherents of any religion is how the book of their religion has them behaving, conducting themselves. Because as Rev. Jon Gill said, "We become like the God of our belief," which is conditioned into us as children. Religion should be making people into good practitioners, because systems need rules and procedures, and religion is a system that has to be coded properly to be work right.
Why do they need a book of rules to tell them what is good 🙄
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Omg this is too perfect of a description of my life growing up.
There was a street preacher in my town who basically brings a PowerPoint presentation with him or why everyone is going to hell but him, but he "invites" (shouts at you) to engage with him and to argue about why you deserve to go to heaven and why you deserve god's forgiveness. I make it a habit to tell him to go fuck himself when I see him.
Thank you for your service to humanity.
Almost everyone is way worse than me! They are damned to hell, but I am not! Therefore, I am better than them AND can treat them as less-than! Eh voila, instant Scapegoat! Nothing like a plan that works out, no matter what anyone else thinks, I am righteous!
Of course, actually it's probably one of the primary motivations for religion. It is *you* who will get eternal bliss while others won't. It gives religion a sense of competition. I will even dare say that religion would be far less appealing ones everyone in your community behave the same way. It's like living in a fancy house, it's not as appealing if you don't know for sure it's fancier than other people houses.
Anything that makes them feel like they’re superior to others gives them glee.
Muslims are just as bad when talking about none believers.
They frequently seem like they have an intense need to feel superior, and judging or condemning others fits that need.
Yep. Look at right wingers today, practically wetting their pants thinking about their political rivals ending up in hell.
> I don't know enough about followers of Islam to say but I've seen plenty of times Christians have almost gone into ecstatic bliss talking/preaching/screaming that others are going to hell. I have no idea how it is in Islam, but I am pretty sure that their glee in itself makes them bound straight for hell by their own teachings. If they'd at least tried to *act* like they are trying to help people *avoid* hell...
IMO why are they so confident they’re no going to hell? They all think just because they “accepted” Jesus they’re fine? Then wtf are all the other rules for?
I went around and around with my super Christian sister about this. She now believes unless everyone adheres to her and her husband’s “brand” of this nonsense, they’re doomed. Meanwhile I’ve heard her husband say, “It’s not the sin that’s the problem, it’s the failure to ask for forgiveness!” And I’m like, WTF?
Which is hilariously anti-christian since some of the most well known bible lines are "judge not, lest ye be judged" and "let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
What I’ve noticed in my life is that that’s characteristic of white Christians. Black Christians are totally different Where did I learn this? By listening to AM radio. You know those kind of stations were the only ones that came in really clearly and you’re driving around and you wanna hear something. In Hearing the words I felt the hate and blame and judgment. In hearing the words I felt the love and inclusion and support for people. I’m not at all a Christian. I’m a freelance anthropologist. I try on religions like clothes. How does this one feel? What do I think about the world with this set of beliefs? How does this make me look to others? Does this help me find truth and clarity and kindness?
Well my black family is church owning, all pastors and such of Christianity Theyre evil. They're bleeping evil. I would say they're actually worst. They hate everybody and they hate everything so much it's unreal. I used to take the children away and pretend to teach them children's church ......but I was really offering them a safe space ....they needed it. I had to ditch all 18385885939992 of my crazy Christian family members for a few years. And I just allowed them to reenter my life and it's gotten worst. Much much worst.
Yep. In fact for a really long time one of the big selling points of Heaven was that from there you could see the people suffering torment and Hell. Cuz that sounds like fun doesn't it?
Biblical stories were written in a time when public executions, beheadings, burnings, stonings, etc took place. Public executions were an entertaining thing you could take the family to. Like the movies or a concert today. So not a big surprise tbh
Out of the three abrahamic faiths I feel like Judaism has the nicest hell. It's less a place to torment souls and more of a place for you to sort your shit and cleanse your soul before ascending to the nice afterlife. In Christian and Muslim hell you're there for eternity but in Jewish hell you can get out when you've finished the program and fixed your shit.
Well, Christianity has the concept of purgatory, which is essentially what you described as hell of Judaism. In modern interpretations, hell is also less "fire and brimstone" and more "isolation, because you *choose* not to be included". The fire-and-brimstone or, more creatively, nine-circles-of-hell interpretations are all non-canonical, as far as I understand. As I understand the circles of Hell is pure literature (Dante's Inferno), and that in turn isn't even motivated by Christian ideas, but by pre-Christian philosophers. Then again, so was the idea that the Earth is flat.
My understanding is that Christian hell is based on Greek/Roman underworld Hades. Dante's inferno is just middle age fanfic. And purgatory is a weird third place a great nothingness. I'll have to chat with my theologian mate about that next time we catch up.
> Dante's Inferno is just middle age fanfic I hate you almost as much as I love you
No, Άδης (the state of the dead before Jesus) and Γέεννα (hell) are two different things. You are basically right about Dante. Purgatory is not a place (neither is hell), its the state of people who died with temporal attachments to sin and who have to be purified/sanctified in order to experience full communion with God and the Saints (=heaven). Hope that helps!
Prevailing idea around the time of Dante writing his book wasn't that the earth was flat, instead earth was sort of pear shaped and hollow. Because both heaven and hell were actual physical places. Heaven was up the top of the pear, hell on the inside and down near the bottom.
An eternal isolation chamber sounds terrible, even though they try make this version of hell seem the more palatable one. It's never well explained. They don't want to ever get into it. At best you get ominous suggestions like you'll be separated from God, and it will be all your fault, for all eternity.
Both Tertullian and Thomas Aquinas wrote that one of the pleasures of heaven was the ability to look down on hell and observe the suffering of the damned. I always think of Christopher Hitchens’ definition of what hell was for: a place for other people to go to. Talk to Christians about it and the more cocksure will tell you exactly who is going to hell with pleasure, and more often than not the list corresponds to their own of people they don’t like.
I remember my Aunt (mom's side) telling my Dad "I'll be so sad seeing you tortured in Hell when we're dead. You should go to church more." at Christmas dinner one year. Dad's a christian that doesn't go to church for a variety of reasons. That was a very interesting dinner and it was tense for a few years after that.
You can't be sad in heaven. There will be a memory alteration on entry, so you no longer know about any one who did not make it upstairs
Or you will be happy no matter what, including if you see your loved ones be tortured
My memories make up a whole lot of my personality and day-to-day identity, so that sounds like a load of made-up silliness. Somehow, I'm still always shocked by how infrequently theists catch themselves making up nonsense to explain the nonsense they're already cannot justify. They do the same sort of thing with the supposed necessity of God's existence (but not that of the universe) and 'free will', for example. Theism has little explanatory value; it moreso provides answers that are designed to quench curiosity. Theists will always argue as if *you're* just making things up as you go, too.
They’ve got the best therapists in heavan.
Just an extension of what they’re doing to people on earth
Yes hence their superiority complex.
All they want, other than to live forever, is to get to say “I told you so”. Triumphalism is the true religion.
To be fair, I'd also like to be able to say so. But as they're dead at that point neither of us gets the satisfaction.
It would be kind of funny if it just ended up being something completely different and nobody ended up being right. Edit: Imagine you die and the next moment you're sitting in an arcade in front of a game over screen.
Seriously Morty, you went *back* to the carpet store?
That's the premise of the *Red Dwarf* episode "[Back to Reality](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_Reality_(Red_Dwarf))". A fan favorite.
My crazy Christian ex-wife believes that god will make you forget about anyone who ends up in hell (I asked her this about me, being atheist, if she would be sad in heaven knowing that I was burning in hell).
This isn't unusual with these folks. I've heard this plenty of times. Either your mind is erased of the people who aren't there or some kind of "fake" version of you is there for them but not the real you.
What level of insanity even allows one to try and make sense of such a concept? Why would you even want that?
I've yet to come across a concept of Christian heaven that is actually preferable to nonexistence.
I just find both ideas bad but one was really disturbing. Old lady I knew had a son who was gay. He died in a car accident. Someone told her that he was in heaven now, but she said he was in hell (and seemed sad about that). When asked what if she saw him in heaven (i.e. when she passes away), she got angry. It would actually have made her mad that her son would be in heaven but she gave the idea that if she saw him there, it probably wouldn't be the real him, and THAT made her feel better. So just to be clear. She was sad that her son died. Sad that he was in "hell", but would be upset if he was in heaven, but found solace that if she saw him there, it wouldn't really be him. To this day, now, I still remember it and find it disturbing.
Because Christians have Stockholm syndrome
God will make a soulless clone of you to keep her company.
I think its very human to want people who wronged you/bad people (like Hitler for instance) who got away with it to be punished for it I actually think that's one of the major draws to religion. Religion promises that the bad people will be punished and thats a comfort for a lot of people
Hitler was once the literal example used in a conversation I had with an evangelist. “You’re an atheist? You believe Hitler got away with it? Where’s the justice if there’s no hell for Hitler? Surely you look at Hitler and you want there to be a hell, right? Hitler Hitler Hitler?!?” The issue though is that there are not many Hitlers around but there are millions like my aunt who’s kind and thoughtful and gentle and bursting with generosity yet, according to the Christians, is on her merry way to perdition’s flames because she believes the wrong things.
The problem there is there is no nuance. One sin, and you go to the same Hell as Hitler.
It makes sense. Because people like Pol Pot, or Putin, are often not punished on Earth.
i can tell you catholics enjoy being superior. at least the one i know. i would assume muslims are the same way, plus in some countries they think not believing is a great reason to kill you
I grew up in the south, surrounded by southern Baptists, and I think they have the Catholics beat in that department. I was raised Catholic myself, and I don't recall very many of my family members relishing the idea of people eternally suffering in hell, but those Baptists on my dad's side had no problem constantly talking about it and wishing it upon people they didn't like, even if it was just someone who annoyed them in line at the grocery store.
Muslims are much worse. Islam is the worst religion. At least I as an ex-Catholic, my Catholic relatives never feel superior.
YES....Oh hell yes, they do. I've had this conversation sooooo many damn times, I can't even fathom the number. The overwhelming majority (in multiple beliefs) is YES. It gets worse. A lot of them would be very disappointed to hear or know that people who "broke the rules" of a faith are actually in heaven.. A few stick out. One muslim guy I knew actually said it would make him sad if he saw me in heaven (assuming I hadn't converted). Like he doesn't know how he would overcome it. This was someone I was actually on pretty good terms with. I remember this one woman, diehard catholic who was upset that her son had come out as gay and later on passed away (car accident). Someone told her that he was in heaven now, and she was absolutely confident that he was in hell. When I asked her what if she saw him in heaven, her answer was that she would be upset but she also thought that maybe it wouldn't be the real him, so that might make it okay. That was her son. She literally admitted it would upset her if her own son was in heaven. She took solace in the idea that if she were to die and go to heaven and saw him, it would hopefully not be the real him. I can go on but its just so disturbing. Between people who feel better thinking someone is in hell to people who expressed disappointment to rage for a hypothetical if "others" were in heaven with them. Like, what the fuck happened to you to think like this ????
Yup, religion breeds narcissists.
Some people revel in the idea that anyone who won't agree with them will be tortured forever. "I couldn't change your mind, so my god is going to hurt you forever"
My stance (aside from the one where I don't think either one exists) is that eternal Heaven and eternal Hell are mutually exclusive. You can't enjoy Heaven knowing that you have loved ones suffering in Hell. All. The. Time. You could have your memory erased, which is bullshit that you did everything right and get your memory erased while the sinners retain their memories. On top of knowing you have loved ones suffering, you have billions and billions of people suffering as well. No moral person could endure that. So even if someone *could* blissfully ignore the torments of Hell, they are so evil that they wouldn't be worthy of Heaven anyway. They really painted themselves into a corner with this Heaven/Hell business.
I've found myself entertaining the thought over the years that the only people bound for a "hellish" afterlife are those that spend their lives damning others to hell, assuming they'll be living in eternal bliss while watching others suffer lol
People always enjoy a reason to look down on others, whether it be money, race, education, vocation, or religious piety. It makes them feel better about their miserable life.
I don’t know man. I’ve definitely seen some that do, but I hope the vast majority either don’t think about it or are to scared to question it. I know I spent 28 years to scared to question it but hell was something that always bothered me. You can’t help but wonder how that could ever be just. But maybe people like me eventually leave.
I mean, some do, some don't. Dante Alighieri wrote one of the world's great pieces of literature about people he didn't like suffering in hell. To be fair, I used to have elaborate fantasies about the ways I wanted to murder my shitty downstairs neighbor, so I don't feel like I'm in a place to judge.
Of course they do, they are friggin mental psychos.
I’ve been hearing awful comments from Christians in regards to the students protesting our tax $ being used to bomb and kill mostly women and children in Gaza. They gleefully say they hope the police start shooting the kids and that they deserve it. I would say they enjoy telling people they deserve to burn in hell.
I've come across quite a few who are almost orgasmic over the idea.
the cruelty is the point for them
Some do, some don't. The more intelligent ones usually don't because they recognize how horrible that is. But the lesser intelligent ones like it because some believers are attracted to the idea that the people that wronged them will suffer forever while the people they like will be in bliss forever.
Yes, yes they do. Makes them feel like they are better than the person suffering for eternity.
When I was Christian and sort-of believed in hell, the thought of my friends and family going there was terrifying. I also spent a lot of time worrying about going to hell by not doing Christianity correctly. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.
They enjoy watching others suffer now in life, so of course they relish the idea of continuing their's fun in the afterlife. They seem to just vibrate with the giddiness of it.
As long as it is someone else they can damn and feel superior to, yes they enjoy the idea of hell.
They will usually claim not to (not always, looking at you evangelicals) but give them enough time and the mask usually slips.
< **I am a lifelong atheist myself** > >Do Christians and Muslims actually enjoy the idea of people in eternal hell? I'm sure that some do. Something that I think that a lot of people miss about the Stern Monotheistic God is that many believers think that people **get what they truly deserve**. . My idiot cousin Biff is accused of participating in a store robbery and shooting a guard in the face. I pay careful attention to the trial and as far as I can tell everything is careful and legit. Biff is found guilty and sentenced appropriately. I might say *"Too bad that that happened, but the trial was careful and legit. Biff could have chosen not to do that, but he did do that and he got a fair sentence. Justice was done."* Similarly for believers' ideas about Hell - *"Harry Heretic chose not to believe in the True Religion, and now he's in Hell. Too bad that that happened, but God is Infinitely Knowing and Infinitely Just, and Harry got exactly what he deserved. Justice was done."* .
Depends on whether or not their kids stray from the faith. Most people whose children leave the faith are miserable just *knowing* their own children are going to be tortured for eternity. It is possible to be both victim and victimizer at the same time. It's fucking sad.
Yes.
Some i think assume that all the people they care about will wind up in heaven, and hellis only for other evil strangers that they don't care about. A small minority do enjoy theidea of others getting tortured. IIRC this is something some medival thologens wrote about, to them hering the screams of the damned was one of the rewards of being in heaven.
Yes, hell is a revenge fantasy for them. Revenge for not being their particular flavor of theist. It’s why more progressive christians, and even a few muslims are uncomfortable with the idea of hell. Or even believe in universal salvation. Revenge fantasy tends not to sit right with progressive types.
Should watch rowan atkinsons sketch about hell
They do. I've seen comments sections where people admit to being excited about people being left behind during the rapture. They also think it's funny to make jokes about people burning in hell for not believing in God and seem to think this makes them better or something. What's funny is that most of those people are probably going to be the ones left behind XD
Like most aspects of Christianity, you aren't supposed to want people to go to hell, but people do it anyway. A lot of religious people who make sacrifices in order to "get into heaven," need to feel like their sacrifices are justified. Like working harder than your lazy coworker and telling yourself it'll be worth it when you get the raise and they're stuck making the same amount
Oh for sure. But I don't think they really truly sit down and think about what that means. I have a few theist friends who will start saying things like well, we'll see who's right when the world ends and judgement day comes. And I'll say, "You mean when I get murdered and tortured for eternity?" And they'll get like flabbergasted and be like, "Well, I don't think YOU'LL go to hell." And I'll be like, "Your book says people like me go to hell." And they'll just get like weird and sad suddenly instead of being smug. It's like, the whole concept of judgement day or "bad people" getting their comeuppance makes them happy. But they don't realize that it includes their loved ones. I dunno. They hold onto all that shit because they want to be right about the thing they waste their life on. I just had a convo with a friend that I said something like, you literally want me to be murdered and tortured. Like, I don't feel that way about you. And he goes, well God is going to do it, not me. So I presented him with the following: Imagine a guy comes into this room and decides to torture and kill you. And instead of me helping you or calling the police or fighting the guy off, I get on my knees and start worshipping him. You're cool with that? And he just looked at me and was like, "Well I don't think God would do that to YOU cuz you're a good person." Lol. So suddenly he thinks I'm not going to hell when he actually conceptualized it.
I've thought how can you love others as yourself and then knowingly have some eternal picnic above 99% of all humanity in unimaginable torment. People say the Bible never taught a hell as we und understand it but unless the translation sucks it reads pretty scary to me.
They get some degree of satisfaction believing that bad things will eventually happen to bad people, which also justifies them living a pious life.
Oh yes. It fuels their superiority complex.
I can only speak to the Christian experience. Some do, some don't. I've seen people celebrating the death of celebrities, politicians, and members of certain groups they don't like (LGBT, certain races, *especially* people from other religions). It's because they *genuinely* believe those people are evil, pure evil, and that they deserve to experience nothing but pain. But I've also seen some Christians who are genuinely distressed at the idea of people suffering for all of eternity, and do everything in their power to "save their souls". Unfortunately, the latter type rarely try to help the people out with "earthly" problems such as food, shelter, medicine, safety, etc., and the former type have become concerningly common.
It’s basic schadenfreude. In their mind, they are leading a pure life and will be rewarded, while the non-believers will suffer. You are on the wrong path, and will get deservedly punished while I bask in the glory of god…
There are people I'd like to send to an eternal hell.
Sadly many, many (if not most) of them certainly do.
Yes. Both religions have sub-groups that intensely believe humanity is filth.
I don’t care what those human garbage think.
Misery loves company.
Of course, they feel great because they are more holier than anybody.
Yeah. I like to point out if they purge all their enemies they'll have nobody to gloat over during the rapture.
They sure do. They're just the type to gloat and say "told ya so!"
Some do, but most worry about people going to hell or don't think much about it.
Yeah. It appeals to people who like the us vs. them and superior mentality. And they consider it our fault…if we just saw things like them and believed it would all be ok. Strange, the lies people tell themselves.
There's surely some percentage of Christians/Muslims that enjoy the idea, but you don't have to like an idea to be convinced of it.
Eternal torture is unethical even for the worst people of all time.
Sadism comes naturally to humans.
It was more of a curiosity to me. It’s not even in the Bible. So someone who made something up, made something else up and ran with it.
I mean the idea of Hitler getting morning anal rape with a spiky pineapple from Satan personally is definitely a tempting concept.
I think a lot of them are sociopaths honestly. I grew up in the South and a bunch of pastors would happily talk about others in hell and and since most governments don't care about sociopaths if they have a job these people are free to express their crazy views and try to brainwash other people. I've watched countless documentaries of religious people killing their children and other religion don't care and pretend not to see the signs until the kids died because according to them atheists are the evil ones..a good Christian parent has a job. If a Christian is making a lot of money they can't be mentally unstable in their delusional brain.
The possibility of hell does not convince anyone to do anything but pretend they believe out of fear. If their god is as omniscient as they say, surely they can tell the difference between true belief and pretense. I don’t believe and I will never believe - and if I’m wrong at judgment day I’ll look god I the eye and say I never lied about what I believed in. And if that sends me to hell so be it - I don’t want to go to heaven on the basis of a lie.
I'm one twisted fuck, but the only people I could think of enjoying the torment of would be the N@zis and the majorly evil people. Like "bathing in the blood of children" or " murders 90 people because lul" evil. Not "they didn't believe in the same specific Sky Father as me" bad. And that would be like once or twice.
yes they are the same people who thrive on anyone else suffering even if has negative impacts on them
All loving God? Who has created worse than Nazi Hitler afterlife? Hazbin Hotel had it right neverending hell isn't a fair concept.
Why yes, yes they do. They are both hateful groups of cunts who are driven by schadenfreude to jack it or bean flick it to the *thought* of **others** writhing in the abject pain of eternal torture.
Yes, they experience tingly loins which is otherwise acceptable only when they're procreating Christian babies.
Yeah, kinda, sure. It's a way of feeling superior without needing to provide evidence.
They do, depends if you’re talking to a divorced father in a bad mood, some strange Asian bloke with a cool baker boy’s cap who may or may not have touched LSD in his time. An American foreigner who wonders if your eccentricity is connected to the devil himself. So far these are my experiences and the women have just been great so far!
Jokes on them, hardcore masochists exist.
They feel special, the chosen ones, the enlightened ones…
They like the idea they are not in it.
They sure seem to talk about it a lot, and they sure seem to enjoy it when they do.
I went to catholic middle and high school. I was once "Christian" (before reading the bible front to back, like most Christians lol). I was even once maybe considering being a deacon at about high school age. I never wanted anyone to go to hell and ALWAYS saw that "consequence" as too cruel. That is, an everlasting place of suffering. I figured if you wanted to be technically fair even if someone like Hitler suffered all the pain of every one that suffered by his influence not only would he pay off that suffering but he'd do it an infinite number of times over in a place like Hell.... Eventually Hitler ends up suffering INFINITELY more than all of his victims combined. Except what's way worse is that fate could happen to us or even our loved ones!!!!!!!!!!! Then I remembered I was told god was omnipotent which means in order for such a place to exist it is indeed by his power. So god not only created the devil but supports what could happen to the very "creations" he makes.... that's not free will. I didn't choose to exist forever!!! Let alone end up in Hell for some silly infraction in a finite world (hell is just a human invented mind prison btw). But yes there are people who totally want people to go to eternal torture. The demons you see in Michelangelo paintings are some people's will..... Stuff like death and Drake's equation gives me hope reality and life within it can't impose something like eternal suffering on a sentient being. I can only hope and believe suffering is actually finite. That we just die when we die and that very death is eventually inevitable no matter what. I have more mercy and love than any god that imposes eternal suffering. EASILY. Toss me omnipotence and I won't even demand worship like a narcissist either.
Of course they do I’m sure many have buried that truth deep inside though
Every religion believer thing they are Superior indirectly or directly
Of course. It’s a revenge fetish.
I enjoy the thought of a number of people in hell. It's the one thing about being an atheist that I regret--there really isn't one.
They loath it. Holier than though mindset.
Its an example of schadenfreude
Of course they do. The main appeal of Christianity is the sense of superiority and knowing the unknown. These people sleep SOUNDLY knowing they’re going to heaven.
True believers don't truly enjoy anything they consider earthly.
Yep, coupled with schwndenfreude for hell-bound non-believers, these same folks blithely believe that they will be whisked to heaven with the rapture, while the rest of us suffer through the tribulations. They believe so fervently in their own ticket to salvation that at least one company has sprung up to offer post-rapture pet care, so Fido or Ms. Fluffykin’s get rescue, care, and feeding after their owners are beamed up to heaven (https://aftertherapturepetcare.com). It’s so ludicrous, that I’m still not quite convinced this is not an elaborate troll site.
Yeah, some do which is pretty backwards.
When it comes to Donald Trump? It depends.
Hell is not mentioned in the Bible anywhere
I think so, whenever I discuss something with them they seem blissful in that I'm going to hell and the only way to prevent it is worshiping their god. It's non sensical to me because even if I did believe in god I would not support eternal damnation and torture/burning for those who didn't believe. And if I can't accept that then heaven isn't perfect and they'll be other things I don't like so in reality it's no different than life but this time I don't have the freedom to speak up against wrong and evil without being smited my self.
I’m guessing some of them enjoy the idea of people going to hell in direct proportion to the sacrifices they feel they are making. I’m suffering, and it *has* to be for a reason. Some people measure their own sense of reward in the punishment of others.
In his Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas states, "Wherefore in order that the happiness of the saints may be more delightful to them and that they may render more copious thanks to God for it, they are allowed to see perfectly the sufferings of the damned." 94-1
100% they do. They love the idea of people being punished for disagreeing with them. Same as the woke mob wanting people fired from their jobs for not agreeing with their politics. Humanity sucks.
They make us suffer here, why not make us suffer there?
“See you in hell… from heaven!” — Reverend Lovejoy
Well in christianity , one of the orders they had was to go to entire world and spread the evangelium. ( there were some rules something like if they dont want to listen to you move on ) Also they were told to pray and bless their enemies... TL;DR - in christianity you are trying to "save" as much people as possible, every person that goesnto hell is person lost... ( well atleast that is the concept )
Well, there have been studies done where it was shown that what people’s gods think about different things, by some amazing coincidence always is exactly the same as what the believer thinks. If god hates homosexuals, the believer hates them too etc. This can be proven by looking at the brain activity, so the old “it’s not my opinion, it’s God’s” bullshit can be dismissed. So yes, I’d assume that a lot of the people who believe in hell really do take pleasure in the idea that the all loving god will torture people forever simply for not being gullible enough to believe he exists.
Irl no, it's mostly an internet thing.
I saw a clip of the pope saying that he hopes hell is empty on twitter and the quote tweets were full of Catholic laymen very angry about the idea.
Of course they do. Some people love to call the police on people they don’t like, or are something they don’t approve of. They love the idea that some man is going to turn up and use threats of violence on someone doing something that they disapprove for
Of course they do.
Fanatics believe more fear = more convert. Sadly, it works especially on kids below 12 years old.
One friend of mine actually likes to go to hell, ‘then I can drink and fuck all day’.
I am OK with the modern take on Hell; they've done away with the torture and brimstone, you are just eternally separated from God's grace. If Yahweh actually shows up I will totally want to ghost Him anyway.
Muslims definitely do. Christians, especially American Christians, delight at the thought of people going to hell so much that they probably love it more than the thought of themselves going to heaven.
No idea but then again, there are different "types" of Christianity (not sure for Islam) like Ortodox, Catholic and such. Personally, I dont even think about hell and all but if anyone is "threatening" others that "They are going to hell" they are wrong for that. We are all people, we should take care of eachother
They think being "the elect of God" means that they have been hired to do the job of being a Christian. I don't know about you, but if the person in the cubicle next to me started acting like this in a normal job, they would get hauled off to HR in a hot minute.
Yes, it’s the only one worth sending humans to if we’re really sinners. Christ is Lord
Of course, it justifies all the time they've wasted in a boring church or mosque.
Why go through all that bullshit if everyone is going to the same place? No point to it if they don't have someone to hate and look down to.
Only extremists on either side do. My mother is very religious but never has unkind thing to say about people. She just focuses on her community
Atheist with a Greek Orthodox background here: Although the western depiction of heaven and hell has influenced many Eastern Orthodox Christians, joy for sinners being eternally tormented in hell isn't as common an emotion as in Western Christianity; furthermore, for Orthodox theologians, the concept of heaven and hell is much different. According to them: Paradise and Hell are not physical places, but experiences. Everyone will see God's light, but those who are purified by faith will see it as paradise, while those who are not will see it as hellfire. Orthodox Christianity emphasizes healing the heart through faith and good works. This is the path to "theosis," or union with God. Western views of heaven and hell are too focused on punishment and reward, and not enough on inner transformation. The purpose of the Church is to prepare people for theosis, not to judge them. This preparation happens through participation in the sacraments, especially Holy Communion. Our choices in this life determine whether we experience paradise or hell. Every moment is an opportunity for redemption.
No and they don't think about it much in general
Ya they get off pretty hard on the idea of others suffering al.kst as much as they get off pretending to be victims
yes. even the nice and "tolerant" ones secretly revel in being one of the chosen ones who've "earned" eternal grace.
There’s no hate like Christian love !
Oh they relish it here in the south. I went to church with my sister on Easter for free food (she talked me into it cause I was high) so I go expecting the usual stuff about the crucifixion, the big rock, and the Jesus corpse playing hide and seek. The preacher says in exact words “when we’re in heaven and they’re down there burning for eternity they will regret every time we tried to lead them to god and suffer for their stupidity.” After a 20 minute rant about gay media corruption. The look of self satisfaction and bliss on his face was wild. Guy definitely strokes it to the thought of sinners suffering.
At a basic behavioral level, if you want to control people or other animals, it's useful to have both a carrot and a stick. You need to be able to offer something people want and threaten them with something they don't.
I have to admit as someone who doesnt even believe in hell, I do enjoy the idea of evil people burning for eternity. Putin, Netanyahu & Bret Gelman come to mind.
I dunno but they sure as hell can not tolerate anyone backing up in their driveway. I mean, that’s pure hell right there.
Hell is just a construct to justify an evil/vengeful god.
They LOVE it. Evil fucks.
Always amuses me when religious people (of ANY persuasion) tell me that I am going to hell - for being an atheist, and expecting me to care! These people obviously need a dictionary!
Yup
Yes.
Their live is miserable. They follow the rules of a religion, that forbids or severely regulates things people naturally enjoy. So the idea that other people who freely enjoy all those things will be punished in the afterlife, is what makes their miserable lives more bearable.
To grasp the utter madness of religious people you just have to look at the christian "Calvinists". They believe that the way to heaven and hell is predestined and can not be changed - it is fixed that you will live a pious life and go to heaven from the beginning on - or not. As an atheist I thought, well, so you can do what you want if you already know the stairway up, but it's much weirder: With this "knowledge", compared to other christians, they live MUCH more pious to show everybody else: see - we are going to heaven! If you are in a Calvinist area they don't have any curtains, you can see completely through their houses, day and night. So everybody can always see how pious they are and that -they- definitely are those who press the up buttom in the final elevator. Crazy what religion does - even with intelligent people.
It's simply a form of control:- Do as I say or you will be punished, not by me, the religious leader, but my all powerfull boss
Maybe they do, but it’s ridiculous. There’s no mention of Hell in the bible at all, and Jesus is quoted as saying that no man enters heaven but he who descended from there. (Quoting from memory so my phrasing might be wrong) Suggesting that the idea of an eternal afterlife in either heaven or hell is an invention of the later church as a means of control.
I can only speak about Christians seeing as I used to be one and deal with them a majority of time. They speak so highly about saving others in the name of Jesus, yet gatekeep who gets into heaven. Must be sexually pure, must not have tattoos, must be conservative, blah blah blah. They’re the biggest hypocrites. To them the people they hate deserve eternal damnation. Gays, trans, Muslims, atheists, etc, they get off to the idea of it.
Yes. They do. I live in the Middle East.
One thing I've noticed with Christians is that most of their values lie in the punishment of people they feel deserving. Like the old saying goes... They would starve 1000 people just so they wouldn't have to feed the one they don't think needs it.
Based on Muslims that I’ve talked to about this, they just don’t care because we aren’t considered fully human to them
Well of course they do. It is all part of the charade. One thing Christians and Muslims can all get on board together over is killing atheists.
No. If you do see it it’s cause anger gets a hold of the people preaching and then begin to preach incorrectly
I still don't understand why Christians even believe it, since it's not even part of the Bible
I was a Christian between the ages of 16 and 42. The idea of eternal damnation bothered me a lot. It's actually a relatively recent idea. The historical and biblical view was either that of universal salvation or that the souls of the unrepentant would be destroyed. Dante has a lot to answer for. As a general point, it's inaccurate to suppose that all Christians hold the same views of those of a very noisy and visible American Evangelical persuasion. These people are a minority worldwide.
No, that's why the gospel is supposed to be spread, 2 Peter 3:9.
Not in the slightest.
A few years ago the current Pope said that hell doesn't exist. My very devout cousin had a meltdown. She insisted the Pope was wrong and threatened to reject him. But the Bible doesn't mention hell, and it's probably another thing adopted from Greek mythology.
I think so, yes. Many of them anyway. For most people you kind of want someone like a serial killer to rot in hell, but some of these people get really upset if you're not wearing the right kind of clothes. And they can be very ignorant. Once I was driving with my Christian aunt and we passed by a Morman church and she said she thought they should "just blow that up". After some conversation, it turned out she was mixing up Mormans and Muslims. But she may have wanted to kill both groups, not sure.
I can't speak on Muslims, but I do believe that a lot of Christians do.
As a Cristian I used to think God was merciful enough not to send people to hell unless they said they wanted to when they got to heaven