HELL the concept or, more accurately the construct has featured quite a bit in Robert's recent posts and the lively banter in comments between him and Richard.
Most of his posts have been deleted but here's an excerpt from his latest (soon to be deleted post).
"Hell is one of those things you either love or hate.
Some think you should not mention it to children.I think we underestimate the fortitude and intelligence of children.
Of course there will always be self opiniated (sic) old fools.
Forget and ignore them.
Childhood is tough. It's often cruel. But lessons learned are important.
Hell is real."
- ROBERT 2 December 2020
As usual there's a lot to decipher in this, or, to try and make sense of.
"Hell is one of those things you either love or hate."
Straight off I find this hard to understand. If such a thing as Hell existed who in their right mind would love it? Satan? Devil worshippers? Masochists? I think that Robert veered a bit off course here which is not surprising as it's a slippery slope to try and justify silly Christian - in particular Catholic - teachings and beliefs.
The middle bit of his proposal relates to the argument that he was having with Richard about the right or wrong of terrorising children with threats of their going to Hell if they don't pray to God and support the Catholic Church. I'll leave that to them to sort out.
Robert finishes, as is usual for him with another silly and unsubstantiated, typically Catholic statement - "Hell is real."
Let's explore that. "Hell is real."
OK, if it is real then it can be investigated, analysed, visited, checked, verified and otherwise proven.
I really would like to know what Robert thinks Hell is.
Is it, in his mind, the early Hebrew place where the souls of all the dead were held outside of the presence of God.?
Or does he believe in a form of Hades which the ancient Greeks developed where all the dead lingered in the underground ruled by a god of the dead and which had a lower level for the bad people who were imprisoned?
Maybe he prefers the Medieval take that Hell is a place of eternal torment, burning in neverending fires and being prodded up the bum with pitchforks wielded by demons?
Or, is he one of the more 'enlightened' Christians who see Hell as being God's absence and the chief pain of hell is eternal separation from God?
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This idea of Hell being separation from God is about as nebulous as it gets and is an obvious cop out |
In the exhaustive reading quick squiz at the internet I've done it seems that the Old Testament Hebrew view of Hell is quite different from that of Greek mythology and rabid Catholicism. The early Hebrew idea is more akin to the more recent and,'enlightened' Christian and even Catholic view where Hell is the separation from God. The Greeks and certainly the Medieval Christians had a fondness for horrendous visions of a hell that burns, consumes, tortures and destroys the bodies of sinners, This stuff is scary and, here's the rub, it was designed to scare the bejesus out of people (including 6 year old children).
Why?
To continue to exert control and to keep the masses afraid and subservient. A nice Church wasn't going to bring in much in the way of tithes and be able to sustain its hunger for wealth and power. It needed cowed citizenry and blindly obedient 'believers' to be in a position to take in all of the silly bullshit that was taught to them. All this to consolidate and expand political, financial, geographic and social control.
So, I'd like to know from Robert, what he thinks Hell is seeing that he categorically believes that it exists.
Hey, great post.*
ReplyDelete* though RBB goes into more depth
Yes we know that "RBB goes into more depth".
Delete'Plumbing the depths' of taste, culture, sensitivity and decency is, of course what RBB is well-known for.
Where, pray tell, have you reported on Hell?
DeleteI must have missed that important post.
DeleteMaybe you sent it by Pony Express and it was waylaid by Indians.
DeleteOr like St Paul's first letter to the Corinthians your post got lost because your ship sunk.
DeleteThe word Hell is never used in the bible! Hades is a place where the Jewish dead went. Before Jesus there was no Heaven! Jesus took good Jews to heaven when He died.
ReplyDeleteSadly I think people choose hell like Satan through selfishness.
Well that made as much sense as a mud milkshake.
DeleteThe origin of 'Hades' is Greek, not Hebrew/Jewish.
Sorry but Jesus did not invent Heaven. The concept/construct/silly notion was in existence hundreds of years before your Hebrew prophet was born.
"Jesus took good Jews to heaven when He died"
I hope that they were dead when he did this and that they wanted to go otherwise it would be very presumptuous.
"Sadly I think people choose hell like Satan through selfishness."
If anyone can understand this then they are way better than me. Good luck!
I see it now differently.
DeleteA good day for TC. Of course hell is pure nonsense- a need to create obedience through fear.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that!
DeleteBeautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay!
ReplyDeleteAlas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.
’Twas about seven o’clock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clouds seem’d to frown,
And the Demon of the air seem’d to say-
“I’ll blow down the Bridge of Tay.”
When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers’ hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say-
“I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay.”
But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.
So the train sped on with all its might,
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,
And the passengers’ hearts felt light,
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
With their friends at home they lov’d most dear,
And wish them all a happy New Year.
So the train mov’d slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.
As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
And the cry rang out all o’er the town,
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
Which fill’d all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
And made them for to turn pale,
Because none of the passengers were sav’d to tell the tale
How the disaster happen’d on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.
It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.
That's better.
DeleteSo, Robert just had a dump on your blog?
ReplyDeleteI hope he used the air freshener.
ReplyDeleteYeah. He does that when he can't think of anything to say.
ReplyDelete