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Hell is a subject I write on often. Why? Because it seems that this one stumbling block is the biggest "love affair" most Christians have going concerning the afterlife of Damned souls. Well, Damn it, I am going to continue to write until we get the point that the "hell" most have been 'conditioned' to believe in simply DOES NOT EXIST. Woah, don't quit reading just yet. Let me explain.
Any student of Greek Mythology, a study of where all things came from and from what god they descended, will readily recognize the similarities of Ancient Greek fables and modern Western Theological Christian thinking. Remember, there is a Devil who wants all of us to believe a lie. The lie. Any lie. A lie. Lie.
So, let me just ask you a question? Have you EVER looked into the subject of Hell on your own? Where did you come to believe in a punishing and torturing hell? Mommy or Daddy or old country preacher? Just where?
Well, let'S look at a few things for you to look into. What about the NAME, Hell? Where did it originate? OK, let's answer.
The ancient Greeks had a belief in an underworld of the individuals who lived evil lives here on earth and 'inherited' upon death called the Netherworld. The world of the dead. From which there was NO escape. It was ruled over by --get this--by a WOMAN GOD-- and her name was hel. Not hell. Just hel.
Well, enter Plato the Great Greek thinker and philosopher. Brilliant man. He takes the concept in 400 years B.C. and embellishes it and calls the afterlife here in this torture and suffering, HELL. He gives it departments, purgatory, etc. Cool, huh?
So far so good. Well, in the 5th Century A.D., St. Augustine a devout student of Plato reasoned that if we insert this teaching of an ever burning hell into the churches afterlife doctrine then it would keep the good saints of the church in even better line and so he did. ( This had never been taught in the church for the first four hundred years of the church not by ANY of the early church leaders including JESUS, John, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Athenasius, and others.)
Now, parables such as Lazarus and the Rich Man had to be reinterpreted in light of this new spurious teaching to make hell fit with the new interpretation of suffering and torture.
Get the picture? It Ain't so.
That is why we write these blogs. You can know the truth. I DON'T WANT ANY MONEY.
But you need the truth to set you free and appreciate what Jesus has done to you and for you and through you.
Lots more to say.
Paul
www.newelifewcg.org
www.pastorpaulsinteractiveblog.blog.blogspot.com
Happy studying.
Paul
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“Who Is The Father Revealed In Jesus?” Pt. 1
1 week ago
2 comments:
Paul, you are defining hell in a Christian culture of misinformation and false assumption.
I did some blogs back to back on resurrection versus Platonic immortality of the soul for the same reason. Misinformation and false assumption.
The only danger I see in what we're doing is that we can be accused of being obsessed with these topics.
But that is a danger worth risking, because it's not we who are obsessed with them. It's modern evangelicalism that is hammering afterlife falsehoods. Obsessing isn't our purpose. Exposing destructive lies is.
It is our Christian culture that is obsessed. Unwittingly and uncritically it is embraced and continue to preach as gospel a hodgepodge of Plato and Enoch and Dante and Edwards and Milton!
And we should just allow this to continue unchallenged? Should biblical truth not be allowed to illuminate these errors?
Please hear this as encouragement, Paul. Keep at it, friend.
Thanks, Bert, There is more than one voice crying in the wilderness.
Encouragement is Good.
blessings always,
your friend,
Paul
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