How can I, as a Christian, free myself from the fear of Hell?

[peteyzen]

excellent reply racer, I would add start to do things for others, with no want of any return. It will take you away from contemplating yourself, and this will help.

Beautiful Racer!

"Perfect love cast out all fear."

Do you love God? Do you love others? Do you love yourself?

I do not believe trying to emulate your parent's religion has anything to do with faith. Faith is what you, personally believe deep in your heart. You seem to not have faith nor any substantial knowledge of the Bible.

I agree that God does not condemn anyone to eternal suffering. God is Love. However, we do have free will to reject God's free offer of eternal life if we choose. I am unsure what that entails as I have had no spiritual enlightenment as to such things. I would guess it would be the opposite of eternal life as in eternal death, but I do not know.

I like this very simplistic little story:
The young daughter of a surgeon was teased by a dinner guest who said, "Do you know what your father does for a living? He has people strapped down on a table and cuts them open with a sharp knife."

After thinking a moment the child answers, "I don't know all about what my father does, but I know my father."

Perhaps a cure for fear is to know the Father personally.

I wanted to come in here and give a quick thanks to everyone who posted. I am afraid I haven't really recieved what I was looking for, but I never expect that either, and I am appreciative of what everyone has shared.

Mary_Baker
I have extensive knowledge of the Bible. I have read it many, many times. I have applied its truths to my life. I may not have become a Christian completely by choice in my mind, in that it was my idea or that I initiated it, but once I was a Christian I pursued my faith with the fervor of a new convert.

It is because of my knowledge of the Bible, and it's inconsistencies, that I have posted this. It is because I have read books by an amazing person named, Thich Nhat Hanh, which seemed to shine a spotlight on my soul and bring far more encouragement than the Bible, that I began to wonder about hell. I saw so much there in what the Buddhists believed that corresponded to my Christian faith. But I could not imagine such a man as Mr. Hanh being cast into hell simply because he was not of the Christian faith. These and other things, including a period of time when I simply wanted nothing to do with God, have brought me to this point.

All these things Christians don't talk about. Astral Projection for one, which is clearly in the Bible. Lucid Dreaming for another. The Astral Realm. The Law of Intention, which works better than any prayer where I ever asked God for anything. The list just keeps growing, and I see that the Christian faith is flawed, that the Bible may be flawed, and I want to know the Truth.

It is very hard to clearly paint for you a picture of how I got here from a teenager, working for CYIA, "saving" children, who faithfully read his Bible and did his devotions, praying every day. That person is far removed from who I am now, and I want to free myself from the last tattered shreds of this old, dead skin.

Please try to understand -
- DreamBliss

[Miss Hepburn]

I think Thich Nhat Hahn might already be in heaven or
a heavenly state of mind.


Oh, and there are many books on alternative interpratations of
common Bible teachings.
One by Paramahansa Yogananda,''The Second Coming of Christ''
Sri Yukteswar in "The Holy Science",
A Course in Miracles,
Anthony Borgia's "Life in the Unseen World"' continuing into
"More in the Unseen World",
the James E. Padget messages,
''The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta'' by Swami Prabhavananda.

For starters...

[jojo50]

I’m sorry you fear hell, because despite what’s taught concerning hell. Even by the wrong understanding from what Jesus said, hell’s nothing to fear, and many won’t even see it. I’ll get back to that later, responding there being other places between Heaven and hell, there isn’t! Jehovah’s words shows satan is a master of trickery, (Ephe.6:11 -Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles, (tricks), of the devil).He told he she wouldn’t die if she ate from the tree God told Adam they couldn’t eat from, (Gen.3:1-6), they later in life died!,satan lied!

God’s word says satan blinded the minds of the unbelievers, (2Cor.4:4). Now here's where the trick comes in, the “believers” will say, “I’m not an unbeliever, it’s referring to the atheist”. yet many “believers” don’t even believe Jesus words here…(John 5:30 -I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me). They call Jesus a liar when showing he's NOT the Father, and they still don’t believer they are ALSO the unbelievers?!

There’s NO purgatory, or any other place one will go to, another trick by satan, why? He wants humans NOT to serve the same God Adam, Noah, Moses, and despite what many want to believe, Jesus worshipped. Satan knows he’s going down soon ,(Rev.12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time). So satan taking it out on us, even if many refuse to believe this, it’s true, (1Pet.5:8- Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, seeking whom he may devour).

God NEVER created a fiery place, his words showed this ,(Gen.1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth). Again Jehovah told Adam what would happen if they eat from a certain tree, (Gen.2:16,17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die). He didn’t say they would go to a fiery place.

Also concerning today’s religion, they didn’t have it back in the days of old. Though many want to believe John was a “baptist”, he wasn’t, He was a BAPTIZER. but again, because satan know humans well, He took that and ran with it. And There were many worshippers of many gods, many teachings like today. false teachers will cause many to lose their life, because they teach only half truth ,(Mal.2:8,9).

But just because there many religions and beliefs, doesn’t mean there was never a true teaching. Noah, Moses, Abraham, up to Jesus, after Jesus, timothy, Paul, Titus. Just to name a few, taught the truth. I’ve heard many say, there’s no real truth out here. What?.. One think because ALL of those men are dead, or in Heaven, the truth stopped? If that’s so then how fair would it be to send us to “hell” when we have no one to teach us the truth.

That’s not the case though, even if many refuse to believe, lol, another trick by satan. God’s words are still being spread. As Jesus said do this until the end ,(Matt.24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come). And I may be “wrong“, being a “Jws“, but the world is still here, So the truth is still here. 2Cor.2:17-For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

As for Hell, here what two of God’s servants said, (Psa.16:8-11- shows David ,(a faithful man) ,talks about God not leaving his soul in hell, not even to see corruption, (decaying). Notice David saying… “my flesh also shall rest in hope“ (if the false teachings of hell was a place demons torture the wicked and sinners, why would David say “his flesh shall rest? Hell wouldn‘t be in a place of resting).

Jonah 2:1,2- Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.( was Jonah being tortured by demons?, was there fire in the fish belly?…no!)

There’s NO “soul” that leave a dead body to go to a Heaven, Hell, or any other made up place. Because a “SOUL” is ONLY a living being, Jesus showed this,…(Luke 12:19- And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry). if souls were ghost there would be no need to eat and drink. Also see , (1Cor.15:45 -And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul),he’s not a living ghost.
What David and Jonah was referring to were places of the dead, graves. If God had not been with Jonah when he was in the fish belly, he would have died.

One more thing on “hell”…(Rev.20:10- And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever). the words “lake of fire" would bring to mind a hot place, yet the scriptures says the devil were cast into it, how can fire torture the devil, if he live in a fiery place? (Verse 13 says…And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works). the sea gave up hell?.. also death? This meant the dead bodies in the sea, be-it by drowning, or put there. the sea was a grave for those bodies. So looking back at all the scriptures, proves one thing…the false teaching of the word hell, is only man’s grave! You might want to do some research on the origins of Hell. peace

[Reverend Keith]

Dreambliss:

I understand completely. That's pretty much the reason I had to move from Roman Catholicism to a more esoteric way of following Jesus. Lucid dreaming, astral projection, and other spiritual work are all of intense interest to me, and I was tired of feeling guilty about it.

for me the answer is so simple......if it doesn't make sense to you, if you have doubts, then open up your mind and heart and start reading other things....... the answers are within you........god is LOVE, not just and loving, just LOVING....LOVE AND LIGHT......LOVE AND MORE LOVE........no fear, no hell, no devils or demons.......only LOVE and loving spirit..........you are a spiritual being temporarily in a physical body and this is not your true HOME......learn to meditate, to contemplate and not to accept if it does not resonate with your heart and soul......love and light.........

Originally Posted by Juanita

for me the answer is so simple......if it doesn't make sense to you, if you have doubts, then open up your mind and heart and start reading other things....... the answers are within you........god is LOVE, not just and loving, just LOVING....LOVE AND LIGHT......LOVE AND MORE LOVE........no fear, no hell, no devils or demons.......only LOVE and loving spirit..........you are a spiritual being temporarily in a physical body and this is not your true HOME......learn to meditate, to contemplate and not to accept if it does not resonate with your heart and soul......love and light.........

Very nice and I agree, but while this physical body may be temporal and always morphing and mutating, I still think it is a valuable membrane for the brain, an a very very valuable albeit temporary vehicle of learning for the soul.

I have no spiritual revelation concerning hell and I don't worry about it as the Person I call God revealed himself to me as full of love for all of us and made me intensely aware of his love and embraced me with The Light. It was very personal to make me aware of my spiritual need and to supply it. If there was any reason for me to be warned of a hell, I am sure my Father would tell me.

My personal view is that what is written in the Bible concerning hell is often a loose interpretation of the original language (such as using it to mean the place of the dead (Greek Hades) or the grave. But I've had no spiritual revelation concerning it. I also think the fire of hell may be symbolic.

What do you make of Rev. 20:14. "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

Reminds me of Ibsen's Peer Gynt and the buttonmaker's ladle.