What a beautiful way to spend Yom Kippur: Hearing (again) that I'm going to spend eternity in the pit of hell. Guess that justifies all of the centuries of torture, inquisitions, forced conversions, and ripping children away from their Jewish parents. It was just our immortal souls that were needing to be saved, so it's obvious that any of these atrocities should be committed as long as it's done in the name of righteousness. Just ask the Muslim Jihadists. It's the exact same mentality.

The reason so many of us identify as secular, including those of us who are secular Jews (which is the majority of Jews in both the U.S. and Israel), is because we know first-hand the evils done in the name of another's invisible friend. The single greatest thing about having an invisible friend is that he'll always tell you what you want to hear, documented history and science be damned. Some of us want to live in an evidence-based world. Some reject that, choosing any scrap of blind faith over any mountain of evidence. While I think everyone should have the right to find his own path, I take serious umbrage when that path includes justifying the greatest evils ever known to mankind.

What is a belief in hell other than a desire to remove all humanity from a chosen person or group, keeping all others is absolute subjugation? There can be no value in a person who is considered to be so bad as to spend all of eternity being tortured. This has always been used as the justification for harming that person and even tearing apart families so that children would not suffer such a fate. There is no hell in the Old Testament (except in some "newer" versions of the bible). The Jews did not develop the concept of hell. (Initially, the ancient Jews did not even have a concept of an afterlife.) The Christian notion of hell is simply another perversion of a Pagan religion. Specifically, it's a perversion of the Greek notion of Hades. In Hebrew tradition, there is Sheol, but this isn't anything close to the Christian idea of hell. It's simply another pit of the dead - entirely neutral - much the same as Hades. The Jewish Jesus (if he even existed) certainly understood this. Those who needed to pervert those teachings and erase the Jewishness of Jesus are also aware of this. Hell is a Christian weapon. It demands absolute obedience even to the most immoral leaders or else all of your humanity would be erased, allowing inconceivable horrors to be inflicted upon you and your family.

I realize I cannot argue with those who reject all reason, so for all others, please allow me to say this: There is no reason for hell, no idea of hell and no mentality of hell for those religions and philosophies that do not wish to convert all others. Hell is the weapon for those who seek absolute power. Hell is a fetish for a perverted few who desperately need vindication for their own life's choices. Loving Gods do not threaten their children with hell. The son of a God who died for the sins that God created does not need to use the threat of hell, especially for those who simply do not believe nor are even aware of that particular God.

What RenaissanceLady said. Perfectly stated.

Here's a paradox I wrestled with: Heaven is with God and Hell is without God, if I understand it correctly. In Heaven, you are supposed to be eternally happy and with your loved ones, right? So what happens if one of your loved ones ends up going to Hell for eternity? You never see them again for eternity? How could you be happy with that?

Thank you God - Tim Minchin (Satire). Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZeWPScnolo

Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson: A fascinatingly disturbing thought. Yay science!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeJoVeKSsyA

The Theory of Evolution Made Easy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w57_P9D ... ZGuu1FN_yg

Wayne, apparently all your loved ones have to follow your same religion or you don't get to see them.
And, I too applaud the post of Renaissance Lady, above: whose father would be especially proud of her this evening, shining so nobly in the rays of the setting sun.

Father, please don't let us become divided from You, or from one another. We have enough to atone for already.

I don't quite understand the paradox. But perhaps I can answer you questions with a couple more questions for you.
In heaven you are with God who created you and your loved ones. Shouldn't that be enough? If you want to be in heaven because of your loved ones, then who are you really idolizing?

And, if the people you called loved one really love you, why would they want you to go to hell? Wouldn't they desire to be with you in heaven rather than to be with you in hell? I guess the real question is are your loved ones doing everything they can to get you to heaven so that you can be with God?

It doesn't sound like you understood my paradox. I'll try to make it simpler:

I'm in heaven and a loved one is in hell. How could I be happy in heaven without them?

Wayne, your question reminds me of one of my favorite movies starring Robin Williams, called "What Dreams May Come". In the movie, Robin Williams dies and then his wife commits suicide. In the afterlife, he searches for her in what you might call hell, risking his own damnation to that eternity.......saying that he would rather be with her there than without her in heaven. It is a very sweet movie about the power of love.

Anyway, sorry for getting off topic.

Here is one of many paradoxes I wrestled with: if the only way to heaven is through accepting Jesus as my Savior, what happened to all those people who lived before Jesus? And all the people afterwards who never heard of him? And the babies who die? And all the amazing non Christians who have done the most incredible and selfless things in their lives to help others? And on and on......

When one looks at the incredible diversity in the world, from the smallest elements to the huge universe, it seems to me that if you believe that God exists, it would just be natural that there would be as great a diversity of paths to the divine.

That is why I love to learn about all of those paths.

If my mother can be called Mother by me, Mommy by my younger siblings, Honey by my father, Little Sister by my Aunt, Teacher by her students, Daughter by my Grandma.......then certainly the divine consciousness can have many names, and can be seen in many ways. And certainly my Mom doesn't care what you call her.

I believe that, if you do have a sincere desire to know, then you should accept nothing other than your own personal experience.

Wayne, I think your question was understood and answered:

"In heaven you are with God who created you and your loved ones. Shouldn't that be enough?"

The idea is that God's divine presence would be fulfilling on Its own.
I don't think that is an irrational belief, but it does not seem to be one that we share with the author. To the extent he or she is comforted by it and uses the belief for the purpose of enhancing humanitarian aims, it complies with my Unitarian-based standards -- since nothing could be less rational than our theories of the afterlife except one Reality: our mysterious births into consciousness.
The stork story makes more sense than where we really come from: the stars -- the mist -- His clay.
So how can we argue with anybody about it?! maybe he or she is right.
We'll just have to Wait and See.

Our desire is to be with God because He made us and we belong to Him. That is our joy. Your loved one's will be judged on their own merits. Yet if it is true that your loved one is in hell, one would have to wonder if they really were able to love since as Christians we believe that God is Love.

If "you" have judged your loved one to be in hell, it stands to reason that one should do all they can to make sure those others you love get to heaven so that all can be together with Our Father who created us.

We know that, while most of the world has been introduced to Jesus Christ, not all have been exposed to the Gospel. Yet, we also know that all creation seeks God regardless of the exposure to Scripture. The idea of the natural law comes from this philosophy.
Jesus stated that the more that is given, the more that is expected. Those who have little or no knowledge of God; yet, live their lives in goodness, beauty, and truth are likely recipients of God's mercy. At the same time, those who have knowledge of Jesus Christ and reject Him will also be judged based on their ability to respond to the talents they have been given. Jesus also stated that we should strive for the narrow gate--towards perfections. So, we are obliged to learn and study the Good News as much as practical.