John Beckett
09-11-2007, 03:38 PM
Hell does exist, Christians believe
Poll shows more than 9 of 10 affirm existence of place of punishment
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images2/hell%20(2).jpg
Concept of hell by Flemish painter Dieric Bouts the Elder
A whopping 95 percent of those who responded to a new poll by ChristiaNet.com (http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.christianet.com) believe there is, indeed, a hell.
"God's Word makes it clear that there is a place after death where people are separated from Him for eternity," ChristiaNet President Bill Cooper noted.
About 1,300 people visiting the organization's website recently took the poll, affirming with overwhelming numbers they believe hell exists.
"Because the Bible said so," was the most cited reason. "Jesus taught about it in Luke 16:19-31," was another response.
ChristiaNet.com, the world's largest Christian portal with more than 12 million monthly page loads, said three percent of the respondents said they were unsure.
"I don't really know if there is or isn't, I'm not dead yet," said one. While a few had trouble defining "hell."
"I don't know whether or not there is an actual place of hell, or if the soul is just tormented without God," wrote one.
Another two percent did not believe in hell. "God can't be the essence of Love and allow this to happen," said one.
Author Jack Kinsella, (http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://hallindsey.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=162) writing on a website maintained by WND columnist Hal Lindsey, (http://www.wnd.com/news/archives.asp?AUTHOR_ID=12) noted the New Testament affirms the "rich man" who died and was "in torments," saw Abraham and Lazarus the beggar, and asked for help.
"Lazarus the beggar died PHYSICALLY, but his spirit was carried by the angels into Paradise. The rich man died PHYSICALLY and was buried, but his spirit was very much conscious in hell," he wrote. "The rich man was conscious of his torment, was capable of addressing Abraham, and was aware of Lazarus. Abraham was equally conscious of HIS surroundings, as well as those of the rich man, and was capable of giving reply."
Commentators note that there are several dozen references to "hell" in the Bible, including the Hebrew word "Sheol," which means "the grave," as well as "Hades," which also means "the grave," "gehenna," which means the "place of burning," and "tartarus," which means "darkness."
Pope Benedict XVI also proclaimed earlier this year that hell is a place where sinners burn in an eternal fire, and is not just a religious symbol.
He said during a visit to a Rome parish earlier this year that God's mercy and love are great, but those who reject him should know that hell "exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much any more."
One of the larger Christian ministries in the U.S. today, Focus on the Family, (http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.focusonthefamily.org) also confirms the existence of hell.
In response to a question about teaching children right from wrong, the organization advises, "The best approach is found in the instruction given to the children of Israel by Moses more than 3,000 years ago. He wrote, 'Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hand and bind them on your foreheads…'
"This commandment provides the key to effective spiritual training at home. It isn't enough to pray with your children each night, although family devotions are important. We must live the principles of faith throughout the day. References to the Lord and our beliefs should permeate our conversation and our interactions with our kids. Our love for Jesus should be understood to be the first priority in our lives. We must miss no opportunities to teach the components of our theology and the passion that is behind it.
"The reason this is such a critical responsibility is that the world will be giving your children very different messages in the days ahead. It will take them to hell if not counterbalanced by a firm spiritual foundation at home. This is one task about which we can't afford to be lackadaisical," the ministry said.
More than a century ago, the famed minister Jonathan Edwards used a fear of hell to warn people to accept Christianity.
"Those wicked men who died many years ago, their souls went to hell, and there they are still; those who went to hell in former ages of the world have been in hell every since, all the while suffering torment," he wrote. "They have nothing else to spend their time in there, but to suffer torment, they are kept in being for no other purpose," he wrote.
Edwards, whose most famous oration is a sermon called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," also said, "The world will probably be converted into a great lake or liquid globe of fire – a vast ocean of fire, in which the wicked shall be overwhelmed, which will always be in tempest in which they shall be tossed to and fro, having no rest or night, vast waves or billows of fire continually rolling over their heads, of which they shall forever be full of quick sense within and without, their heads, their eyes, their tongues, their hands, their feet, their loins, and their vitals shall forever be full of a glowing, melting fire, fierce enough to melt the very rocks and elements; and they shall also eternally be full of the most quick and lively sense to feel the torments; not for one minute, nor for one day, nor for one age, nor for two ages, nor for a hundred years, nor for ten thousands of millions of ages, one after another, but forever and ever, without any end at all, and never, never to be delivered."
Some of the minority segments of the poll submitted comments such as, "To me, we are in hell right now."
Out of 1,500 Christians who responded to that poll, 48 percent believe that Christians could, in fact, have a demon within. Most of this group stated that the devil was very real, and Christians could be demonized.
Others felt that by sinning, they were allowing a demon to enter their soul.
In that poll, 38 percent of Christians who took the poll felt that a "true" Christian could not be demonized, citing John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."
The underlying theme for this groups' opinion was that Christians belong to Christ and Christ alone, no one can break that ownership, "You can be harassed and tempted, but demons cannot get inside of you and control you if you belong to Christ," they wrote. The other 14 percent said they didn't know.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57565
Poll shows more than 9 of 10 affirm existence of place of punishment
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images2/hell%20(2).jpg
Concept of hell by Flemish painter Dieric Bouts the Elder
A whopping 95 percent of those who responded to a new poll by ChristiaNet.com (http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.christianet.com) believe there is, indeed, a hell.
"God's Word makes it clear that there is a place after death where people are separated from Him for eternity," ChristiaNet President Bill Cooper noted.
About 1,300 people visiting the organization's website recently took the poll, affirming with overwhelming numbers they believe hell exists.
"Because the Bible said so," was the most cited reason. "Jesus taught about it in Luke 16:19-31," was another response.
ChristiaNet.com, the world's largest Christian portal with more than 12 million monthly page loads, said three percent of the respondents said they were unsure.
"I don't really know if there is or isn't, I'm not dead yet," said one. While a few had trouble defining "hell."
"I don't know whether or not there is an actual place of hell, or if the soul is just tormented without God," wrote one.
Another two percent did not believe in hell. "God can't be the essence of Love and allow this to happen," said one.
Author Jack Kinsella, (http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://hallindsey.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=162) writing on a website maintained by WND columnist Hal Lindsey, (http://www.wnd.com/news/archives.asp?AUTHOR_ID=12) noted the New Testament affirms the "rich man" who died and was "in torments," saw Abraham and Lazarus the beggar, and asked for help.
"Lazarus the beggar died PHYSICALLY, but his spirit was carried by the angels into Paradise. The rich man died PHYSICALLY and was buried, but his spirit was very much conscious in hell," he wrote. "The rich man was conscious of his torment, was capable of addressing Abraham, and was aware of Lazarus. Abraham was equally conscious of HIS surroundings, as well as those of the rich man, and was capable of giving reply."
Commentators note that there are several dozen references to "hell" in the Bible, including the Hebrew word "Sheol," which means "the grave," as well as "Hades," which also means "the grave," "gehenna," which means the "place of burning," and "tartarus," which means "darkness."
Pope Benedict XVI also proclaimed earlier this year that hell is a place where sinners burn in an eternal fire, and is not just a religious symbol.
He said during a visit to a Rome parish earlier this year that God's mercy and love are great, but those who reject him should know that hell "exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much any more."
One of the larger Christian ministries in the U.S. today, Focus on the Family, (http://www.wnd.com/redir/r.asp?http://www.focusonthefamily.org) also confirms the existence of hell.
In response to a question about teaching children right from wrong, the organization advises, "The best approach is found in the instruction given to the children of Israel by Moses more than 3,000 years ago. He wrote, 'Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hand and bind them on your foreheads…'
"This commandment provides the key to effective spiritual training at home. It isn't enough to pray with your children each night, although family devotions are important. We must live the principles of faith throughout the day. References to the Lord and our beliefs should permeate our conversation and our interactions with our kids. Our love for Jesus should be understood to be the first priority in our lives. We must miss no opportunities to teach the components of our theology and the passion that is behind it.
"The reason this is such a critical responsibility is that the world will be giving your children very different messages in the days ahead. It will take them to hell if not counterbalanced by a firm spiritual foundation at home. This is one task about which we can't afford to be lackadaisical," the ministry said.
More than a century ago, the famed minister Jonathan Edwards used a fear of hell to warn people to accept Christianity.
"Those wicked men who died many years ago, their souls went to hell, and there they are still; those who went to hell in former ages of the world have been in hell every since, all the while suffering torment," he wrote. "They have nothing else to spend their time in there, but to suffer torment, they are kept in being for no other purpose," he wrote.
Edwards, whose most famous oration is a sermon called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," also said, "The world will probably be converted into a great lake or liquid globe of fire – a vast ocean of fire, in which the wicked shall be overwhelmed, which will always be in tempest in which they shall be tossed to and fro, having no rest or night, vast waves or billows of fire continually rolling over their heads, of which they shall forever be full of quick sense within and without, their heads, their eyes, their tongues, their hands, their feet, their loins, and their vitals shall forever be full of a glowing, melting fire, fierce enough to melt the very rocks and elements; and they shall also eternally be full of the most quick and lively sense to feel the torments; not for one minute, nor for one day, nor for one age, nor for two ages, nor for a hundred years, nor for ten thousands of millions of ages, one after another, but forever and ever, without any end at all, and never, never to be delivered."
Some of the minority segments of the poll submitted comments such as, "To me, we are in hell right now."
Out of 1,500 Christians who responded to that poll, 48 percent believe that Christians could, in fact, have a demon within. Most of this group stated that the devil was very real, and Christians could be demonized.
Others felt that by sinning, they were allowing a demon to enter their soul.
In that poll, 38 percent of Christians who took the poll felt that a "true" Christian could not be demonized, citing John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."
The underlying theme for this groups' opinion was that Christians belong to Christ and Christ alone, no one can break that ownership, "You can be harassed and tempted, but demons cannot get inside of you and control you if you belong to Christ," they wrote. The other 14 percent said they didn't know.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57565