Posted on 02/24/2014 7:45:08 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Fire, brimstone, eternal suffering — hell is not a pleasant concept. But research has pointed to the societal benefits of a belief in supernatural punishment, including higher economic growth in developing countries and less crime.
But there are also drawbacks, even in this life. A new study links believing in hell, and perhaps even thinking about it, with lower levels of happiness and satisfaction in life.
"It seems there is this trade-off," said Azim Shariff, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Oregon.
In research published in January in PLOS ONE, Shariff and a colleague looked at international survey data to see how belief in heaven and hell affected people's daily emotional states, along with a more long-term measure, life satisfaction.
Because many, but not all people believe in both heaven and hell simultaneously, Shariff and Lara Aknin of Simon Frasier University in British Columbia focused on those who believe in one but not the other. In the vast majority of cases, this meant people who believed in heaven unchecked by hell.
Looking at survey data from 63 countries, the researchers found that the more a belief in heaven outstripped a belief in hell in a country, the happier and more satisfied the residents were. When researchers looked at individual responses, they found a similar pattern — people who believe in heaven reported greater satisfaction with life.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Meow.
Ephesians 2:8-9 points to a way out, a remedy..
“Here’s somebody I’m gonna scare the .... out of and torment.. “RRRAAAAAUGH”..... oh, you’ve been married?......Oh you’ve been married twice, hahah, would you like a job down here?” - Sam Kinison
Hahaha! Love Sam Kinison:)
AMEN AMEN AMEN!
Zactly ....
Being a follower of Jesus, I’m 100% happy not to be headed for hell. Especially after I singed my hand over a BBQ grill sometime back and got a quick first-hand taste of fire.
If you don't believe in Hell or anything after this existence (let alone retribution for your actions), you'll probably do a lot of sex, drugs, and venture swindling, not to mention selling off Jews to the Nazis all in the name of profit and self-advancement.
Amen to that.
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