Americans Describe Their Views About Life After Death(Only One 1/2 of 1% Think They Are Hell-Bound)

Barna ^ | October 21, 2003

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

The good news is that Ted Turner types, who want to go to hell, are a very rare breed. That is a dangerous philosophy. The bad news is, there's too much ear tickling going on in the American churches. Preaching hellfire is bad for business. It's that old money issue dogging religion. If they do go back to hellfire, it would generally be to tell people they're damned if they don't tithe.

It's my belief that the problems of any nation are rooted in failures by its religious leadership. Russia, for example, fell to comunism because the Russian Orthodox Church convinced everyone they were damned to hell.

Rasputin came along, preaching that sin 'purifies the soul' and the Russian people flocked to him-- desperate to believe there was a possible way to make it to Heavan. Obviously, a nation can't keep its moral compass intact with a religious leader like that. It was inevitable that someone would terminate his role.

After Rasputin was martyred, it was easy for someone like Lenin to take control. I realise there are other factors involved, but if Russia had the relgious heritage that our Founding Fathers had, they could have worked out a much better government than a regime who's primary goal is for people to worship government, as was clearly stated by Karl Marx.

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

It's my belief that the problems of any nation are rooted in failures by its religious leadership. Russia, for example, fell to comunism because the Russian Orthodox Church convinced everyone they were damned to hell. Rasputin came along, preaching that sin 'purifies the soul' and the Russian people flocked to him -- desperate to believe there was a possible way to make it to Heavan. Obviously, a nation can't keep its moral compass intact with a religious leader like that. It was inevitable that someone would terminate his role. After Rasputin was martyred, it was easy for someone like Lenin to take control. I realise there are other factors involved, but if Russia had the relgious heritage that our Founding Fathers had, they could have worked out a much better government than a regime who's primary goal is for people to worship government, as was clearly stated by Karl Marx.

Out of curiosity, could you possibly cite some historical evidences for your claim that "the Russian Orthodox Church convinced everyone they were damned to hell"??

Excepting a few Orthodox treatises such as the famous "River of Fire", I have sometimes harbored the opinion that the Eastern Orthodox may have, on occasion, preached too little Fire and Brimstone (Jesus Christ himself preached more on the subject of Hell than any other Biblical figure); but this is certainly the first time that I have ever seen the Eastern Orthodox accused of preaching on Eternal Damnation too much!!

Some Facts and Figures, if possible??

[AntiGuv]

Only One 1/2 of 1% Think They Are Hell-Bound

Well, I'll be damned..

[PaulJ]

This kind of reminds me of a study I read a couple of years ago in which people were asked to rate themselves in various aspects of their lives. The result that most interested me was that virtually 100% of respondents rated themselves as above avereage drivers. This included people who were in the hospital suffering from accident injuries that they caused

I guess people will believe what they want.

[stands2reason]

Another 6% believed their entrance to Heaven would be based upon the fact that “God loves all people and will not let them perish.”

How nice of God!

[tkathy]

"Preaching hellfire is bad for business"

When I was young, hellfire for about everybody was preached continually. It is a concept that the Muslims are beating to death. They claim that all non Muslims are going to hell, etc. It is a tired, worn out threat to keep people in line.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

It is a good thing that the firey Hell is only make believe. Hell is simply the grave, and everyone makes it to the grave.

[stevio]

You should read the New Testament to find out what Hell is about.

[xzins]

ping to eternity

[who knows what evil?]

Seems to be a bit of a contradiction here..."Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7: 13, 14. I believe quite a few people have a big surprise coming. We shall see.

[Aquinasfan]

I think we could use some more fire and brimstone sermons. Some of us may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

[Jerry_M]

A new Tract (PDF) that might interest you.

A complete presentation of the Gospel.

[xzins]

Thanks, Jerry. I'll check it out.

[chickenlips]

Truly sad statistics. It seems a lot of church attenders are deceived in thinking that they are good enough to warrant eternal salvation based on their own merits. They neither realize how dead they are spiritually nor how much they war with God. What a deadly pride.

Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ NASB 1995

The ironic part is that they are further from the truth than the 1/2 of 1% that realize there is a God and that he judges and punishes sin and they are due his just punishment. They at least acknowledge their own depravity.

Let's pray for those that are playing Christian, that they seek and find the truth before it's too late.

Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. NIV

[connectthedots]

Going to be a lot of surprised people.

[Campion]

Russia, for example, fell to comunism because the Russian Orthodox Church convinced everyone they were damned to hell.

Rasputin came along, preaching that sin 'purifies the soul' and the Russian people flocked to him-- desperate to believe there was a possible way to make it to Heavan. ... After Rasputin was martyred, it was easy for someone like Lenin to take control.

That's a pretty creative rewriting of Russian history, but doesn't have much to do with what actually happened. What actually happened was that the Empress, not the Russian people, "flocked to Rasputin". And it was not because she was desperate to get to heaven because the Orthodox church taught that everyone was damned -- it didn't -- but because she thought Rasputin could cure her hemophiliac son, the Heir to the Throne, through prayer.

Most of the Russian people didn't know or care who Rasputin was, but, when the war came and Russians were dying by the millions, every one of them knew and hated the nemka ("the German woman"), the Empress.

Lenin's attraction was purely and simply that he was the only major political figure who promised peace, immediately.

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

The story reminds me of this great joke:

---

THERMODYNAMICS OF HELL

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington Chemistry midterm. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, some religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell.

Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.

Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year, "...that it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then, #2 cannot be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze.

The student received the only "A" given.

[nickcarraway]

Please, try reading Dostoevsky.

[missyme]

I am trusting Jesus Christ as my means of gaining God’s permanent favor and a place in Heaven

But someone else could get to Heaven based upon living an exemplary life.

NO ONE HAS LIVED AN EXEMPLARY LIFE ACCEPT JESUS THE CHRIST