Does Hell exist? I would say both no, and yes. Eternity is much longer than most anyone can imagine – we give it lip service, but we can’t fathom how long it really is. We can look at our lives and say that 20 years was a long time ago, or 40 years ago, for that matter. We can look back farther and say that the Romans were 2,000 years ago, and that’s pretty far back. Or even farther, and say that dinosaurs, millions of years back, was a long time ago. In the face of eternity, all this is less than a microsecond, hardly even a blip. Eternity is FOREVER!
When you look at people who you’d say will never change, in the face of eternity, it is possible, however unlikely it may be. Over the course of those endless microseconds, these folks just might make a different choice than they have thus far, and pursue a different path.
The “eternal” part of eternal damnation completely eliminates change, forever. I don’t buy it. Damnation, maybe, but eternal, hell no (pun intended!).
Intense misery is hell. Intense misery is not necessarily a place, although it might be. It’s more of a state of mind. This is more of how I see Hell, and in my mind, these Hells exist, on many-many levels. It’s much more than, and at the same time NOT the singular, eternal-damnation, ruled-by-the-Devil Christian variety. Don’t let the Christian definition cause you trouble in getting your head around it.
The best description of Hell I’ve ever heard comes from one of my favorite movies, “What Dreams May Come”, where Cuba Gooding Jr. tells Robin Williams that “The real hell is your life gone wrong.” Short, simple, and to the point. Couldn’t have been said better.
If you haven’t seen “What Dreams May Come”, you’re missing out on a great story about the Spirit World, and in part, Hell. It’s about a man separated from his wife, first by death, and then by suicide. While it wasn’t a huge hit at the box office, it certainly is a good story, and gives you some things to think about, on a spiritual level. Definitely worth checking out.
In the context of researching Near Death Experiences (NDE’s), Neal Grossman had an experience with people that “cured me of any impulse to argue these things with recalcitrant colleagues; it is pointless to argue with someone who tells me that his mind is already made up, and nothing I can say will change it.”
If you’re going to discuss things spiritual, it is wise to do it with people who are open, somewhat open, or at least say they’re open. And you should be the same. If you go into a discussion with the idea that you’re going to “win”, as opposed to explore and maybe learn, then you’ll probably have a battle. Battle may be entertaining, but it has little educational value, most of the time.
I differentiate between a discussion and an argument this way: a discussion has real learning potential, as the parties are open to considering each other’s views. An argument is a battle, where there are winners and losers, where each is invested in besting the other.
Spiritualists are looked down upon by certain religions as being evil or of the Devil. Sometimes, members of those religions look to do battle with you, either explicitly, or under the guise of a discussion. The best thing you can do, is what Neal did – learn from it, and walk away. I suggest you find better people, and have a real discussion instead.
There’s enough information all over the Internet about how mediumship and similar spiritual matters are fake or otherwise not believable. Proponents of these viewpoints often believe in Materialism, and they usually go to town trying to run down our beliefs. Here’s a different slice – Neal Grossman has some interesting things to say against Materialism in the context of Near Death Experiences (NDE’s). Lengthy but an interesting read, something to consider.
James Byrne is a medium of notoriety in the UK. He was very successful for many years and then make an about-face and is now against Spiritualism. This article tells James’ story pretty well.
Referring to lecture of his, he says that “My talk is based on the fact that so many charlatans exist and the psychic industry has become a multi-million pound industry and it is based on a complete sham which is not regulated. I will explain how I, having worked as a psychic for 30 years at the highest level, now believe it is not only morally wrong, but what psychics do you can train anyone to do in a matter of days and earn at least £400 per week with ease.”
Charlatans certainly do exist, and it’s morally wrong for someone to knowingly take advantage of people in this manner. While they do exist, it’s important to not let them get you down.
If you want to learn about people of notoriety in the world of mediumship and Spiritualism, you should check spiritwritings, which has a number of biographies, including famous folks like Andrew Jackson Davis and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There is a rather extensive book list as well.
Here’s an excellent article about skepticism and cynicism in the context of mediumship, written by a medium. Says it, and says it well. It’s a bit lengthy, but well worth the time to read it.
As Andrew Jackson Davis would say, above all else, keep an even mind.
Sounds strange to say “I talk with Homo Sapiens”, doesn’t it? Is “I talk with Humans” any better? We don’t normally describe it this way. We’re more likely to say “I talk with people”.
So why is mediumship described as “talking with the dead”? Using the term “the dead” is about as strange as using “Homo Sapiens” or “Humans” in conversation. Why don’t we say “spirits” or “spirit people” instead? It has a much more natural sound and feel. Animals and other special entities aside for a minute, they’re people, so why don’t we refer to them as such?
