Is my proffesor a mistaken or do I know nothing about Judaism?

[Ben Kenobi]

LoTM:

I don't think Shi and I are trying to threadjack.

Just ask us to leave if you feel differently.

Now you "choose" to go to hell, but what if I dont want to be good AND I dont want to go to hell? Since god made the system he is still forcing me to a place against my will by virtue of a lack of alternatives.

Vesayen:

Did you come into existence all by yourself? God made the system, he also gets to make the rules.

Shi:

but there are other issues in which you can remain a Catholic in good standing will dissenting against certain teachings of the Church.

One can reject papal infalliability and still be a Catholic in good standing? Are you sure about this?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
LoTM:

I don't think Shi and I are trying to threadjack.

Just ask us to leave if you feel differently.

i dont know. i very much appreciate your goodwill (dare I say its "christian" of you? ) , though i also was hoping for an actual discussion of jewish sources. Since vesayen started the thread, i will leave it up to him which topics he chooses to pursue. I guess given the paucity of people here with interest/knowledge to pursue the Jewish angle, its kind of inevitable that the thread would turn. And i certainly appreciate that the original post hit some "hot" buttons.

[Vesayen]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Vesayen:
Did you come into existence all by yourself? God made the system, he also gets to make the rules.

Then if hell exists, his rules suck.


Also the idea that "hell is self impossed torment" is rediculous..... you can not have "ultimate love and goodness" but at the same time not be filled with complete self loathing and hate, there is a happy medium isnt there :?

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
you'll have to ask your prof for his text references.

I presume he means gehenom.

As others have mentioned it is an actual place outside Jerusalem. Like Az, ive always heard it mentioned as a bad place because of pagan sacrifices, not cause it was a garbage pit. Maybe a different jewish trad from Christian trad on that one?

OTOH, gehennom is used in contrast to gan eden (garden of eden, paradise) so in that sense its equivalent to hell.

Theres also the wilderness of Azazel, where the scapegoat that carries the sins of the people was sent on Yom Kippur.

Come to think of it, I also remember that allegedly at one time the valley was used for the sacrifice of children by pagans. Wasn't there supposed to be a Jewish king who reverted to paganism?