What is the appropriate degree of (un)certainty to have regarding the state of somebody's soul

[Elok]

No. I had almost precisely the same argument with Lord of the Mark years ago, and read multiple books on Judaism written by rabbis, and I can say with confidence that you are wrong. Jews "fear the Lord and keep His commandments" in part for fear of earthly retribution, but mostly because it is their vocation to live in community as Jews. Abraham was promised "immortality" via many descendants, not an afterlife. Sinners go down to Sheol . . . when YHWH strikes them dead. Righteous people die after long, happy lives, and wind up in the same place, or did until Christ (this is Orthodox teaching--the icon for Pascha shows Christ raising Adam and Eve, representative of the whole human race, from Sheol--and I don't imagine the RCC's is much different). You are imposing a Christian understanding on a Jewish book.

Cf. various Psalms: "lest I die, and go down to those who are in the pit," "do the shades rise up to praise Thee?" etc.

[The Mad Monk]

Guys, guys, ... Epicurus was right.

Our consciousness is the result of the random (as opposed to chaotic) motions of atoms?

[giblets]

Which deteriorates faster when you die, your consciousness or your sense of time? Could dying be experienced as an eternity?

[Ben Kenobi]

You are imposing a Christian understanding on a Jewish book.

Sinners going down to sheol is right there in the text.

[Proteus_MST]

The description of Sheol you quoted sounds, however, a lot more like Hades, than that what most christians associate with hell ...
more a world of forgetting, where the deads dwell, than a world of constant pain and suffering

[Ben Kenobi]

The description of Sheol you quoted sounds, however, a lot more like Hades, than that what most christians associate with hell ...
more a world of forgetting, where the deads dwell, than a world of constant pain and suffering

True, a fiery hell is not there. However, Elok was arguing against a meaningful Jewish afterlife being an invention of Christ. It is not. As for suffering, Hades was not an especially pleasant place.

[Proteus_MST]

... It is not. As for suffering, Hades was not an especially pleasant place.

I agree ... while they aren´t the fiery BDSM dungeon that christians made out of hell,
neither Sheol nor Hades sound like places where you would like to spend eternity

[Elok]

Generally, the Orthodox use the term "Hades" instead of Sheol to describe the bleak null state preceding the Crucifixion. Which is to be expected, given our strongly Greek origins.

[Ben Kenobi]

Generally, the Orthodox use the term "Hades" instead of Sheol to describe the bleak null state preceding the Crucifixion. Which is to be expected, given our strongly Greek origins.

Curious. Do you not believe that Christ descended into hell?

[Elok]

"Hell" is sometimes used to describe the domain of death, as a matter of poetic license (as in the Troparion, "then Thou didst destroy Hell by thy Godly power," ie the power of death itself was defeated). "Hell" as in Dante's Inferno? No. Anachronism. Christ describes damnation as occurring after the Last Judgment. Now, to be fair, God transcends strict temporality, but the fact remains that the OT contains no hellfire.

[Ben Kenobi]

Ok, but what about the part of the creed, "He descended into the dead".

[Proteus_MST]

Ok, but what about the part of the creed, "He descended into the dead".

The realm of dead doesn´t make any description of the place ... and insofar can also mean something like Sheol or Hades instead of hell according to the belief of many christians

[Ben Kenobi]

I'm not well versed on Orthodox theology, so I was curious what Elok would say about that.

[Bereta_Eder]

Well ok Hades is not used that much.
More in use is Kolassis, (literally , hell)
Which etymologically steems from Kolazomai which means "to be tempted". Kolazomai is very close semantically to "sin" (amartima which is to act on the kolassimo).

[Bereta_Eder]

For example, you see a nice sweet tasty tart,
you say Kolazomai (I am tempted). That doesn't mean you sin - αμαρτάνω amartano (you actually go ahead and eat the tart) it means you are tempted to do it (which is like half a sin, not totally inoccent in no way, not absolut sin either, because you haven't acted on the thought. Although even thoughts can be deemed sinful)

Generally it is frowned upon to get into "kolazomai" but virtually all enjoyable things do that. (like tarts)