Wouldn't you be treated like a king in hell?

I think the idea is that Hell is supposed to be God’s punishment, not the Devil’s reward.

@netgrrl So the Devil & God are in cahoots? I mean, the Devil was against God’s will, so wouldn’t people being sent to Hell & having punishment, be what God wants, which means the Devil agrees with him? I really do want to understand how this Heaven/Hell relationship works. Really.

I guess the people who do the thing in heaven/hell get to go places where one can continue doing them with like minds. If you like fornicating like a rabbit you go to hell where everyone does so… If you like monogamy you go to heaven…But With the devil he might be trying to do good and fail at it…he was Gods’ brightest angel before the fall…he might get pissed that you’re mucking up his world….
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and P.S. I’m not sure that being treated like a king is very appealing…you never get to help anyone or contribute or progress….learn any lessons ect…

Coming from Christianity, the idea is that the devil is evil and tempts you on Earth with wonderful things so that he can keep you from God. He inflicts suffering on you in hell because he’s evil. God merely wants you to accept Christ as your savior so that you can go to heaven. Doing good has nothing to do with whether or not you get in – but saved Christians tend to lean towards doing good anyway because of an intrinsic change. Part of that change is due to the realization that the devil creates the aforementioned temptations.

Hope that helps clear things up. :)

Actually, there’s not much Biblical basis for Hell as in punishment for evil doers after death – or for a Devil that runs it. It’s more Faust than fact.

There is a fallen angel in the Bible named Lucifer.

@netgrrl – I believe the devil entity is referred to as “the enemy” and hell is referred to as a flaming body of water, among other things (like “darkness”).

From the stories I’d heard, I thought hell was a place where the dead suffer mostly because of their own shortcomings, usually in highly ironic fashion.

@StephK I’ll need to see chapter & verse on that, if you don’t mind.

It’s late & I’m on my iPhone so I’ll only list one: Rom 6:23 says the wages of sin is death, not eternal punishment.

@netgrrl No there is not a fallen angel in the Bible named Lucifer, that is some wild imaging combined with some horrid attempts at interpretations.

hell isn’t “ruled” by satan, satan was banished to hell. he is just as unhappy there as the people that are sent there who can’t make it into earth

i think my main example of this is actually from dante’s inferno, rather than the bible. but satan lives in the last circle of hell and he is actually frozen in ice and cannot move for all of eternity. he has the worst punishment out of all the punishments.

does that make sense?

My understanding is:

The devil honestly doesn’t give a damn (haha) about your experience in the afterlife. He is pure evil personified (demonified?) and I’m sure hell is as agonising for him as it is for everyone else there.

I live next door to Lucifer…..she cheats on her bf….gets drunk and turns evil. and has fake boobs.

There is no peace, no love, just backstabbing…snobbery and her perfect fake body with evil intent.

Look, I don’t care. I’m an atheist so I don’t have any dogs in this race. :)

@netgrrl : I believe that “death” in that passage refers to a spiritual death. It’s a common form of usage.

Matthew 8:12 refers to hells as darkness, Revelations 19:20 mentions a firey lake. Jesus often spoke in parables, which is where the symbology comes in. 1 Peter 5:8 gives a direct connection of the words “devil” and “the enemy”.

In Hebrew, the name Lucifer is translated from the word “helel,” in the Old Testament—which means brightness or day star or something like that.

But I’m half asleep. Peace out. :)

According to most Christian theology, Hell is a punishment even for the Devil. He is also a purely evil tempter who really doesn’t give a shit about you, even if you live out your life in service to him. That’s part of what makes him so evil; he doesn’t even have any loyalty or thanks.

So therefore, you won’t get a high five from Satan in hell for being evil. Instead he would be like “fuck you, join me in my torment” and then you roast for eternity alongside him.

At least according to most Christian thought.

“I may not have ever stepped into a church, or cracked open a Bible, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to learn a little something about the ol’ h, e, double hockey sticks, ya know?”

OK..well enough, but not having cracked open a Bible means that you are probably not going to get a useful answer on a fluther thread. This is one topic on which flutherites share their ignorance, not their knowledge…as least on this subject.

I would note that discussions on this subject have been going on for 2000 years, even though the basic doctrine was deduced within the first couple of hundred years after the death of Christ.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard, as usual wraps up the brief answer pretty succinctly.

@plethora, thank you kindly.

The Devil (Satan) is not the ruler of hell. Satan is doomed to hell right alongside all the other sinners. But the depiction of hell in the bible as being a place of fire and brimstone is inaccurate.

The depicted hell is the work of the early church, and it is nothing more than The Garbage Dump outside of Jerusalem. This was used as a strong visual to scare little children and non believers. And although it was a place to banish unwanted citizens, and it burned constantly smoldering into the night, it has absolutely nothing to do with the concept of hell spoken about in the bible.

The biblical hell is simply an eternal separation from God. And that means a separation from Truth, and thus, one must live an eternity in the realm of Deception, where fires of lust, greed, and every malice will burn the soul, never to be quenched and satisfied.

That’s the Christian depiction of Hell. The Taoist depiction is a bit different on the surface, but with a little study and insight, it is actually very similar to the original Christian teachings.

The story goes like this…

A Warrior approached the Monk and ask:
“Great Master. Teach me the ways of Heaven and Hell.”

The Monk looked at him and smiled:
“A worthless dog such as yourself could never understand such concepts”.

The Warrior was enraged! He drew his sword to the Monk’s neck:
“Prepare to die Monk! For your insults will not be tolerated!”

The Monk looked at him and smiled:
“Now you are in Hell”.

The Warrior, realizing his error, fell to his knees in shame:
“Forgive me Master, for I have sinned against you”.

The Monk looked at him and smiled:
“Now you are in Heaven”.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies, awesome analysis and story.

Loves it, @RealEyesRealizeRealLies

My answer is @RealEyesRealizeRealLies’ answer, though perhaps with more meat on Hell’s bones, and less Tao on the table. And a note to the OP that one does not get into Heaven by being a good person. It is by grace that we are saved, not works.

God doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell. He wants people to accept Him and His grace so they can go to Heaven and have eternal life.

That Tao legend told by @RealEyesRealizeRealLies reminds me of the saying that goodness is its own reward.

Oh, you won’t be treated like a “king,” but more of a slave. Heck, you’ll be a slave.

If you expect some reward in Hell such as being treated like a god or goddess, than you’re wrong.