Description of Hell?

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Question:

I'm sure you may have heard, or have told someone yourself, that hell is best put as "eternal separation from God." Most believing Christians, to my knowledge, do not strictly adhere to the literal interpretation of a fiery dungeon called Hell. 
With that said, what do you think of the condition of being separated from God eternally? Is it possible that this condition (this state of being completely severed from the living God) is not much different from the state of non-existence? After all, what type of life is it that exists separately from God?  Is there a possibility that hell (eternal separation from God) is actually banishment from humanity as well as divinity? Could it be the very diffusion of the conscious soul into the sinful nature? Could hell be the subtraction of that which makes us human, that which makes us more than animals? Could it be the subtraction of the breath of life and the return to dust? 
What is the nature of the second death that is spoken of in scripture?
I am not debating key doctrines here; I am just looking for a different and more educated insight.

My Reply:

You're thinking too much into it.
Hell is described, yes, as eternal separation from God, but it's also described (by Jesus) as a very hot place, filled with eternal torment, no humidity at all, and the gnashing of teeth.
In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus describes hell as very hot, even to the point where the rich man begged for Lazarus to even dip his smallest fingertip into some water and place it on his (the rich man's) tongue. Jesus also explained a chasm between heaven & hell that couldn't be crossed (torture to see those you hurt in paradise while you're burning eternally).
C.S. Lewis described the difference by saying that in hell, everybody's sitting at a banquet table with all this great food in front of them. But their arms are locked straight out in front of them, so they can't get the food into their mouths. Then in heaven, it's the same situation with the arms, only there, they're feeding each other.
Either way though, hell is continuously described as a place we shouldn't wish to go. It's not the same as not existing though, for we're beings that were created to live forever...there are 2 places where that could take place, and it's our decision now while we're here to make as to where that place will be.
Also, if you've ever had a run-in with Satan or one of his demons, you've gotta figure that hell is where they're going, and they know it. Anyplace where they are is definitely not a place where anybody should want to spend the rest of eternity.

---Pastor Andy

A Bible-Thumped Witch

Question:
Why haven't any Christians tried to kill me yet?
It states in the King James bible very clearly "Thall shalt not suffer a witch to live."
Well, I'm a witch. I make no attempt to hide the fact that I'm a witch and I proudly proclaim this fact about myself to Christians and non-Christians alike.
If the entire bible is the infallible Word of God, and a true Christian is supposed to do everything it says, then why has no Christian tried to kill me? Are you worried about legal troubles? Your God is supposed to reward you in heaven for being faithful, so why would you worry about going to jail or anything?
I ask this because I'm sick of people saying that the entire Bible should be taken literally and that none of it should be left out. Also, there is no possible way I'm taking this out of context. This is a direct quote straight from Deuteronomy. That's the verse word for word so it is not out of context.
If Christians are not under old testament Law, then why do Christians always quote Deuteronomy when they tell me I'm a sinner for being a lesbian? You can't have it both ways.

My Reply:
Yes, Christians are under the Law in terms of discipline, but we're not bound by it like the Israelites were in the Old Testament, since Jesus fulfilled it.
When reading God's Law, we need to remember who the target audience was...God's people.  Moses didn't read this to the surrounding nations, He read it to God's people who were in direct lineage of His Covenant and blessings. See, there's a special holiness that's demanded of God's people, and these laws and commandments were in place to train and form the Israelites into this demanded transformation, and away from what they were. The lesbian, witch, animality, certain foods, etc. on the other hand, were all things that the surrounding nations were engulfed in.  God's people were to be different...Holy as God is Holy.
Also, in terms of witches, y'all don't worship God (as I'm sure you fully know), and God's people were not only commanded to worship the Lord only, but several generations also vowed to.  Therefore, anybody who worshipped something other than the Lord was to be put to death, for they had rejected the Lord, as well as broken their vow with Him and the nation Israel.  [This may also account for what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30: “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” If one member of the Body sins, throw him out of the congregation, for keeping him in would cause the whole body to become guilty of sin (leavening). Therefore, cut it off, for it’s better to lose one part of the body than for your whole Body (the whole nation Israel) to go into hell…Also where Paul tells the Corinthians to expel the sinner, casting him out to Satan…for the rest of the church was accepting it and thus fueling the fires of hell to consume them all…so cast out the one part that sins, for it’s better to lose part than all.]
In the sense of judgment, we Christians are not to judge those outside the Church...that's God's job. Those whom we ARE to judge is one another (other Christians), but in the sense of accountability, not condemnation. You are not of God's people (you've even admitted this in your question). Therefore, we are not called to condemn you, but witness to you and represent God with hopes and prayers that you may come to know Jesus Christ with the love that He has for you.  If anything, we're to condemn what you're doing and the spirit behind it, but not you personally.
Now, in the sense of witchcraft (yes, even "white" witchcraft), such is not of God, but of God's enemy. Jesus also said that "those who are not with Me are against Me." This may explain the aggressiveness of those coming after you with Deuteronomy, for they recognize the spirit from which your witchcraft originates.  But as you've noticed, we have not tried to kill you because it is not with you whom we battle, but with the one whom you serve. (And though we battle him every day, Jesus already won the war).
There's a saying that "those who are against Bible thumpers are usually those who have been thumped by Bibles." If you've been thumped, I can only assume it was by those who either fear you, or the spirit behind your witchcraft, or by people who deep down really care about you yet still need to learn how to show you this in love and compassion, versus the harsh swinging of their swords.

---Pastor Andy  :}>+-

Who Really Deserves Eternal Torment?

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Question:  

I am curious as to who in the history of the whole world deserves eternal torment. For this, we will leave Satan out of it. So in other words, "Who really deserves eternal torment besides Satan?" I think Satan is just metaphorical for the side of people that is prone to sin and makes bad decisions, but if you would please leave your religion too because in a way I am making a poll. I won't disrespect your beliefs and I hope you will do the same. I personally don't even think Hitler deserves such torment.

So far in my research, some people said that there is someone in the world that deserves this. So I ask, how do you feel about a human being more forgiving?  If it’s true that God would not forgive someone for his/her sins and I, as a mere mortal, would (and I believe I would be more forgiving, actually, and if you think about it, more just too. Although I am not saying that I am better than God, I want to get that clear right away). Think about this: Have you ever been seriously hurt? If not, think of a time that you were scraped up. Remember the pain…go back to the pain that you endured and then imagine it 10,000,000 times worse and it will never end nor go numb. Think about this. Does anyone deserve that for something as little as not believing?

My Reply:

Who deserves eternal torment?  We all do.  Seriously! I mean, look at us:

• God tells us not to do something and we do it. 
• God tells us to do something and we don't.  
• God calls us to be holy, as He is holy, and we choose to be secular.
• God sends His love, and instead of receiving it, we debate whether God even exists or if His love is sufficient.
• God tells us to make every effort to be at peace with one another, and we choose wars.
• We were given the planet to care for it, and we litter and pollute it.
• We were given authority over the animals, and we abuse them.  
• We were given emotions to feel, and we abuse substances in order to feel numb. 
• God sent His Son and we killed Him. 
• We threw away God's standards and replaced them with our own cultural standards, then complained that God's not fair.  
• And we continue to commit the same sin that Adam & Eve committed that got us here in the first place...we try to live our lives (or certain parts of it) without God. 

Dude, we all deserve eternal torment.  But praise the Lord, He's given us another option! :)

---Pastor Andy