*thinking...*
I get a little confused (comes of reading here, with every fundie saying something different about their cult and their understanding of their book) as to who Satan really is. Is he that angel who decided he was fed up with having to mindlessly praise gob and rebelled, and was kicked out of heaven? Because he sounds like an OK being to me - independent, wilful, freedom-loving, interesting.
I'm thinking hell might be quite a nice place. I mean, we know gob's a liar - for example, look what happened in Eden, how he lied to Adam and Eve - while the Serpent (who may or may not be Satan?) told the truth. So we can extrapolate that heaven may not be all it's cracked up to be - and neither is hell. I don't believe it's the fiery lake the xians say it is. Would you trust the word of liars, after all?
And I'd assume that Satan would be happy to welcome like-minded humans - independent, interesting, people he can actually relate to, have a decent conversation with. Why would he punish people who have, according to the xians, 'served' him all their lives? I think he'd make a hell a rather wonderful place to be, brimming with all the most intelligent, funny and fascinating people. Sure, he might need to pretend it's a dire and awful place, just to keep gob from nosing around, but I really feel it's highly unlikely it would be anything but attractive and interesting with fabulous decor. And I've read John's account of heaven -
out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. "The seven Spirits of God."
4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (4:6-8) The four beasts
John sees four beasts, each with six wings and "full of eyes."
4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come ('alf-inched from the Skeptic's Annotated Bible)
- and it sounds like something out of a horror film to me...
No - I'll stick with hell, it's a far more attractive proposition. At the very least I know I won't have to put up with empty-headed moronic sheeple and death-obsessed fundies and the evil bastards they seem to think will be there. In hell, if the xians are right, there are a very large number of people I can't wait to meet!
*sigh* It's almost a pity it doesn't exist...
