Grew up Jewish, recently started studying theology, and I have some genuine questions.
I grew up Jewish, and am an atheist. I started taking online theology classes to better understand Christianity, as I live in the deep south and the majority of my friends and family on my father’s side are Christian. There are a few things I’m trying to wrap my head around that don’t make sense to me, and I figured this would be a good place to do it. These are just some questions that have me stumped and I’m hoping to get some clearer insight to how Christianity works.
Hell. The entire concept of it. I don’t get it. Biblically, it doesn’t really exist. I can read Hebrew and a little ancient Greek, Hell is not in Jewish literature or in the Old Testament. There are vague mentions of Sheol or Hades, both referring to graves, or, literally translated as “abode of the dead.” It is also not found in the original New Testament. Gehenna is typically translated to “hell” in the bible, but it’s a literal place in Israel where waste and sewage were dumped. Why is the modern version of hell a place where souls are burned forever?
Free will. This sort of ties in with the previous question, but does free will exist in Christianity? It doesn’t seem possible if there is also a hell; free will cannot exist with the threat of eternal damnation, that would be extortion, which is the opposite of free will, right?
What happens if someone has never heard of G-d? Are they sent to hell?
I do not understand the resurrection. Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn’t G-d just forgive sin instead of making his son suffer?
On the topic of Jesus, what the heck is the Trinity. I’m so very confused on this one. Why are there 3 of them and how are they one person?
Heaven. What takes place there and is there free will there? It doesn’t seem like there would be.
Again, this is coming from someone who knows nothing about Christianity, I suppose I just can’t wrap my mind around some of the teachings. I do genuinely think it’s a beautiful religion, and I’ve often found myself wishing I had grown up in a slightly more Christian-centered household so I wouldn’t be so clueless to it. Thank you for reading my post and hopefully answering some of my questions. :)