Hell wasn't even a part of the belief system in the earlier stages of Judaism. In fact, it doesn't appear to have even become a thing until around the Persian era. The references that are usually translated as "hell" in the Old Testament (AKA the Hebrew Bible) actually refer to "sheol" which wasn't hell. Judaism never even universally acquired a concept of Heaven and Hell -- there were numerous Jewish practices and beliefs which carried different views of the afterlife, with the Saduccees not believing in any afterlife whatsoever, the Pharisees mostly believing in some kind of eventual resurrection, and many of the broader population having all sorts of views on the afterlife. It isn't clear that Christianity even had a consistent view of this as a variety of mutually exclusive viewpoints can be found in the New Testament, despite the effort to harmonize these by most modern denominations. There are views of Heaven and a literal firely hell as preached in my old Southern Baptist denomination, there are annihilationists who consider hell to be just annihilation but no ongoing existence, there are those who believe in an "eternal separation from God" viewpoint, and some others as well. We tend to remember the ones we grew up with. As for Satan, that character has quite a history. He wasn't original to Judaism, coming along gradually and really becoming an entity of his own around that last 2 centuries BCE. Read some books on that -- "The Origin of Satan" by Elaine Pagels is very good, and a couple of others I can't recall off hand. These books do address hell to some extent. Bart Ehrman's new book on the development of beliefs in the afterlife will be out soon, and that should have a lot of the history of the various beliefs in the afterlife in Christianity and how those beliefs came to be. Understanding how the beliefs developed can play a role in not fearing hell.

If you do go to hell, we'll all be there too, so even though you will be suffering, you'll have plenty of people to hang out with. BTW--I would guess that less than 1% of the bible can be verified. Way less. Watch Dan Barker debate with Christians. Like he says, the best way to debate people is to know their subject matter better than they do. BTW--welcome to the group!

I was also religiously programmed (Conservative Baptist, for the most part). I was taught the Bible is the infallible word of God.

Two books that helped me tremendously when I began my journey out of this mindset were: 'Who Wrote the Bible,' by Richard E. Friedman and '101 Myths of the Bible,' by Gary Greenberg. These books focus more on the Old Testament and they show that it the Bible, and its tales, are man made with competing stories. Its stories/myths are based on stories/myths that were prevalent in the area at the time and long preceded the Bible and the Jewish people.

Later, books by Bart D. Ehrman were very helpful. His focus being mostly the New Testament and Jesus.

And, about hell. Just like modern Jews, ancient Jews did not believe in hell--this can be seen in the Bible. It was a later invention of the Christians. Yes, Jesus, who was a Jew, supposedly believed in hell; but those who wrote what he supposedly said/taught were, by then, Christians.

If this god created a place of eternal punishment, why did it take so long before it started threatening its creation with it?

I look at it this way. I am honest and good and do my best to never harm anyone else. If there were a god (I don't believe there is), then if condemns me for being a good person, then he is a being that is not worthy of my respect, let alone my worship.

Archeologically, the earliest biblical character that has been confirmed was "king" David. However, he asnt' a great kind, but rather a minor war lord.

They tower of Babel (Babylon), has shown that there was a tower that remained uncompleted for about 250 years, but then construction resumed and was completed. It was never intended to reach heaven.

The biblical story of Noah and the Ark, is actually the fourth (known) incarnation of that story. There may have been previous versions, but timwise earlier versions were never recorded, because that woudl predate written language(s). The biblical story is the mos trecent version, and is the only version that is monotheistic (one goe).

The destruction of Sodam accordign to geologists and archeologists was due the ground of the area begin riddled with natural bas pickets. There was a huge earthquake, which released the heavier than air gas, which them exploded and detroyed the ctities of the area. The stoy came after the fact. Lot who imprgnated his daughters claims they got him drunk. However, studies have been done that show that even a person who drinks to a point where they will black out, retains knowledge of the right or wrong of their actions, in the moment, which is why drunk drivers no longer get off with light sentences. The reality was probably more like an alcoholic demanding his daughters brign him wine, he drinks to the point of drunkenness and then proceeds to rape his daughters, and then like any alcoholic (or addict) blames his daughters (the victims) for his own actions.

Then there are all the times where a person in biblical story goes off by themselves and we get the full text of conversations with god, angels or whomever, but the person who went off alone never recorded it themselves, so you wonder how the writer knew what happened and what was said (they just made it up).

Most biblical stories incorporate pieces from stories of other religions or segments of other stories.

This video shows how some aspects of the Jesus story wsw taken form earlier tales.

This video shows how the Noah story was taken form previous religions.

Just remember, no one gets out alive. if you've come this far you realize the best way to live is be honest with yourself, that kindness and love make you feel better than hate and fear and critical thinking and sorting facts is very important.

It's normal to have doubts. Especially after having spent so much of your life
believing what you'd always been told.
However, you've chosen to accept the reality of logic and reason, and faced
that your religious indoctrination has been nothing but bullshit.

One thing to keep in mind when thinking about any sort of "afterlife".
Have you ever noticed that out of all the stories about those who claim to
have died and come back, not one of them said they'd gone to hell?
They all went to heaven and came back.
Not a single one of them has ever gone to hell and returned to talk about how
awful it was.
It's all just white light and love.
Yeah, that's some seriously wishful thinking, psychological bullshit right there.
If heaven is so great, why would anyone consciously choose to come back from it?

There is no "afterlife". No heaven, no hell. Just here, or not here.
Life or death. That's it.

Hell isn't even in the Old Testament, and the concept of "eternal torture" I think it was Thomas Paine who said, is too absurd to bother refuting. A well known progressive Christian bishop (John Shelby Spong) claims that Hell is simply an invention of The Church devised as a control tactic:

Well done you for recognising the myriad of logical fallacies that are used by the God Squad when they attempt to demonstrate the existence of their particular God.

You might want to look into the history of the Bible (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible ), the two Councils of Nicaea ( [en.wikipedia.org] ), a comparison between the Bible and the Torah, and the mythology of virgin births ( [en.wikipedia.org] ).

It is worthwhile pointing out that it is trivial to show that the God of the Bible cannot exist: the claimed seven days of Creation does not match the observed 13.8 billion years, which immediately invalidates the rest of the Bible.

Get out there, and enjoy the rest of your life!

Never hurts to have an open mind.

I think spirituality is a personal journey. I’m an atheist because I have never been presented with any good reason to believe that the Bible is anything more than a ferry tale made up by primitive people who didn’t understand how the world works. I also realize that they’re are literally millions of people that have the same access to the same information that I do that have come to different conclusions.

Let me clear this up for you once and for all:
The King James version misinterprets the Greek word 'aion' as meaning 'everlasting.'
The REAL interpretation is, 'an indeterminate period of time.'
Okay?
So if hell existed and you were so unfortunate as to go there, it'd be until god decided you'd suffered enough and let you out, presumably free to enter the pearly gates.
Feel better now?
Good.

You’ll know for sure after you die.

I summarize it like this: bible = bullshit.

I wouldn't worry about going to hell. There is no such place. Apart that is from the village in Norway

I have no worries about an unknown and undefinable part of me going to a fictional place because of an imaginary being who lives in the sky not liking what I do. My days of belief in all that came to an end some time ago.

If you want the same study the bible, where it came from and how it got to be what so many people think it is today. Mostly fiction and the biggest bunch of nonsense ever. Believers have started their own universities to keep this crap going.

Don’t worry you are not going to Hell...there is no such place and for sure there is no one in ‘that’ hell! Just do your own study and think for yourself...your thoughts are all that matters in your world anyway!
Keep in mind that there are facts and assumptions and opinions...take them all with a grain of salt! There are as many opinions as there are people. Just stand in your own truth...it will get you to where you need to be! There is ‘snake oil’ forsale out here every day! Pass it by, if you want to make a life that counts in your own eyes...which are the only ‘eyes’ that really matter in your life!

Welcome to the club. I have not feared hell in any real way for well over thirty years, but it was a concern as a boy and an occasional fearful thought for long after. If the ideas of God was real, then it is the most important thing of all time right?
but that is where it ends, with an idea. No evidential proof is even possible for most models of that idea, but it was presented not as a possibility, but as foundational reality to generations of people for over 2000 years. Thus it is not only part of the family your raised in, but the overarching world, and social structure.

FINALLY that aspect is beginning to shift, and that slight shift is what panics traditional Xtians, makes them feel persecuted when they are not, because the world is now openly talking about all three things I was told NEVER to discuss in polite society
Money, politics, and religion.
and the internet has been open for more than a decade profiting off of discussions of all three. That transforms social thought, and is mirrored in the things we see.

Right on! Ask the clergymen if they believe in the geocentric theory as promulgated by the Bible. Galileo presented absolute indisputable proof that the Earth revolves around the sun. The ass holes in the Vatican almost tortured and killed him but he was too popular at the University of Bologna.
I remember when I was teaching science in younger days. He drew pictures of the phases of Venus and they corresponded with the phases of the moon. Quarter moon, half moon, gibbous moon etc. There's absolutely way the Biblical theory could be right and they put him under house arrest with no visitors for the rest of his life.

Christianity is founded on the suspension of all rational thought. It's easy to feel good when all your belief system requires you to do is "believe". The bible wasn't even put together until 300 plus years after the dude was put to death at the council of Nicea. If you want to feel good just light up a doobie and relax secure in the knowledge that you don't need a higher power to make life good

the choice is yours and only you can make it.

Stop listening to pastors, they are Very skilled at manipulation and no doubt are getting into your head!!.,

Paradise is the depiction of an ideal existence, where, after death, a person goes and has all that they ever could imagine, and are content with the state of their existence. (Interestingly, in the christian depiction, there are "streets of gold", a completely materialistic concept).
People spend their time dreaming of some future imaginary place in the sky that seems to resemble the high of an opium addict, and even dream about the destruction of the world. It ignores earthly suffering, disconnects from what is around them, contributing nothing to the betterment of the world as a whole. As long as there is suffering, there is no justification for behavior that ignores it. Paradise is an opium of the masses, along with the mendacious religions that support the idea. Paradise, as many religions imagine it, would be an egotistical and immoral mode of existence.

 As Christopher Hitchens once said:

"One obstacle to liberty, is the poisonous role played by fellow primates of mine, who think they can tell me what to do, in the name of god, because god has told them that they have this power. So that is one thing I would like to be shot of, right here in the here and now, and my suspicion is, if they really are so religious, where do they want power, in what world they care about, the next one, or this one . . . . . it will be this one every time because they too, know perfectly well, that this is the only life we have got."
.
Where do they really want power . . . .

The Church uses the threat of Hell to keep their members in line. Just think the bible says we are sinners, the bible says we're imperfect. So am I to believe that I can get an internal sentence of torment for being exactly what I'm told I am? Keep questioning, keep thinking. It takes time to break free.

Know that the bibly is fully man made. It wasn't even codified until the 300's. Many books put in and much of the dogma was voted on for political reasons and control of the church and local empires and kingdoms.

Just keep letting the more rational side of your brain win the argument over the less rational one and you’ll be okay. The indoctrination runs very deep, but you have it licked...well not quite completely, but almost!