Gehenna

What constitutes false worship? New occupants, so all that other stuff those other guys were doing was false?? So says who?

Joe(hmmm human sacrifice with a bit of burning sulfur. Something to think about.)Nation

You didn't quote the passage in its entirety. As to the idea of eternal torment, and god's thoughts about it, this passage is irrelevant, because the passage is referring to the practice of human sacrifice, not eternal torment.

Gahanna is a small city in Ohio--and a rather dull one, too.

Official site of the city of Gahanna

Mornin' Set! :wink: How you doin?

31And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. Jeremiah 7:31, 32

I think it was because they were idol worshipping that God was so upset. Which is not surprising seeing that he does say he is jealous of our (Christian's) worship (Ex. 20:5)

If you are a Christian, then you believe that God created the world and that his hand has had a part in all that you see, feel, touch and taste whether you believe it was created in 6 days or whatever. So even if you don't believe in God, you are still partaking of his goodness just by living in his creation.

My understanding of hell is that it will be eternal separation from God. The resurrected souls will know a world that GOD does not exist. And that the world that does not have God is a horrible place. Their soul will cry out and long to be where God is. But they will not be able to be, because they refused to believe. This is the torture.

Another shameless bump

"Gehenna" - symbol of complete destruction Heb. ?'י ?"נם (Geh Hinnom, "Valley of Innom"); gr. γέεννα (Gehenna), lat. Gehenna "hell" means "valley of Innom", being the Greek form of Hebrew Geh Hinnom. GSE in 18:16, where there were "valley Innom," the LXX reads "hell". In the Christian Greek Scriptures used 12 times, the first of which in Matthew 5:22. The New World Translation renders it "hell" every time it occurs, that is, in Mt 5:22, 29, 30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 33; Mr 9:43, 45, 47; Lu 12:5, Jas 3:6. The valley of Innom is west and south of ancient Jerusalem. (GSE 15:8, 18:16, Jer 19:2, 6) Under the last king of Judah was used for the idolatrous worship of the pagan god Molec, which were offered human sacrifices by fire. (2Cr 28:3, 33:6, Jer 7:31, 32; 32:35) To prevent its further use for such religious purposes, the faithful King Josiah did contaminate the valley, especially the part called Tophet. - 2 Kings 23:10. Jew commentator David Kimhi (1160? -1235?), In his commentary on Sl 27:13, provides the following historical information about "Gehinnom": "It is a place near Jerusalem, and is a hateful place, and you throw things impure and dead bodies. There was a fire burning continuously for burning things impure and the bones of dead bodies. Therefore, the proceedings of the wicked is called metaphorically Gehinnom. Innom The valley became a dumping ground where the waste burned in Jerusalem. The bodies of dead animals were thrown to them by fire, to which was added sulfur to fuel combustion. There were also thrown the corpses of executed criminals, considered unworthy of a decent burial in a grave memorial. If those dead bodies ended up in the fire were consumed, but if the bodies were falling on a steep cliff ledge of rotting flesh was infested with worms, which did not die until they had eaten the meat, leaving only the skeleton. In hell no threw no animal or living human being because he was burned alive or tormented. So the place could never symbolize an invisible region where human souls were tormented forever in a literal or eternally fire roses immortal worms. Because the dead criminals were thrown was denied a proper burial in a grave memorial, a symbol of hope for a resurrection, Gehenna was used by Jesus and his disciples to symbolize everlasting destruction, annihilation from the universe of God, ie the "second death," eternal punishment. So, throw the corpse of someone in hell was considered the worst kind of punishment. From the literal Gehenna and from its meaning was once the symbol of the "lake that burns with fire and brimstone." - Re 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15, 21:8.

yikes, sounds to me like a Studio City neighborhood in L.A.

But doesn't an athesist already live in a world where where God does not exist?
This doesn't feel like torment to them already, so why should it feel like torment at some time in the future?