Emotionally Getting Over Hell

[@joelmouton9365]

I was a fundamentalist Christian for the first 38 years of my life. I’ve been an atheist for 11 years now. My first panic attack happened at the ripe old age of 12. I can remember like it was yesterday. It was after a church service on a Wednesday night. We were forced to watch a rapture movie. I came home that night and started crying uncontrollably. I couldn’t catch my breath. I feel asleep crying. Not long after that I heard my first sermon on blasphemy the Holy Spirit. I had multiple panic attacks and nightmares. Because of these panic attacks my mom and her friends thought I was being attacked and oppressed my demonic forces and demons so when I had a panic attack they held me down and poured anointing oil down my throat. The next 20 years were full of being a Christian and living in absolute terror and fear. I spent 3 days a week in church and every summer in Christian camps and discipleship classes. I was raised Assembly of God and non-denominational churches.

[@kathleenwharton2139]

I was a Mormon and had equally horrifying experiences. It has taken a life time to deconstruct. Thank You 🙏 for sharing. I don’t feel so alone and know it is not just Mormons. ❤😊

[@skylinefever]

People who do this should be able to be sued for psychological warfare.

[@vivianriver6450]

I attended a Catholic school and a Protestant church for reasons, and following Britt's suggestion, I've been revisiting how the fear of Hell was taught to me so that I might deconstruct it and "re-parent" myself. (Btw Patrick Teahan, Pete Walker, and Janina Fisher are authors who have extensively discussed, in detail, the re-parenting process.) I first encountered Protestant rhetoric about Hell in middle school. I absolutely relate to the fear that you describe. We had many "class discussions" that included the (veloci)rapture. I remember my Bible teacher once remarked that she was familiar with a song about the rapture, which iirc, was called "There is No Time to Change Your Mind", which depicts terror at having been left behind after the second coming of Christ to face the horrors of the tribulation and then presumably eternity being tortured in Hell. Teacher said that the author of the song was so horrified with his own work that for years, he could not perform it. But perhaps even more perniciously, I was taught that eternal life in Heaven with Jesus is freely given if only I earnestly ask for it, and then I was taught that I was in a personal relationship with Jesus, and that there are all these fake Christians who have unwittingly condemned themselves to Hell by haplessly putting faith in their own "good works" to earn admission to Heaven or by errantly putting faith in Catholic priests and ceremonies instead of Jesus, and some fake Christians go to Hell because they have Jesus in their mind, but not in their heart, and "miss Heaven by eighteen inches". In retrospect, it was systematic gaslighting. We were made neurotic and anxious by being told that salvation from Hell is freely given, but most people fail to receive it because we're too foolish and sinful to follow the (clear as mud) instructions to obtain salvation. One day, you may have heard about Bob having a genuine religious experience, and the very next day, you may hear that Bob was simply worked into a deluded emotional state. That shit is child abuse.

[@markread8502]

Thanks for sharing. That’s terrible.

[@markread8502]

Excellent video thank you so much.

[@jefcaine]

You’re doing the lord’s work with this channel

[@matthew2531]

Britt really is bringing greater morality than a freak such as Ken Copeland LOL

[@DreamMonster7X]

I got over Satan real quick. 1987 when I left/exorcised Christianity from my life. Nailed that coffin shut for good and all it's idiosyncrasies. What a great tool fear was used over humanity. Satan, Demons and Devils, Hell, Judgment... believe in something evil one can't prove, and you got them fearfully faithful for life.

[@DreamMonster7X]

Amen! 😉

[@matthew2531]

@@DreamMonster7X go forward and spread the good word. Satan doesnt exist and we must take accountability for our actions

[@DreamMonster7X]

@matthew2531 Funny how Christians we're the ones that helped me finally decided Christianity wasn't real/truthful in its spoken word. I'm not one of them. Them who falls for the fear religion loves to spread. 'Believe or ELSE!' Actually, religious folks are in for a delightful surprise, there's no Hell either.

[@IFYOUWANTITGOGETIT]

This channel is going to grow big time.

[@antidotearchive]

You are a Blessing! Don’t doubt you are a gift to the world Mrs. Hartley. I’ve sent this to my nephew who is currently serving with the armed forces in the Middle East. As an Aunt, it means everything to me to provide this kind of inoculation to him.

[@CactusUranus]

I hope this channel grows, thank you

[@vivianriver6450]

Thank you! As someone who has been deconstructing for two and a half decades, Hell has been a prominent fixture in my fears, and especially taken together with your previous video about Hell, I can see that you really do offer some new ideas about Hell compared to many of your counterparts in the "New Atheism" movement. You've mentioned shadow work a number of times, and I was wondering if you have any particular resources you recommend for learning about shadow work. Several years ago, I came across a book about shadow work called *Existential Kink*, by Caroline Grace Elliot, and while I have criticized the quality of the writing, I have found the concept of shadow work as taught on the pages of the book to be a life-changing perspective. While I took a lot away from this one book, I'm interested in learning more perspectives about shadow work. Also, another thing that I recently learned about Hell is that at least for me, personally, fear of Hell tends to eclipse fear of aging, decay, and death. Several months ago, I experienced a work of art called *Everywhere at the End of Time* which uses distorted ballroom music to depict an elderly person experiencing dementia and death. I used to think that I wasn't that afraid of death. *La Llorona* and *Danse Macabre* feel so ho-hum to me, but EATEOT, that shit shakes me to my core. I really appreciate you speaking about your own approach to mortality, because mine obviously requires some work!

[@priscillacoffey4379]

Wow!!!! This is very Thought provoking!!!

[@skylinefever]

I was shipped of to be Pascal's Wagered by the SBC when I was 10. I stopped wasting time trying to believe it in my teens. The paranoia didn't fully go away until my 30s. People who do this should be charged with psychological warfare.

[@waltsudman]

Thank you so very much for all your thoughts and insights. I'm actually excited about practicing a few of these practical things you've shared with us. Thank you, thank you! :)

[@amynay4686]

I've been so confused about why it is so hard to adjust to life without the Mormon church, so your description of re-training the brain and developing new neural pathways makes so much sense. When I wrestle with new ideas on hard days, I can literally feel my brain rewiring and it is exhausting but good.

[@elzoog]

For a long time, I had this feeling or "message" that God told me that I am eternally damned. Then I had a dream where the Virgin Mary told me that this message wouldn't bother me anymore. It still bothers me a little, but her telling me that helped me a lot.

[@ExmoRaymo]

Such an amazing podcast. Captivating!

[@noeortega8304]

This heals my soul a little bit more

[@stevenbolin7688]

55 years in, out 7 years ago

[@wtorek35]

another great listen

[@jengenx7729]

Thank you Britt 😊

[@variousblack7922]

With the dream thing.... I didn't know I was actually doing it but I started playing the Rugrats theme song in my head to pull myself out of nightmares.... Like how could anything be scary with that song playing 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@RobertGraziose]

A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do.

[@RobertGraziose]

Is what the world needs is more Tommy Pickles. And less Chuckey Finsters. People who function out of fear. 😊

[@Claudi333]

Keep it up! 😃

[@darrenjames6309]

Great videos. I'm unsure how I can make the concept of eternity feel "friendly". It's horrifying. To nutrilse a fear of being tortured for eternity does seem possible?

[@NancyBrown-xw8hg]

Never worried about hell, we LDS Christians focus more on the reward. "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness".

[@GreatnessTheAlmighty2]

I define myself as an Agnostic Deist (I think there is a higher power creator not a god or any god or religion but I don’t know if the higher power creator exists) and I grew out of religion because of concepts like hell because I truly hated and still hate the idea of loved ones in hell even though I heard many answers like you would forget them or you wouldn't worry and I didn't agree that doesn't sound nice to me that sounds like devastation and sorrow...

[@vivianriver6450]

Same here. I never accepted the concept that I was okay with my loved ones (or even strangers) in Hell. Ironically, doubts and refusals to accept dogma like this lead me to terror that I would be one burning in Hell, myself. If I may offer some comic relief, I recall that once, during a lesson I attended at a religious school, the teacher said that in Heaven, we will worship God forever. A boy raised his hand and asked, "Does that mean we're going to sit in a chapel singing songs forever?"

[@GreatnessTheAlmighty2]

The crazy thing is I can relate because I'm currently a college student (At least at the time of this me replying) and I was in a bible group which I didn't like so during the time and after attending college for the first few months back in 2022 and after new years in 2023 I was once told that in heaven I would sing around and dance with people and god forever, and there would not be anything better to do, and honestly, I just ended up leaving religion because I have more important interests I like doing and as a huge introvert I dislike dancing and singing especially around others and I'm not into it and I get so shy and anxious being around people and the idea of doing that in heaven sounded like another hell to me.

[@skylinefever]

@@vivianriver6450 I know the feeling well, I HATED the crappy Jesus music.

[@calmingwavesjulian]

You expressed in earlier videos some disappointment that on tiktok you saw so many people on there, that went from Christianity to witchcraft or astrology--have you seen harm in these rituals? I like your examples for science based replacement rituals very much, just wondering how far you think the make-it-up-as-you-go witchcraft or astrology are from the science-based rituals.

[@KarsonsChannel]

Will you do a video on death with dignity?

[@daveed2812]

I have been atheist for a while now and lately I have been delving into the simulation theory, here is what scares me the most…if we are in a simulation then it is quite possible that hell is real and we are some petty god’s plaything😂

[@kathleenwharton2139]

Dear Britt..I Love 💕 You! But there is Hell..it is right Here. I married a Mormon man who didn’t respect me..had his five children and they don’t respect me either. I have obeyed Gods Commandments and been a faithful good person..but they disrespect me anyway. It is Hell. I am 80 now and have wasted my entire life loving people who could never love me

[@JamesRichardWiley]

I kept repeating the contradictions in the Bible until they lost all credibility. I am still doing that.

[@h.p.lovecraft6904]

Anything that teaches hell is morally bancrupt and vile.

[@Necroman98]

It's a bit tougher when you're agnostic about some sorta hell realm. How would I get over it then?

[@meteor1237]

71 yo now. Asked Mother about the Hell I’d heard at Methodist church. She tried to explain. This Hell talk to children is child abuse and the Christian church is responsible.

[@nicoleruser4909]

I see a lot of former Christians and/or queer people my age having a blast with Halloween. Some people put up actual gory decorations, but a lot more tend to go silly: think neon skeletons riding on lawn flamingoes, woobified Baphomet or Cerberus plushies, little ghosts saying "This is boo sheet," etc. I wonder if all this ties into the strategy of retraining our brains to see "occult" imagery as nothing to fear?

[@skylinefever]

@@nicoleruser4909 sometimes I think people do better when they fibd various ways of givibg the middle finger to the God Squad. Do all that is forbidden because it makes baby jeeeeesus cray.

[@BriannaWeldon]

Velocirapture 😂

[@allenmorgan4309]

While I have stopped believing in a personal God I still think there is more to reality than a pure materialistic perspective. I have adopted a pantheistic worldview. Everything is eternal in its substance made of conscious energy and as one form is born grows and dies the energy it is made from transforms into new forms. Reality and consciousness are not two things but one and everything works according to natural processes. Everything that happens is supposed to happen and everything both animal and human acts according to its nature and no one can do what is not in their nature. There is no absolute morality and everything is based on cause and effect. Ultimately nothing can be lost and everything fulfills its purpose by nature of its existence and acting according to its conditioning. Intelligence is embedded within reality but it's not personal. The only personal aspect to God is the human being but absolute reality while intelligent transcends the limitations of personality. I believe this view better represents reality and includes consciousness because even while science cannot accurately explain consciousness life couldn't exist without it because everything that is alive has some level of awareness, plant, animal and human. We are all expressions of the universe and are fundamentally part of it and we are part of a process that is a mystery and extends beyond space and time as we comprehend it.

[@matthew2531]

Fear! By Blue October

[@marym9245]

Mormons have the rapture??

[@john211murphy]

Like "God", Hell is IMAGINARY.

[@sandra-t4g3w]

If Satan doesn't exist, what do make of the elites that worship Satan and retain their power in this world?

[@productamadeus8745]

That sure sounds like a lot of work! How about this: realize that fear is universal because it HAS to be in order for God to be just. I get blowing off other religions as primitive nonsense. The Bible is completely different. These people were visited by beings that are not us. You wind up in hell because it’s the only way to convince you it’s a real place.