10 Arguments Against Hell

[ChadWooters]

Here's one harrowing description of hell:

[BethK]

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(15th May 2012 20:31)Godschild Wrote:  

(15th May 2012 09:19)BethK Wrote:  It doesn't say anything anywhere in the Bible the minimum age for stoning.

Even given the things I said about giving little children the death penalty (and those verses could apply to a 4 year old as well as they could a 40 year old), here's an instance of God directly using capital punishment for children who mock an adult - who is not even their parent.


Here it specifically says "little children" who were teasing the prophet. On his say-so, God sent bears who killed the children - for misbehaving as children do. This seems to warrant capital punishment.

No need in me saying anything, Aiza has said it all.

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Just one more example of refusing to see that the Bible says what it says, not anything you want it to say.

Jesus himself was not very respectful to his parents when he stayed behind debating with the temple priests, leaving his parents worried about him.

You can stick your fingers in your ears and say "La la la la" all you want, but the Bible DOES say to stone your children. It DOES tell people to sacrifice their children (not only the Abraham/Isaac thing where God says "I was only kidding"), but Jepthah actually DID sacrifice his daughter, because he accidentally told God he would.

Stoning is considered a cruel punishment even for the worst mass murderer in any modern civilized country. Why does God demand this - for people and even animals?

Just admit it. The Bible is a collection of writings written by bronze-age tribal people, with little understanding of the world they lived in, whose lives were in the marginal range from death, war, disease, crop failure, and so forth, who were superstitiously trying to take some control back, or feel that they could effect whoever or whatever was "causing" all of this. The fact is that we live on a very dangerous planet, and there are other things and people who want what we have.

[Aiza]

(16th May 2012 07:22)BethK Wrote:  Jesus himself was not very respectful to his parents when he stayed behind debating with the temple priests, leaving his parents worried about him.

Really? Afaic, Jesus was extremely respectful and most humble as well. While his parents were frightened, when his mother confronted him he followed immediately followed her without protest, and obeyed both of his parents until his death:

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

What can be more lovely? It is this small handful of verses which encompass the entirety of the "hidden life" of Our Lord within Scripture. God himself, word made flesh, present even from the very moment of the universe began: a small boy who follows home his parents and is obedient unto them.

Nowhere does it say that Jepthah's own example is to be followed. Not all of the people in the Bible are good people. And while the Jewish laws can be interpreted in a variety of ways, if you read "the Bible" in its entirety, you would note that Our Lord abolishes capital punishments, for stoning in particular. Do you think its just an odd coincidence that Christians have never used stoning?

None of Scriptures were written during the Bronze Age actually, most of the OT was written during the Iron Age and the NT was written during Classical Antiquity. You would have to stretch the definition of "tribe" quite a bit.

[Godschild]

(16th May 2012 07:22)BethK Wrote:  

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(15th May 2012 20:31)Godschild Wrote:  No need in me saying anything, Aiza has said it all.

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Just one more example of refusing to see that the Bible says what it says, not anything you want it to say.

Jesus himself was not very respectful to his parents when he stayed behind debating with the temple priests, leaving his parents worried about him.

You can stick your fingers in your ears and say "La la la la" all you want, but the Bible DOES say to stone your children. It DOES tell people to sacrifice their children (not only the Abraham/Isaac thing where God says "I was only kidding"), but Jepthah actually DID sacrifice his daughter, because he accidentally told God he would.

Stoning is considered a cruel punishment even for the worst mass murderer in any modern civilized country. Why does God demand this - for people and even animals?

Just admit it. The Bible is a collection of writings written by bronze-age tribal people, with little understanding of the world they lived in, whose lives were in the marginal range from death, war, disease, crop failure, and so forth, who were superstitiously trying to take some control back, or feel that they could effect whoever or whatever was "causing" all of this. The fact is that we live on a very dangerous planet, and there are other things and people who want what we have.

Again, Aiza has so beautiful said all that needs to be said, kudos to Azia.

[Welsh cake]

(12th May 2012 19:00)Aiza Wrote:  All good things come from God.

So you keep saying. You're like a broken record, like a broken record, like a broken record, like a broken record, like a broken record, like a broken record, like a broken record, like a broken record.

Quote:People can certainly "love to hate" any idea of God that they have, but being genuinely happy eternally alienated from all love is another thing altogether, and it runs contrary to the human spirit.

Oh there's happy and genuinely happy now? I've never heard of the No True Scotsman fallacy applied to the mental or emotional state for positive and pleasant emotions before.

What's next? There's prayer and genuine prayer too? Is that why god won't heal amputees?

(15th May 2012 03:30)ChadWooters Wrote:  The punishment for the damned is the same as the reward for the good...having to live among people who think and act the way as they do. Think of it this way: would you want yourself as a permanent roommate?

You seem to understand the concept of punishment as well as GC. Not very. You may now proceed to eat more chocolate and drink more beer for your lack of clarity.