HELL

[Minimalist]

Jesus DID, supposedly, say that he didn't come to change the laws.

The men who created jesus had him say lots of stupid shit.  The republicunt platform committee has the same problem.

[Cecelia]

Atheists focus on hell because we question how a loving god deserving of worship could create a place that is supposedly so terrible that we should all believe in something we have no evidence for out of fear of it. And because that fear causes many believers to do things that are harmful to themselves and others around them. They refuse to go to the doctor and instead put their faith in preachers who promise a seed or who promise health. The promises of heaven, and the fears of hell are strong for those who grow up indoctrinated by the church.

If I told my children I loved them so much that if they didn't love me back I was going to set them all on fire, I'd hope you would call Social Services. If I similarly told them that if they didn't love me back that I'd never let them feel love ever again, you'd call Social Services. You wouldn't in either case call me a loving parent.

Some insist that hell is a literal pit of fire. Which sounds incredibly unpleasant. Burning for Eternity. The Atheist will burn there for as long and as painful as Osama Bin Laden. Others insist it's just the absence of god, and the absence of love. Which again all sinners are punished the same. Imagine if our law system worked on similar values. The thief who stole bread sent to jail for the same time as a murderer.

I don't think it matters what hell is. The concept bothers most of us. It's why many religious people try to convert people. "We don't want you to burn in hell." And that sounds nice, but the truth is that if fear of hell is the only reason to worship god (and promise of heaven), then it's not really a god worth worshiping even if he does exist. Which we don't see reason to believe in the first place.

[Catholic_Lady]

What's the point of religion, if we get to meet god when we die, and decide if we want to be with him or not?

What's the purpose of wasting so much time praying and doing things for a being that is most likely not there, and if he ends up being there, you get to choose to go to heaven?

Why believe in all of the made-up stories that are almost certainly false, when you don't have to?

A couple things. First, if Christianity is true, then why not believe in it? Also, I don't necessarily think it's as simple as just "deciding." I mean, yes, it is a choice we make, but the type of person we become in this life will be the person who makes that choice in the afterlife. And it's not just like "oh hey God, I choose Heaven." Remember, it is a state of being. So if we're not good people with good hearts, it's less likely that we will humble ourselves completely before God and be repentant of times we acted wrongly. It is less likely that we will be able to be in that state if we were bad, cold hearted people our whole lives. I believe that being a follower of Christ can help prepare us for that. Not that all Christians are good people, and not that non Christians aren't, but I believe being a true follower of Christ and His teachings may help set someone up for success.

[Catholic_Lady]

Judging from some of the questions/comments, I can see that some of you simply did not understand the original post lol. I'm sorry, but I just don't know how to make it any more clear. I thought the article explained the concept pretty well. Some of you are still acting as though it's a "punishment" cast by God, that no one deserves. It's not. It's a state of being that a person puts themselves in, and in doing so, they make themselves pretty miserable.

[Cecelia]

If that's the case, then god could have simply made one rule: Thou Shalt Not Be An Asshole.

Why would the church have so many laws about sex, about tithing, about the clothes you wear, and the food you eat, not to mention worshiping which is considered extremely important. If just being a good person was what mattered, then surely there wouldn't be so many laws about what people can and cannot do. Instead of trying to convert people, going door to door asking "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior?" they'd ask "You're not a jackass are you?"

[Whateverist]

I see no compelling reason to imagine any one will experience a personal afterlife. You'd have to look at it impersonally at best .. to imagine that what you are essentially is one part of it all looking at the rest. So you know, a drop returning to the river and the river goes on even if our individuality becomes submerged again.

But heaven and hell are easy to interpret as fleeting psychological states. Of course hell would seem unreasonably long and heaven would always seem to fly by. Literalism is the enemy of an adequate theology.

[Whateverist]

Judging from some of the questions/comments, I can see that some of you simply did not understand the original post lol. I'm sorry, but I just don't know how to make it any more clear. I thought the article explained the concept pretty well. Some of you are still acting as though it's a "punishment" cast by God, that no one deserves. It's not. It's a state of being that a person puts themselves in.

I agree with that, I just don't think it is about later.

[Catholic_Lady]

If that's the case, then god could have simply made one rule: Thou Shalt Not Be An Asshole.

Why would the church have so many laws about sex, about tithing, about the clothes you wear, and the food you eat, not to mention worshiping which is considered extremely important.  If just being a good person was what mattered, then surely there wouldn't be so many laws about what people can and cannot do.  Instead of trying to convert people, going door to door asking "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior?"  they'd ask "You're not a jackass are you?"

Well first of all, there are no laws about food or clothing lol. 

I think there's an entire spectrum for being a good person, and the more closely you follow the Christian Virtues (as the Church calls them), the more "good" you are. Humility, kindness, temperance, chastity, patience, charity, diligence. Of course, you don't need to be Christian to follow these virtues. There are plenty of Christians who don't, and plenty of non Christians who do. But like I told Sal, I think it can help set you up for success if you truly try to follow the teachings of Christ.

[Redbeard The Pink]

Well first of all, there are no laws about food or clothing lol. 

Ummm...kosher laws? Don't eat pork? Don't eat blood? Don't wear garments of mixed cloth? Don't trim your beard or forelocks?

There are SOOO many laws in the Bible about food and clothing...

[Catholic_Lady]

Well first of all, there are no laws about food or clothing lol. 

Ummm...kosher laws? Don't eat pork? Don't eat blood? Don't wear garments of mixed cloth? Don't trim your beard or forelocks?

There are SOOO many laws in the Bible about food and clothing...

He asked why would the church have so many laws about food/clothing. The Church has no such laws.