A couple of conclusions seem inescapable. The doctrine of hell is essentially child abuse. The original post is a presentation justifying the doctrine of hell. It doesn't matter how many words one puts between the "official doctrine" and "my interpretation" to make oneself able to sleep at night, when one presents a justification of the doctrine of hell, one is enabling child abuse.
You know what Holy Spirit is? Christians around here seem pretty clueless about this essential ingredient of becoming Christian. You're not feeling it. I feel it. When anyone mentions hell in my presence, Holy Spirit in me wants to go old school prophet with alacrity, and color a rock with the gray of their brain matter. Do you know what it is like to stand before a person, holding the stone, feeling the cool surface, living the vibration of righteous indignation where you know with absolute certainty that despite the heinous nature of the act you are about to perform; nothing, no part of your being is hesitant to produce judgement?
I devised a thought experiment during my prophet OTJ days that involved going up to random Christians and with the presence of Holy Spirit, looking into their eyes, and verily telling them "I will burn in hell for you." I needed to know in no uncertain terms that if I were to draft the religion of Gwynnite, no one's "immortal soul" would be thus endangered.
And they looked back with tangible loathing.
Then I knew the meaning of the doctrine of hell was nothing more than a marketing ploy. A means for many Christians to maintain a sense of moral superiority based upon empty platitudes and meaningless ritual. Hell has nothing and can have nothing to do with god. It is patently fucking absurd. There is no "without god;" not in the absolute sense.
Holy Spirit is tao, the essence of motion; god is the spirit of creation. Holy Spirit is felt when it is necessary that it be felt. Good action does not need religion. God does not need identity. These are all absurdities brought forward the common sense of a senseless commons. People believe because their parents believe, because their friends believe; because we as humans have always believed. Until Holy Spirit speaks through a prophet. Religion in the past has helped societies preserve cohesion, has offered psychological comfort, has given groups of people a common focus and a common ground.
These punishment doctrines are perpetuated by people who feel powerless against a seemingly cruel entropic universe. They developed before a detailed understanding of psychology and the development of neuroscience illustrated the mechanics of mind. Things that can be described as "evil" are going to happen. Crimes are going to go unpunished. Justice is not always going to be served. God cannot stop this. Religion cannot stop this. What we can do is build the most educated, tolerant, scientifically literate society possible; and clinging to outmoded religious thought is not serving this goal.
This is hell. Let's get out of it.
You know what Holy Spirit is? Christians around here seem pretty clueless about this essential ingredient of becoming Christian. You're not feeling it. I feel it. When anyone mentions hell in my presence, Holy Spirit in me wants to go old school prophet with alacrity, and color a rock with the gray of their brain matter. Do you know what it is like to stand before a person, holding the stone, feeling the cool surface, living the vibration of righteous indignation where you know with absolute certainty that despite the heinous nature of the act you are about to perform; nothing, no part of your being is hesitant to produce judgement?
I devised a thought experiment during my prophet OTJ days that involved going up to random Christians and with the presence of Holy Spirit, looking into their eyes, and verily telling them "I will burn in hell for you." I needed to know in no uncertain terms that if I were to draft the religion of Gwynnite, no one's "immortal soul" would be thus endangered.
And they looked back with tangible loathing.
Then I knew the meaning of the doctrine of hell was nothing more than a marketing ploy. A means for many Christians to maintain a sense of moral superiority based upon empty platitudes and meaningless ritual. Hell has nothing and can have nothing to do with god. It is patently fucking absurd. There is no "without god;" not in the absolute sense.
Holy Spirit is tao, the essence of motion; god is the spirit of creation. Holy Spirit is felt when it is necessary that it be felt. Good action does not need religion. God does not need identity. These are all absurdities brought forward the common sense of a senseless commons. People believe because their parents believe, because their friends believe; because we as humans have always believed. Until Holy Spirit speaks through a prophet. Religion in the past has helped societies preserve cohesion, has offered psychological comfort, has given groups of people a common focus and a common ground.
These punishment doctrines are perpetuated by people who feel powerless against a seemingly cruel entropic universe. They developed before a detailed understanding of psychology and the development of neuroscience illustrated the mechanics of mind. Things that can be described as "evil" are going to happen. Crimes are going to go unpunished. Justice is not always going to be served. God cannot stop this. Religion cannot stop this. What we can do is build the most educated, tolerant, scientifically literate society possible; and clinging to outmoded religious thought is not serving this goal.
This is hell. Let's get out of it.
