(December 21, 2011 at 11:59 am)Freedom Wrote: According to modern-day Pauline Christianity, a person is saved only if s/he accepts Jesus Christ as personal saviour. I asked the following questions in a Christian chat-room:
1) If an evil person sincerely asks for forgiveness and accepts Christ on their dying day, can they go to heaven? The answer was Yes.
2) In theory, if Hitler sincerely asked for forgiveness and accepted Christ on his dying day, he could have gone to heaven? The answer was Yes.
3) What about Hitler's victims, who were mostly Jews?
The majority's answer was: If they didn't accept Christ, they go to hell.
So, the murderer can go to heaven by accepting Jesus Christ, yet his victims go to hell for having a different opinion.
Is there any way to get Christians to see the total lack of reason and compassion in this line of thinking?
Actually, it seems fitting that the Christian god would go for mercy over justice, given how hell-bent he is on destroying man's rational capacity.
Justice and mercy are antithetical concepts. Justice means giving what is deserved- punishment for wrong, rewards for rights and forgiveness for penanced sins. Mercy means giving unearned forgiveness.
Mercy and cruelty are not opposite concepts - they spring from the same root - giving what is undeserved and unearned. They just have different things to give - forgiveness or punishment.
These actions go against all rationality and are therefore fitting for the Christian god and other Christians. It is no surprise that god is seen as merciful by some and cruel by others. He can be both at the same time if he is taking or giving the unearned to the undeserving.
