On non-belief and the existence of God

[StealthySkeptic]

Welsh. Well, to put it in more concrete terms, it is the choice of healing hurts or causing hurts, feeding the poor or exploiting them, getting us much for ourselves as we can or giving as much of ourselves as we can. This is what is at stake in the Christian view. This is what the parable of the sheep and goats is all about.

And we can see this in little ways. Do we get up in the morning with the intent to be as kind to people as we can? Or do we get up in the morning looking to look after ourselves as much as we can, even at the expense of others? I have known people of both kinds, and you can see heaven and hell starting to build around them each, even now.

OK, I can see what you mean about how rejecting Christianity as an organized system of religion is different than rejecting Christian values (and not, it would seem, the faux ones like "condescend upon thy gay neighbor" or "deny thy female neighbor choice" but the ones most reasonable people can get behind).

Two questions. First (playing devil's advocate- hah) why bother with any religion? If all Christianity offers is a feel good repackaging of the Golden Rule and not a heaven or hell or entice or frighten me with, why bother being a Christian specifically?

Secondly (playing fundie's advocate now) doesn't this negate the need to convert people to Christianity? Sure, this avoids the problem of 4 billion souls (at least) in hell for being born in the wrong geographical location, but then what's the point of growing Christianity specifically if normally nice people are fine where they are?