Proselytizing

[rjh4 is back]

Just because you believe something is real, doesn't mean it is.

Quite true. But it is also true that just because you think something is not real doesn't mean it isn't.

Well if that's the difference, then you have to scare them into believing just like God does. "If you don't believe in me you will burn forever!" No, that's not trying to scare people into belief AT ALL.

I'm not sure I get what you are trying to say. Have you read the Bible? If so, did you find more teachings of how God loves us or the kind of teaching as you portray? I find the former. I do not see the Bible as using scare tactics as you would put it. I'm not saying that it does not indicate that certain things might result in certain consequences, but I fail to see that as the focus. Nor do I see any teachings or suggestions that we use scare tactics to present the Gospel (Good News). I am also not saying that Christian's do not use such scare tactics. I'm sure they do. As I said, I do not think it is appropriate. I just do not see it as a reason for condemning all Christians or Christianity.

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Personaly I think indoctrinating children with any religion is tantamount to child abuse.

If you should teach them anything its how to use rationality and logic, teach them how to think not what to think.

Let them decide for themselves when they are able to understand, don't infect their minds with what you believe, let them make their own decision.

Please explain how you personally would distinguish between telling your children what you belive while allowing them to make their own decision and indoctrinating them.

Isn't teaching them how to use rationality and logic indoctrinating them also? If not, why? It seems to me one could easily look at whatever a child is being taught and if it is not what that one believes, claim that it is "indoctrination" and, therefore, "tantamount to child abuse". It also seems to me that whenever one group sees that another teaches their children something they do not agree with, it is labelled as indoctrination and/or child abuse.

Also, please explain to me how I can somehow force a child into making a decision to follow Christianity. Personally, I do not think it is possible. I do think that whether or not a person becomes a Christian is a personal issue and that I cannot make such a decision for my children. So while I do teach them from a Christian perspective, I also teach them that they must make their own decision on the matter. The only thing that I think one could do is scare them into professing a certain belief when they really don't believe it. But in my opinion, professing to be a Christian without really believing is totally useless and, therefore, I would not do this.

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The Greek word tartarus occurs only once in the original manuscripts of the New Testament and it means a prison of spiritual darkness, which all fallen angels are confined to until their final judgement in the Lake of Fire, as explained in Chapter 18.

Min, could you please elaborate on the "Lake of Fire" and your position on that?