(January 1, 2017 at 7:47 pm)pocaracas Wrote: This whole conversation is reminding me of this:
video:
Replace 'starship' with "Bible", "preachers", "prophets", or anything that "carries god's power to all corners of creation through human vessels and their works"...
It works for every other religion, too, which I find to be just perfect!
Not a bad quote, for what is generally considered the worst movie of the TOS crew.... maybe it is considered "worse" by the religious who didn't like to see their god mistaken for a measly alien.
Why does a loving, caring god build up a place like hell?
I was once on a catholic forum and a guy there had a great notion - a notion which culminated in the complete absence of hell. And he was a believer!
The idea is - if you understand what drives a person to act in a certain way, the complete thought process, the influences, both genetic and environmental, and whatnot, then you form some empathy with that person and you cannot see the actions as evil. God, as the entity that knows all, even our thoughts, would then be unable to register anyone's actions as evil, as he would understand all the reasons that make a person tick.
As a result (I already spoiled this), hell would either be vacant, or not required at all, nonexistent.
The guy even asked people to provide examples of evil actions which could not be explained... and was left pretty much with only the tale of Satan.
The problem in this view arises, of course, from what Jesus is recorded to have said concerning hell and that dragonspride1995 has quoted. There's certainly a disparity.
Which is then more trustworthy?
- The logical conclusion that hell is nonexistent, or at least not required?
- The Bible version in which people need to go through JC to reach Heaven? (this sounds a lot like a call to submission to the powers that be)
I'll let you believers duke it out!
![[Image: 009f82a07d9cf91a4c475b7e94d43fe1.jpg]](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/00/9f/82/009f82a07d9cf91a4c475b7e94d43fe1.jpg)
I love how Ray Comfort talks about people sinning when he tries to guilt-trip them into believing. If I'm just another cafeteria-style Christian, I'd just sin my ass off and cynically manipulate god by believing in Jesus to save myself from hell, getting both a hedonistically fun life and afterlife. But since I don't subscribe to biblical morality I'm forced to be a good, honest person instead. At least I don't believe in or fear hell.
Religions were invented to impress and dupe illiterate, superstitious stone-age peasants. So in this modern, enlightened age of information, what's your excuse? Or are you saying with all your advantages, you were still tricked as easily as those early humans?
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There is no better way to convey the least amount of information in the greatest amount of words than to try explaining your religious views.
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There is no better way to convey the least amount of information in the greatest amount of words than to try explaining your religious views.
