How can anyone be okay with Hell ?

[Rwandrall]

Yes I agree that some religions have ideas that are dangerous and frankly should not be tolerated. Even within christianity there are those who have dangerous ideas and I for one do not tolerate them.
Even if hell was not a part of christianity there still would be discord between religions and christianity, there is discord between different factions of Islam and there will always be discord between the different religions. Have you ever given any thought to christianity being the most plausible of the religions because of hell.

The idea of a God that throws good people in Hell for an arbitrary reason (not believing in Jesus when there is so little evidence for him or his miracles) on the contrary really weakens the idea of Christianity being true.

Hell is the worst possible place, Heaven the best possible place. It is basic carrot and stick psychology that is so extreme and primitive in its conception that it is very easy to understand it as a simple human construct.

The Jews, for example, have no Hell: if you don't go to Heaven, you just die. This makes sense.

The Greeks, Egyptians, Celts, all had "judges" at your death determining if your life was worthy of Heaven, and they took all of your actions into account, not just one criteria like "did you believe in that one guy". This makes sense, even though they used their own moral standards exposing their religion as a purely social construct.

Hell is just too primitive an idea to give Christianity credibility.

[Cinjin]

Fr0d0 said he was honored by the following image. So I told him I'd continue to post it where applicable.

Frod's own words .... http://atheistforums.org/post-134681.html#pid134681

Give the man a little credit ... least he's honest.

[Watson]

So if it was socially acceptable to murder babies, that'd be okay? Or would you strongly disagree with that idea based on the obviousness of its being morally wrong.?

No it would not be ok. Anything negative done on another is considered wrong.

That's all well and dandy, I agree that murdering babies is wrong, but...

Morality is very much subjective

This doesn't match up with your above statements. There may be those who believe murdering babies is a perfectly moral and just thing to do. There may be those who believe anything negative done on another is also perfectly moral and just. So if morality is subjective, then under the right societal circumstances, murdering babies could be a completely legal thing to do.

Would you still think it was immoral?

but we do tend to have a common ethical standard. No killing, raping, stealing, ect ect.

And I ask you where we get that common ethical standard.

[Rwandrall]

@Watson
"And I ask you where we get that common ethical standard. "

We can make it ourselves. Murder is pretty much condemned universally in all cultures in the history of mankind, that shows humans can come up with their own functional moral standards no matter what situation they are in. Or if you take Japan or Sweden, they have a majority of non-believers, yet crime is relatively low over there, showing the threat of a God is not necessary for a society to function correctly.

The fact that accross and board non-believers don't have a higher crime rate than believers also goes to show that fact.

[JohnDG]

First, this post may be a bit emotional since i'm a bit shaken up, my brother, who i am really close with and who is not a fundie by any stretch of the imagination (he rarely even goes to Church) told me that i will be going to Hell when i die, and that i deserved it for being an atheist.

I simply don't get it...i mean Christians are always the first to talk about pity, and love, and acceptance...How can any Christian not go completely mentally insane about the idea that most people they see every day are going to burn forever in agonizing pain...the guy you pass on the bus, the co-worker who you talk about sports with...

I don't see how anyone can stay sane with that kind of fatality that the idea of Hell implies...

How can you be okay with anyone not sharing your beliefs ? How can you have someone you love not believing in God and not do every single thing you can to convert them ?

Is it that they just don't really believe it, or is it that they are entirely devoid of human emotions ?

Ive been told that my soul will be destroyed in hell and I will cease to exist, so I said then what's the problem then?

Even if you did go to hell, atleast it wouldnt be cold.

---

With faith in God, Skipper, all things are possible. Even belief for someone like you, who does not presently believe.

So you could jump off a building and fly? you did say all things are possible. Name one impossible thing having faith has made possible for you?

---

With faith in God

Translation: Just assume it's true.

No, I won't.

---
Now I'm pretty damn sure there is no hell. Since an all knowing god + hell = faulty logic.
God is all knowing, he designed and created everything (as you claim) and so he also knows what's going to happen. He is behind everything. So if he designs someone who does wrong as he designed him to and knew what he'd do, he sends that person to hell. God knew that was going to happen all along, he designed it that way. This is faulty logic.

Here's an example: I create this artificial life form that is capable of feeling and thought. I designed it to be a certain way, I know what will happen, I knew long before I created it what would happen. It does wrong, for which I knew it would and yet instead of blaming myself, I blame my creation, and yet I designed and created it, plus I knew what would happen. So it's my fault, same with god. He designed and creates everything and being all knowing, he knows the outcome. It's faulty logic to harm/punish your creation for which you designed and created and even knew it's future. He must've set it up this way. This makes him a fucking idiot.

All knowing god + hell = faulty logic.
It doesn't add up.

All knowing God + free will + Hell = perfectly logical.

How is living your life according to somebodys rules free will? And he was all knowing and knew who was going to be bad, then why not start them off in hell?

[Watson]

@Watson
"And I ask you where we get that common ethical standard. "

We can make it ourselves. Murder is pretty much condemned universally in all cultures in the history of mankind, that shows humans can come up with their own functional moral standards no matter what situation they are in. Or if you take Japan or Sweden, they have a majority of non-believers, yet crime is relatively low over there, showing the threat of a God is not necessary for a society to function correctly.

The fact that accross and board non-believers don't have a higher crime rate than believers also goes to show that fact.

So then you agree that moral standards are arbitrary constructs of man and that if society universally agreed on something, anything at all, it should be considered 'moral'?

So you could jump off a building and fly? you did say all things are possible.

Probably. Unfortunately I am a mortal sinner lacking in the faith to do such a thing. I fall short of the grace of God, like all humans do.

Name one impossible thing having faith has made possible for you?

Nothing is impossible.

[Ace Otana]

Nothing is impossible.

Really? Even dry rain? Squarecircles?

This -

They're possible are they?

[Watson]

I'm actually not going to take that one up, but I know there was a really great discussion about what is and isn't impossible, such as square circles, dry rain etc. a wile back that could probablydo more for you than I could.

[Minimalist]

Unfortunately I am a mortal sinner lacking in the faith to do such a thing.

No, Gravity would smear your ass on the pavement and your silly 'god' could do nothing to save you.

But by all means.....





Feel free to give it a go.

[Watson]

You first Min.