Does going to heaven make you inhuman

a reply to: MoreInterior

What or where do you think heaven is
Is it like a Muslims paradise
Why do you think its like that

Imo, in an emotional sense spiritual growth is meant to encourage our higher potentials.I tend to think of paradise as being a place on earth as we practice learning to treat one another better. More human or the realization that we are other to put it another way.

I doubt God punishes anyone, rather we punish ourselves through ignorance of the naturals laws that frame the universe.Missing the mark,binding one to the consequences until we forgive ourselves or learn better. True love can't be forced.

Spirituality attempts to peel back the layers of our existence in different ways, and sooner or later even the images we hold of ourselves must be confronted.I doubt the barrier between duality and unity could be crossed in the flesh unless someone is willing let go of all their illusions.

Heaven for me is a description of the highest unknown good, beyond one's wildest imagination. The love of the divine, inspiring individuals an ever deeper understanding of the principles that bring everything together, and truth setting us free in the process. I doubt anyone is forgotten, rather tears are wiped away as one learns to accept that our loved one's live evermore in our hearts.

I feel those who have found heaven on earth would practice working toward ever more fine degrees of living in harmony with the world around them.I figure their senses would become sharper as the subtle nature of the universe refines their awareness.They would probably enjoy some rest and practice paying it forward so others could find the same peace.Living happiness as the journey rather then the destination...

originally posted by: Ghost147
Every now and then you see a show about serial killers, psychopaths, or sociopaths and all the horror they've inflicted upon their victims. In those same shows you learn that these people can do the things they do, unfazed, due to a lack of Empathy and a severely reduced, or non existent depth of emotions.

It made me wonder 'what happens to you, emotionally, when you go to heaven?'

Ok, first, Heaven/Nirvana is the state of unconditional Love/Enlightenment.
It is a Here! Now! thing.
It is not somewhere that we 'go' when we literally 'die'.
Second, 'emotions' are the physical manifestations of 'feelings'.
'Feelings' are 'thoughts', that are perceived (not manufactured in your brain).
One feels Pain in 'Heaven'.
The transcendental unconditionally Loving Perspective, is One with the entire Universe, which is the ultimate definition of Empathy; being at One with all existence, even with all the hurting, suffering, tortured, as well as the Bliss, the Happiness, the sweetness (of this beautiful nightmare)...
We Are equidistant from all Perspectives.
We Are the Middle Way.

Everyone seems to have varying views on what heaven would be like, but there's an exclusive intrinsic view that encompasses every view of it, from what I've heard of peoples opinions; you will be happy, euphoric, forever.

The problem is that Knowledge = experience, and the vast majority who have opinions about it have formed those opinions from their ignorance, and stories that they have read, written by other people who have not been/are not 'in Heaven'.
It is NEVER as you imagine!
No matter how many imaginers agree in consensus! *__-

If that's the case, then could you not feel sadness?

Yes indeed! But concurrently with that perceived passing feeling of sadness, we also experience it's polar opposite of.. 'gladness'!
Equidistant from all Perspectives, We do not get pulled from Our center.
We do not identify with one or the other; We are One, Omni-!

tat tvam asi (en.wikipedia.org...)


"Does going to heaven make you inhuman"

~~~ The 'you' that imagined itself merely 'human' has expanded (expanded Consciousness) and transcended mere humanity.
Not 'in'human, 'meta'human, more like.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: dfnj2015

So your God forces forgiveness on those who dont want his forgiveness

Thats not love, thats abuse

Stop talking and start thinking

Stop forcing your opinion on me.

originally posted by: MoreInterior

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
If you truly want to know about Heaven, I strongly recommend you read some Swedenborg. His explanations are more comprehensive and satisfying than anything anyone could write in this reply box.

Sometimes the reply box is more important for the writer to organize their thoughts by posting something than it is about you reading the post with all your prejudice, bigotry, and disdain for ideas that do not conform to your preexisting notions or dogma.

originally posted by: MoreInterior
If a hardcore atheist were invited into Heaven, he would reject it because it would mean he had been wrong, and atheists value their delusions of superior intelligence more than actual truth. They also can't be at ease while those around them are worshipping God, because what they really want is for people to be subordinate to them.

My faith in God is so much stronger than yours will ever be. I think everyone including atheists are allowed through the gates of heaven to experience eternal heavenly bliss regardless of our earthly sins, or how we practiced, or not practiced our religion. This is because my faith is in an all-loving all-powerful forgiving God. My faith gives me the confidence to know that myself, you, and everyone on ATS will be saved. My God is stronger than your God because my God forgives everyone with unconditional love.

Well, you have trouble reading. Again, Hell is not a punishment. It's where you are if you love selfish pleasures that don't belong in Heaven. God doesn't send you there. If someone like that wants to go to Heaven, God might let him in to see what it's like, but he would leave because there would be nothing there that makes him happy.

But it sounds more like you're just giving yourself a free pass, and excusing in advance every selfish choice you'll ever make. That's not Faith. That's exploiting God to validate your own behavior.

It may sound like it. But you are putting words into my mouth I did not say. I did not say anything about a "free pass". All I was talking about was God's infinite powers of forgiveness and unconditional love. If you think God is too weak to forgive you I understand.

originally posted by: dffrntkndfnml
I doubt God punishes anyone, rather we punish ourselves through ignorance of the naturals laws that frame the universe.Missing the mark,binding one to the consequences until we forgive ourselves or learn better.

I agree with this sentiment. I think when people "sin" forgiveness and salvation doesn't come from God but from the people who have been sinned against. Some sins are unforgivable. To be forgiving is to be like God.

It's a petty and immature mind that is always seeking revenge. It is a petty and immature mind that takes pleasure in other people's suffering for any reason.

God's love is unconditional. It is not based on the conditions of sin. Most people do not have faith in God's unconditional love.

originally posted by: Raggedyman

originally posted by: Ghost147

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147

You have made some very bizarre assumptions, so many wild and catholic beliefs in your statement
Sometimes a person needs to grow and stop with being fed as a child

feel free to educate me instead of just insult me

I wasn't making assumptions, I have been told directly, by Christians, that this is what they believe personally (notice how I am not stating that 'all of Christianity claims this'

Please learn how to use reading comprehension more efficiently. No need for your seemingly insufferable distaste for any content I post on this site to bleed into every response you make directed at me.

Or is it that you're just here to troll again? I noticed you haven't added anything of context to this thread. yet again

Come on ghost, you cant be told, you dont listen and you dont care to, but you will listen to what confirms what you want to hear
Insufferable?
You are calling christians psychopaths, duh?

Whats this
"burning for eternity, being skinned forever, tortured, and so forth,"
Where do you get that from, who taught you this, your catholic priest?
You go to the poisoned to get poison to spread poison

this is a troll thread
Its all you do, troll christianity
You are the atheist version of wesboro baptist church

It's funny how a skunk can't smell his own stink. This thread wasn't solely about Christianity no matter how delusional you may be.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
You had better lay off the Star Trek, you are losing touch with reality

or maybe that is your reality, multiple worlds you neither affect or effect

The funny thing about people who strongly believe in dogma is they think everyone else who doesn't share their dogma is insane. There's a funny saying in Eastern religions. People who think they know don't know. People who think they don't know do know. You definitely sound like you know exactly what is truth and what is not. Good for you. You should be proud in your accomplishment of closed mindedness. I wish my thoughts came directly from God like yours. It's not very often that you meet someone of your caliber. Tell God I said hello the next time you have lunch with him.

a reply to: Ghost147

Text Many of us would be mentally destroyed knowing as a fact that a relative of ours is in hell, burning for eternity, being skinned forever, tortured, and so forth, maybe for nothing more than simply being a good person, but not following the god that rules the heaven you're in. As billions of earth-equivalent years pass, that same relative of yours has been going through continuous dismemberment as you frolic in the sky.

One would not be any more mentally destroyed in heaven than here on earth. What would be the difference?

Actually there is no doctrine of Christ Jesus that teaches one is tortured or skinned or any other such nonsense in Sheol [hell.] And the book of Revelation teaches that hell will eventually be destroyed, so according to that teaching one is not in hell forever. As hell is destroyed and cast into the ethereal fire of torment does not mean the fire that we experience on this earth is the ethereal celestial fire. Actually Revelation does not say the unrighteous are burned at all. It does say that the lake which burns with fire and brimstone are where the unrighteous are kept.

There are many concepts of what that means. Isaiah infers that there is no consciousness of the human spirit in this lake of fire and brimstone but that there is recognition of the ones who are in this lake of non consuming fire. Revelation suggests that there is torment forever for the beast and false prophets but does not tell us if the human spirit faces the same punishment of consciousness forever. Jesus taught that the first death is that of the terrestrial soul and the second death is that of the spirit but other than this is nothing but speculation.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
I agree with this sentiment. I think when people "sin" forgiveness and salvation doesn't come from God but from the people who have been sinned against. Some sins are unforgivable. To be forgiving is to be like God.

It's a petty and immature mind that is always seeking revenge. It is a petty and immature mind that takes pleasure in other people's suffering for any reason.

God's love is unconditional. It is not based on the conditions of sin. Most people do not have faith in God's unconditional love.

I think it's worth while to mention, that depending on the circumstances finding forgiveness in others can be challenging.Looking back, individuals pass away or may be very difficult to reach for example.When it comes to making amends, asking for them forgiveness in one's heart may be the most practical way to heal.

There's also individuals who feel they may have missed the mark with the Almighty.Short of the practice of developing a more personal relationship with God, they may never feel truly forgiven for their past misgivings.I picture some individuals in the past, prior to the Good News feeling hurt for lack of redemption in their society at the times...

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
Born atheists? To be an atheist is to deny God.

Actually:

Atheism is, in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in the existence of deities.

Harvey, Van A. Agnosticism and Atheism, in Flynn 2007, p. 35: "The terms ATHEISM and AGNOSTICISM lend themselves to two different definitions. The first takes the privative a both before the Greek theos (divinity) and gnosis (to know) to mean that atheism is simply the absence of belief in the gods and agnosticism is simply lack of knowledge of some specified subject matter.

What you're using is the less inclusive definition of Atheism. (from the same article)

The second definition takes atheism to mean the explicit denial of the existence of gods and agnosticism as the position of someone who, because the existence of gods is unknowable, suspends judgment regarding them ...


The first is the more inclusive and recognizes only two alternatives: Either one believes in the gods or one does not. Consequently, there is no third alternative, as those who call themselves agnostics sometimes claim. Insofar as they lack belief, they are really atheists.

If you'd like further proof of this definition, here are several other links:

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy: Either the lack of belief that there exists a god, or the belief that there exists none.

Oxford Dictionary: Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.

www.merriam-webster.com...: a : a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods

www.atheists.org...: Atheism is one thing: A lack of belief in gods.

Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is simply a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. Atheism is too often defined incorrectly as a belief system. To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
Nobody is born an atheist or a theist, because infants don't have beliefs.

Precisely. That's why infants are born as an atheist. Please read the definitions above.

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
Everyone worshipping something, means everyone has something they love above all else, from which all their happiness springs.

Here's what worship actually means:

en.wikipedia.org...: Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader.

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
If you don't love a God, you love either this material world, or yourself.

No... it's not a one or another scenario. The reason you believe it is is because you cannot fathom living without religion and thus must come to the conclusion that no one else can.

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
If you believe in a concept of "Good," "Justice," "Truth," "Kindness," etc. apart from materialism and selfishness, you aren't an atheist. Those are other words for "God." Anything else you've heard is a twisting around of religion by corrupt or stupid people.

Lmao. You could say the same nonsensical things are an explanation of literally any metaphysical conception. the word "God" in this context is completely interchangeable with any other imaginary thing. You could change the word "god" with "mystical invisible unicorns" and you couldn't disprove the argument because it's an unfalsifiable claim. which means it's irrelevant.

By the way, No, I don't believe any of those things exist objectively. They are all completely subjective.

Someone kills a spider because their friend is scared. From one perspective they're being kind to their friend, from another they've took a life of a living creature that otherwise was perfectly harmless and just surviving like the rest of us.

By the way, none of those things have anything to do with atheism because Atheism isn't a philosophy, it's simply a lack of belief at it's foundation.

The issue you're having with all this - and I'm not trying to insult you - is that you simply don't know what the definition of an Atheist is. Which is a perfectly honest misunderstanding, considering many people, even many antheists, cant accurately define Atheism from Theism from Agnosticism.

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
I don't hate atheists.

Your massive prejudice states otherwise.

The fascinating part of this all is that you're completely unaware of your own prejudice.

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
You seem to have already forgotten my stance that Hell isn't a punishment and will be exactly where they can make themselves at home.

Ah, you've become psychic now, have you? No I didn't forget anything, I still enjoy your view on hell. What does this have to do with anything?

I think the issue your having is that you're incapable of accepting that Atheists really aren't what your preconceived view of them portrays. I'm not sure why you can't simply accept this? Have I not proven those wrong yet? What would convince you?

originally posted by: MoreInterior
a reply to: Ghost147
You got that from "selfishness?" I was thinking materialism and adultery, but if that's where your mind is, that's your issue.

I was speaking through hyperbole and that your definitions of Atheism are laughably stereotyped and as unfounded as the ones you just quoted me saying.

a reply to: Ghost147

Doctrine and dogma from the atheist pope of ats
If you don't believe and accept what ghost tells you to believe you can't be an atheist

No one questions a "ghost" papal bull to the masses beneath him

once upon a time it is believed everyone thought the world was flat, it wasn't, public opinion was wrong
All you have is opinion ghost, nothing else
Opinion is a belief

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147
All you have is opinion ghost, nothing else
Opinion is a belief

Yeah, damn me and my 'opinions' that are always backed by citation.

The thing about 'opinion' is that it's a self conceptualized viewpoint. It's one's own interpretation of a particular topic.

For instance, you have an opinion of me being some religious nut job whom blindly believes in psuedoscience and is incapable of accepting what you believe to be reality.

Your opinions remain opinions because you never quote anything, you never provide citation, your statements are exclusively backed by nothing because you don't provide any substance to your accusations.

My responses always provide quotes from others or actual research, and citation from highly respected organizations. Not my interpretation on what they're saying, but their own words.

If I'm going to post my opinion, I'll state "in my opinion".

Nice try though

a reply to: dfnj2015

I was thinking some more about what you had brought up about God's unconditional love.It reminded me of a story, I'd like to share...

www.spiritual-short-stories.com...

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of the long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at the desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”

“This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.

“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.

“Of course, sir. Come right in and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.”The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

“Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in too?” the traveler asked.

“I’m sorry sir, but we don’t accept pets.”

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

“Excuse me!” he called to the reader. “Do you have any water?”

“Yeah, sure. There’s a pump over there.” The man pointed to a place that couldn’t be seen from outside the gate. “Come on in.”

“How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog.

“There should be a bowl by the pump.”

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself. Then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.

“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.

“This is Heaven,” was the answer.

“Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said. “The man down the road said that was Heaven too.”

“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s Hell.”

“Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”

“No. I can see how you might think so, but we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who’ll leave their best friends behind.”

a reply to: Ghost147

Yes, that's called confirmation bias, quoting citations that support your argument without acknowledging another opinion
Maybe that passes as education where you are from ghost

It's opinion and so is what you cited

I could quote a counter view but having discussed previous topics, you,would ignore them because, well who knows

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147

Yes, that's called confirmation bias, quoting citations that support your argument without acknowledging another opinion
Maybe that passes as education where you are from ghost

It's opinion and so is what you cited

I could quote a counter view but having discussed previous topics, you,would ignore them because, well who knows

What previous topics? You never provide an actual argument.

If my citations are inaccurate, feel free to show how they are with evidence It's really that simple

You're here to troll, that's the only thing you ever do. The only reason I can assume that you to respond to my topics is to attempt to get some sort of reaction out of me, as any response you give is antagonistic and lacks any substance other than name calling and empty, unfounded insults. Then, as always, you say "I would, but [blah blah blah, excuse], and that's why I'm not going to provide any evidence that supports my opinions"

Your predictable repetition is boring.]

a reply to: Ghost147

I am the troll but I don't start endless cry baby threads about big nasty atheists who make me pee pee my panties with all their silly nonsense
In fact while I disagree with atheists I am not scared or concerned with them at all
In fact have many atheist friends who I get along with and enjoy their company. Who don't see Christians as psychopaths

Mostly wouldn't go around calling them psychopaths, or any other names
Wouldn't go around causing conflict or contention, trying to instill a fear or make myself seem more balanced or smarter
Don't mind that they believe in fairy tail nonsense like evolution, don't have a cry baby rant about their beliefs, fully accept and encourage their opinion, though....

But I do think being called a psychopath, based on a persons erroneous beliefs of my faith is an issue

I can not see one single valid reason to start a thread like this other than to inspire hate, or to show the world how big and important you are. An excercise in self grandoising attention seeking.

Of course all religious people are Norman Bates esque, coming for you in the shower, take note all atheists

There is something wrong in your head ghost, really get some help, I am not kidding you

Ghost, nobody can explain away your confusion, you use it as a crutch

Here is a choice,
accept follow God, be in relationship with him
Don't accept, be away from Him

It's your choice, I have suffered for others and their silly choices before, but what am I to do.
i don't believe the punishment in hell is stern as for humanity
You have chosen
You can go believe your Catholic,Greek christianese
I will believe all atheists are Stalins and hitlers

originally posted by: JoshuaCox
a reply to: Ghost147

Also hell as a concept is less than 1000 years old..

The meaning given today to the word “hell” is that portrayed in Dante’s Divine Comedy and Milton’s Paradise Lost, which meaning is completely foreign to the original definition of the word. The idea of a “hell” of fiery torment, however, dates back long before Dante or Milton. The Grolier Universal Encyclopedia (1971, Vol. 9, p. 205) under “Hell” says: “Hindus and Buddhists regard hell as a place of spiritual cleansing and final restoration. Islamic tradition considers it as a place of everlasting punishment.” The idea of suffering after death is found among the pagan religious teachings of ancient peoples in Babylon and Egypt. Babylonian and Assyrian beliefs depicted the “nether world . . . as a place full of horrors, . . . presided over by gods and demons of great strength and fierceness.” Although ancient Egyptian religious texts do not teach that the burning of any individual victim would go on forever, they do portray the “Other World” as featuring “pits of fire” for “the damned.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, by Morris Jastrow, Jr., 1898, p. 581; The Book of the Dead, with introduction by E. Wallis Budge, 1960, pp. 135, 144, 149, 151, 153, 161, 200.

Hell: Insight, Volume 1

What the h*ll is HELL anyway? Are you going there?

Myth 1: The Soul Is Immortal

What is the origin of the myth?

“The early Christian philosophers adopted the Greek concept of the soul’s immortality and thought of the soul as being created by God and infused into the body at conception.”—The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1988), Volume 11, page 25.
What does the Bible say?

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”—Ezekiel 18:4, King James Version.
...
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul raised questions: Where do souls go after death? What happens to the souls of the wicked? When nominal Christians adopted the myth of the immortal soul, this led them to accept another myth—the teaching of hellfire.

FACT:

At death a person ceases to exist
...
Myth 2: The Wicked Suffer in Hell

What is the origin of the myth?

“Of all classical Greek philosophers, the one who has had the greatest influence on traditional views of Hell is Plato.”—Histoire des enfers (The History of Hell), by Georges Minois, page 50.

“From the middle of the 2nd century AD Christians who had some training in Greek philosophy began to feel the need to express their faith in its terms . . . The philosophy that suited them best was Platonism [the teachings of Plato].”—The New Encyclopædia Britannica (1988), Volume 25, page 890.

“The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God.”—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994 edition, page 270.

What does the Bible say?

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, . . . for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”—Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, Revised Standard Version.

The Hebrew word Sheol, which referred to the “abode of the dead,” is translated “hell” in some versions of the Bible. What does this passage reveal about the condition of the dead? Do they suffer in Sheol in order to atone for their errors? No, for they “know nothing.” That is why the patriarch Job, when suffering terribly because of a severe illness, begged God: “Protect me in hell [Hebrew, Sheol].” (Job 14:13; Douay-Rheims Version) What meaning would his request have had if Sheol was a place of eternal torment? Hell, in the Biblical sense, is simply the common grave of mankind, where all activity has ceased.
...
FACT:

God does not punish people in hell

Source: One Myth Leads to Another

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147

I am the troll but I don't start endless cry baby threads about big nasty atheists who make me pee pee my panties with all their silly nonsense
In fact while I disagree with atheists I am not scared or concerned with them at all
In fact have many atheist friends who I get along with and enjoy their company. Who don't see Christians as psychopaths

Mostly wouldn't go around calling them psychopaths, or any other names
Wouldn't go around causing conflict or contention, trying to instill a fear or make myself seem more balanced or smarter
Don't mind that they believe in fairy tail nonsense like evolution, don't have a cry baby rant about their beliefs, fully accept and encourage their opinion, though....

But I do think being called a psychopath, based on a persons erroneous beliefs of my faith is an issue

Did you even read the OP? It has nothing to do with Christians being psychopaths.

I wanted to know what Christian's believe heaven is like, and if emotions that could be portrayed as negative would exist in Heaven. This is under the assumption that not just a christian could get into heaven.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147
I can not see one single valid reason to start a thread like this other than to inspire hate, or to show the world how big and important you are. An excercise in self grandoising attention seeking.

If you believe that, then you've grossly misunderstood what the OP is about.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147
There is something wrong in your head ghost, really get some help, I am not kidding you

Ghost, nobody can explain away your confusion, you use it as a crutch

Right, because asking questions is a mental disorder now.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147
Here is a choice,
accept follow God, be in relationship with him
Don't accept, be away from Him

Perhaps it's that easy for you. Which is fine. For me, I can't simply start doing something like starting a relationship requiring faith and rejecting any questions that come to mind in order to hold onto that faith.

I don't know how you became a religious person, but from my perspective this types of questions, like the ones in the OP come to my mind all the time. You believe they are some sort of malicious attempt from me to slander a group of people, which they are actually honest questions. You and I are clearly different people, we think differently, I'm not judging you for it. But what allows you to accept without questioning makes me question without first accepting, it's as simple as that.

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: Ghost147
i don't believe the punishment in hell is stern as for humanity

Then explain that! That's all you need to do in these topics.

There have already been several people in here that have showed me radically different beliefs regarding 'Hell' that I didn't even realize existed before, and in turn it's helped me understand Christianity as a whole better.

What you do differently from those people is come in assuming I have some kind of hatred for Christianity, instead of honestly asking a question, and then you belittle me because of your assumption.

View this from an external perspective for a second, How would a person react to such a response?

Probably negatively.

Why not give the benefit of the doubt and at least attempt to educate someone instead of constantly providing a means of instant rejection to everything you say? Is the possibility that you might plant a seed that could one day lead to that person expanding their understanding by acting mature, being there to help, and furthering open-mindedness and tolerance, more valuable than the constant hostility?