Yeah, but we as a species have moved on from these primitive fears and insecurities. Much of the concepts in Christianity do apveal to the biggest fears humans have, and I suspect they were designed that way. What better way to attract and exploit believers than to offer solutions? In the 21st century these ideas not only lack evidence, but are absurd. None of it makes sense. No rational person hears about Christian concepts and concludes they make sense and are true. Believers are exposed to these ideas and they believe due to conformity to social norms.
Great fiction. None of it makes sense.
Reading and studying the Bible without the confirmation bias of my Christian indoctrination was what led to my deconversion from Christianity.
The Noah flood and the need to have Jesus executed so God would have a payoff for mankind's sins suggests to me an incompetent God, or perhaps a sociopath. I'd say sociopath because the Noah flood was a crime against humanity (assuming it was real, which it wasn't). But since believers think it's all true I am dealing with what they treat as factual, and that suggests very bad things for God.
I've often suggested that Christians treat the Bible stories as symbolic, not literal, as that would allow more of an introspective expereince for the believer, and less absorbtion into a gramework that is immoral and unrealistic.
Surely, an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God would know better than to create a species that he knew would rebel against him and would later regret creating. He also knew that the first of this species he created, who had no prior knowledge of right or wrong, would fall into temptation after he deliberately tempted them to take a bite of a forbidden fruit that he explicitly instructed them not to do. This God not only punished them for their disobedience, which he was aware of, but he also punished and cursed the serpent for accomplishing what he desired. Furthermore, he punished and cursed the remaining creatures of this species with a fallen nature, causing them to rebel against him. Prior to creating this species, he also knew that he would eventually drown and kill them (with the exception of one family unit) in a global flood due to their moral depravity and rebellion against him. He would then repopulate the earth with the same morally flawed species, as well as ruthlessly torture and kill his own divine son in a brutal and inhumane blood sacrifice to redeem this morally flawed species. Given this creation story's overall narrative, I don't consider this God to be loving, merciful, or just.
Have you ever wondered why your God would design this system the way you believe it? Does it really sound perfect?
Romans 10:8–13 states that salvation awaits anyone who declares with their mouth, "
Jesus is Lord," and believes in their heart that God raised him from the dead. Furthermore, their belief in their hearts and their profession of faith in Jesus justify them, and they will not face shame. In fact, verse 13 plainly states, "
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Furthermore,
Ephesians 2:8–9 states, "
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." However, there is an apparent loophole in this seemingly hopeful divine promise, such as the stringent implication that a person could lose their salvation and face eternal condemnation if they do not follow God's will.
I'm referring to
Matthew 7:21, which states, "
Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven," and the parable of the sheep and goats (
Matthew 25:31–46). In this parable, Jesus rewards the "sheep" with eternal life for their good deeds of feeding the hungry, quenching the thirst of the thirsty, welcoming a stranger, clothing the needy, and visiting the sick or those in prison. However, Jesus lambasted the "goats" for failing to feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the needy, or pay visits to the ill or prisoners. Jesus cursed them and sent them to eternal damnation. Despite being Christians who accepted Jesus as their lord and savior, the "goats" lacked the good works necessary for eternal life. In my opinion,
Romans 10:8–13 presents yet another contradictory message in the Bible, asserting that salvation is contingent upon an individual's outward declaration of "
Jesus is Lord" and their internal belief in God's resurrection of Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8–9 also states,
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." In my opinion, if someone gives you something as a gift but arbitrarily takes it away because you don't follow their rules, then it isn't a gift. I don't consider something a gift if the person who gave it to me can ruthlessly take it away if I don't obey them. It isn't a gift with strings attached.
