non-belief = hell?

[Wandered Off]

You can't just decide to "believe" something without some kind of external catalyst. Belief is more complex than a mere act of will where you could believe something you don't just by "trying harder." While we can influence our beliefs, we do not directly and consciously control them.

For this reason, hanging disastrous, irrevocable, and eternal consequences on something beyond our ability to control directly would be unconscionable - which is why the whole notion is clearly a human creation.

 

[Anti-thesisofreason]

i have a genuine question for those of you who are members of religions that dont have a hell. its something ive been curious about, if your religion has no punishment for non-belief/knowledge, then what is the point? i mean, what do you gain from it? im not trying to criticize you for your belief or anything, i just dont get it. how i see it, if theres nothing lost, then theres nothing gained. will my non-belief be treated equally to your belief?

Why would a religion have to contain a punishment in the afterlife in order to be held with any regard?

Why does it need to come down to personal gain?

 

[JMorris]

Why would a religion have to contain a punishment in the afterlife in order to be held with any regard?

Why does it need to come down to personal gain?

if you find value in it, then thats fine. i just dont see the point if theres nothing gained, my life is just fine without religion.

 

[thesoundoftruth]

No non belief dosn't get anserwed with a one way ticket to hell. It was stated that at the end of the rapture that people of all faith background- christian, muslic, Buddhist and such would stand hand in hand in paradise at the foot of the lord our god. As long as you maintain a life of purity an sinlessness you shall feast in paradise with the lord. Yes I do know the first comandment says to praise no other god though if the god is called by another name whos to say it's not the same. For instance Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all follow the monotheistic religiouse views meaning they all believe in one god and each religion has rules/laws that show their followers how to maintain a life of purity and many of these laws are similar such as not commiting acts of theft or murder.

 

[thesoundoftruth]

Why would a religion have to contain a punishment in the afterlife in order to be held with any regard?

Why does it need to come down to personal gain?

Non believe should'nt ever be reason for punishment, reason for punishment should be not living a life of purity and righteousness should be what man is judged by when his time comes. If he helped out his fellow neighbor, gave to charity, and helped those less foutunate than him but had no faith why should he be punished, the fact is he shouldn't which is why he isn't. Now if he kills and murders those around him than having no faith is another dagger in the back and should thus suffer the eturnle damnation that is coming to him.

 

[logician]

You can't just decide to "believe" something without some kind of external catalyst. Belief is more complex than a mere act of will where you could believe something you don't just by "trying harder." While we can influence our beliefs, we do not directly and consciously control them.

For this reason, hanging disastrous, irrevocable, and eternal consequences on something beyond our ability to control directly would be unconscionable - which is why the whole notion is clearly a human creation.

A point I try to make on this board from time to time. Belief is not a "decision" but a "conclusion" based upon some form of evidence or at least path of reasoning. Someone could hold a gun to my head, and I still could not "believe" in god, because I have concluded there is no evidence to sustain that belief. If I said I did, I would only be fooling myself.