Nonbelievers to Hell!

[LuisDantas]

I just assumed that if someone has faith in a religion, it would be faith in God. I just wonder how many people of faith believe in a spirit but don't believe in God- that would be faith, too, I guess.

There is faith in the potential of mankind as well. Probably a few other kinds, too.

As for what basis other than faith there is to religion, well, traditionally there are quite a few other paths - moral practice, search for wisdom, search for correct behavior, to mention a few.

 

[no-body]

Incredibly cliched over posted quote but still true:

"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones."
— Marcus Aurelius

I agree. A God who will judge you based on belief and not your actions is an evil God.

Explain to your aunt that you and your God are morally superior to Christians and Jehovah... nah just kidding, just don't let it bother you. Changing the subject is the best thing you can do since neither of you are going to change their minds.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I was talking to my very Christian Aunt, and I told her that I follow Asatru. Now she knows me very well and really feels that I am a genuinely kind and loving person. I asked her, based on her beliefs, that even though I am not a Christian, would I go to heaven when I died, if it existed. She said no, I would go to hell for eternity. Me, a kind and loving person, would go to Hell and burn for eternity, all because I didn't accept Jesus as my saviour. That's outrageous to me, and shows how intolerant the Christian god is, at least in my Aunt's interpretation. Now my Aunt is not the "religious" Christian, she says she is a "spiritual" Christian. One who feels that have a one-on-one relationship with God, and disagrees a lot with the Church. She says the only things you must do to get to Heaven is accept you are a sinner, and accept Jesus. She is very tolerant however, it seems as if her god is not. Her loving god who shows her the way, the truth, and the light, and cares so much about her and guides her. This loving god sends another loving human to eternal Hellfire for not accepting him.

That's the same question I asked my super fundamentalist stepmother, and she said the same thing, that without the Holy Spirit all the good in the world won't make one enter heaven and that they can hang it up.

 

[stillsearching]

I believe that you will get the chance to decide in the next life. Hell for one person may not be hell for the next person. If this life is truly a learning experience for the here after then a lot of who you are here is going to be who you are there and you may not want to dwell with God so your aunt's version of hell is going to be different than your version. Hell for her will be not being in God's presence, but your Hell might actually being with Him.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I believe that you will get the chance to decide in the next life. Hell for one person may not be hell for the next person. If this life is truly a learning experience for the here after then a lot of who you are here is going to be who you are there and you may not want to dwell with God so your aunt's version of hell is going to be different than your version. Hell for her will be not being in God's presence, but your Hell might actually being with Him.

Still Searching why should your god either in this life or the next demand that people should acknowledge him or go to some hell? Does your god really think he's all that? My gods are just as real as he is, and what makes him so much better that I should drop their worship for him? He isn't special.

 

[stillsearching]

Still Searching why should your god either in this life or the next demand that people should acknowledge him or go to some hell? Does your god really think he's all that? My gods are just as real as he is, and what makes him so much better that I should drop their worship for him? He isn't special.

I am not saying my God is better. I think that God is a merciful being and isn't going to damn anyone to hell for not being a follower.
I don't think that you understood my post at all. I think hell is a state of mind rather than a place.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

So what will you get to decide in the next life then? I'm not likely to give up my gods then either

 

[stillsearching]

I have no idea what to think of the next life yet as I am not there.

 

[Father Heathen]

Why would God find maximized pain for the longest duration possible to be the only alternative to "paradise"?

"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge." -Einstein

 

[Misty]

Why would God find maximized pain for the longest duration possible to be the only alternative to "paradise"?

"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge." -Einstein

I agree. Surely those who are good with no hope of a 'heavenly reward' deserve more praise than those who are hoping for pie in the sky?

 

[AxisMundi]

I agree. Surely those who are good with no hope of a 'heavenly reward' deserve more praise than those who are hoping for pie in the sky?

I'm more concerned about those who seem incapable of "being good" without that threat of eternal suffering and torment.

 

[Misty]

I'm more concerned about those who seem incapable of "being good" without that threat of eternal suffering and torment.

True! Even worse are the ones who sign up to the 'once saved, always saved' mantra, and think however bad they are after they are 'saved', they will still get into heaven. What planet are on?

 

[Duck]

I was talking to my very Christian Aunt, and I told her that I follow Asatru. Now she knows me very well and really feels that I am a genuinely kind and loving person. I asked her, based on her beliefs, that even though I am not a Christian, would I go to heaven when I died, if it existed. She said no, I would go to hell for eternity. Me, a kind and loving person, would go to Hell and burn for eternity, all because I didn't accept Jesus as my saviour. That's outrageous to me, and shows how intolerant the Christian god is, at least in my Aunt's interpretation. Now my Aunt is not the "religious" Christian, she says she is a "spiritual" Christian. One who feels that have a one-on-one relationship with God, and disagrees a lot with the Church. She says the only things you must do to get to Heaven is accept you are a sinner, and accept Jesus. She is very tolerant however, it seems as if her god is not. Her loving god who shows her the way, the truth, and the light, and cares so much about her and guides her. This loving god sends another loving human to eternal Hellfire for not accepting him.

Don't worry about it. I always assume that those folks condemning me to "hell" are just shortening Helheim -- you know that place you go when you don't die under certain circumstances (battle, drowning, sacrifice, etc). Really shocks the right wingers when you aren't scared and concerned about going to "hell".

 

[Duck]

I reject the belief in him. And I reject Christianity.

Personally, I don't reject belief in Yahweh, He has too many followers to not exist, so I totally believe in Yahweh. Worshipping him on the other hand...Nope, not since I was 16. I will stick with the Hammer wielder, thanks.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

I was talking to my very Christian Aunt, and I told her that I follow Asatru. Now she knows me very well and really feels that I am a genuinely kind and loving person. I asked her, based on her beliefs, that even though I am not a Christian, would I go to heaven when I died, if it existed. She said no, I would go to hell for eternity. Me, a kind and loving person, would go to Hell and burn for eternity, all because I didn't accept Jesus as my saviour. That's outrageous to me, and shows how intolerant the Christian god is, at least in my Aunt's interpretation. Now my Aunt is not the "religious" Christian, she says she is a "spiritual" Christian. One who feels that have a one-on-one relationship with God, and disagrees a lot with the Church. She says the only things you must do to get to Heaven is accept you are a sinner, and accept Jesus. She is very tolerant however, it seems as if her god is not. Her loving god who shows her the way, the truth, and the light, and cares so much about her and guides her. This loving god sends another loving human to eternal Hellfire for not accepting him.

You seem to want to ignore the Biblical concept that God does not believe that anyone is good and that human goodness is not the key to entering into heaven.

 

[Meow Mix]

Personally, I don't reject belief in Yahweh, He has too many followers to not exist, so I totally believe in Yahweh. Worshipping him on the other hand...Nope, not since I was 16. I will stick with the Hammer wielder, thanks.

If enough people believed George Washington was a horse, must he have been a horse?

 

[sandy whitelinger]

If enough people believed George Washington was a horse, must he have been a horse?

A horse is a horse of course, of course, and no one can talk to a horse of course.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

Don't worry about it. I always assume that those folks condemning me to "hell" are just shortening Helheim -- you know that place you go when you don't die under certain circumstances (battle, drowning, sacrifice, etc). Really shocks the right wingers when you aren't scared and concerned about going to "hell".

Danged narrow-minded right-wingers!

 

[Reptillian]

If enough people believed George Washington was a horse, must he have been a horse?

Truth by concensus...aren't you a believer in the awesome power of wikipedia?... I suppose its just another arguement from authority but now the authority is the majority...knowhatimean?

 

[Duck]

If enough people believed George Washington was a horse, must he have been a horse?

I could argue that in some respects belief makes reality, but I am not sure that I am mentally up for it right now.

As for the intangibles of things like religion, sure, belief makes reality iow a number of worshipers is all that is required for a deity to exist. No particular number of worshipers required, just a number of them.