I am not sure if this topic has been discussed yet or not but I would like to investigate the rational many Christians and other religious people have in justifying a certain religious belief. This religious belief entails their willingness to accept the reward by God of going to eternal bliss in heaven for eternity while at the same time accepting the fate of even their closest friends and family members spending eternity in everlasting torment, torture and excruciating pain and agony forever which makes the holocaust and any other man-made atrocity a mere slap on the wrist compared to this appalling set of conditions.
I myself am troubled by a religious person's acceptance of this atrocious contracted arrangement by their so-called deity. This is not necessarily limited to the Christian community. However, they are the ones who I have seen that have capitalized on this the most.
I would like to watch both sides of this debate to see how religious people can justify these actions and statements and see if my above statements have merit or are totally off mark.
Just to be clear that Christianity does focus around the concepts of heaven and hell here are a few excerpt from the Bible which confirm the Christian's belief that those who do not accept God will be thrown into hell for eternity:
Matthew 13 writes:
As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear....Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. Then it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mark 9:47-48 writes:
It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' Everyone will be salted with fire.
Luke 16:24-26 writes:
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Revelations 14:10 writes:
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelations 20:14-15 writes:
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death — the lake of fire. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.
Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given.
One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves -- that we've been so credulous. - Carl Sagan, The Fine Art of Baloney Detection
"You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe." - Carl Sagan
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
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