I know you might think of me as some smug atheist, but to me love and understanding is far more important than worship, and a God that tolerates Hell is not God. If you truly believed in goodness, you wouldn’t put up these barriers between people.  But no, you go about condemning your fellow man to an eternity in Hell despite the good they’ve done, despite the choices that were forced upon them…how is that logical? How is that unselfish? And where is the independent thought in that? Obey and be rewarded right? That’s what dogs do, we’re human beings. We decide how our lives are meaningful, and we should preach love and peace instead of blame and contempt.  Now I don’t have anything against Christianity or any other religion, but this self-indulgent concept of Hell has to end. To believe in Hell keeps you insensitive to the suffering of others. It makes you see a person as less than a human being and that is F*CKED UP.
135205
First, being a Christian = being a sinner!\n\nSo, true Christians don't really say they are better than others, just compassionate enough to dialog about GOD. Condemning is GOD's job as the the judge of his creation.\n\nGod is Loving, Merciful, but Just!\n\nHe loves his creation, which means he loves you!\n\nHe is merciful, so for you he sent Jesus to pay for your sins and transgressions! Is it harder to cry about GOD creating hell or to accept his simple plan for redemption. \n\nAccept that GOD loves you! He was merciful to pay for your short comings and hell will not exist for you!\n\nHowever, in the end GOD is a Just GOD!\n\nYou have the choice! You don't have to be perfect, Just accept a perfect GOD!\n\nYou are not a dog, you have a choice! If you say screw you GOD, God loves you enough to Honor your choice! \n \nYou want to be rewarded for doing good! What about when you are bad! Should you not have to answer for how you treat others! Justice says yes! \n\nI hope and pray everyone will accept Jesus and Hell will be empty, But I am glad GOD is Just.
239838
I'm not an Atheist but I am Agnostic and no, I wouldn't sell my soul to anyone. If you can show me something solid, that I can see, touch, and feel I would be a full on believer in God, Christianity, Jesus, whatever you got. One thing that would make me believe in a heartbeat would be for me to see someone come back from the dead. I can see them and touch them. Until then all I can do is hope there is a God and that he forgives me because I didn't believe someone could give us this world and pain that we all go through out of love. I wonder, I am a thinking human being and I wonder how I got here. I understand that people have their strong feelings about religion and to them have seen miracles. But I can honestly tell you that I have seen many miraculous things as well but they could come from the earth for all I know. If you want to believe, believe. Its OK. But you shouldn't jump on others who haven't made their minds up yet. Isn't that what that "you shouldn't throw your pearls before swine" thing in the Bible is all about? I know that it hurts you because you believe but there is actual validation as to why others don't. Just look around you, its not a nice place.
378264
Everyone has a choice, God does not "make" Muslims, etc. He may know someone will make choices that turns them into a Muslim, but God values our choices. Look, if God wanted to just let everyone into heaven that loved him, and cast away the rest into hell, he can do so WITHOUT putting us on earth first. But why would he let us be on earth when he knows we wont serve him anyway? Well imagine if you were created straight in hell... You could easily argue, "God I never had a choice to follow you!", but since you were on earth you DID have choices, and so you get to understand why you go to heaven or hell. Remember though, no one goes to hell if they doesn't deserve to be there according to God's judgement. So why didn't God create just Christians? Well, firstly that would be a form of force since we'd all be destined to go to heaven. Secondly, God might use the life of a non-believer to somehow affect another person into believing. If no one was criticising the Bible, for instance, you probably wouln't have historians and archeologists who back up the Biblical claims with as much evidence as possible. If you didn't have those scholars defending the Bible from skeptics, you might not have as many people who believe in the Bible. At the last, remember that God's knowledge and foresight exceeds are own, and what we may not think is "woth it" he does. Plus think about it, do you think us mere humans are worth the sufferings Jesus undertook? I don't want anyone suffering for me, but it just goes to show how sometimes God might do something we think is wrong, but to him it is extreme mercy and love.
634983
What a sorry way to live life.  If god is so forgiving, he would applaud my free thinking attitude.  My actions in life define myself more than believing is something as ridiculous as a god that kills his own people and then says "thou shall not kill".  There's no reason not to have good morals, regardless of religious faith.  In fact, it seems that religion is inspiring more and more hatred and greed every day!  Those aren't Atheists strapping bombs around their waists and running into a crowd of people.
400461
I consider myself Christian, born and raised. My family has never been strict about it though. I don't believe that non-believers will go to hell. I do however believe that if you KILL, rape, or lead a life without morals, that you will suffer in your own hell that you caused others.
81540
It bothers you because you have the answer in your heart! Of course God wouldn't do that. But religion will tell you otherwise to try and control you with fear. He cannot be loving and forgiving and also send people to hell. That wouldn't make him the conqueror over sin would it? \n\nWho won, Satan or Jesus? Jesus saved the world and that is that. People just don't want to believe that they are free and loved. They want to do good things and be rewarded for them. And they want to be punished for being bad, or see other people being punished. Would you send someone from your family to hell - for anything? So how much more loving and forgiving is God than you are? \n\nYour heart is more reliable than any book.
576203
I agree with you whole heartedly. I think you create your destiny and sometimes that includes a personal Heaven and a personal Hell. We all are creative of our outcome in any / all lives. I'm sure we fit into a bigger picture that most of us here cannot fathom, but it all revolves around love and if that's not part of your life at some point I believe you're destined to a personal Hell. I don't need any religion to help me understand this. When I say Hell I don't mean a fiery chasm where people burn for enernity...nor do I mean a place where an evil horned creature tortures you. I very simply mean a place that is unhappy and unfulfilling to your heart and soul. Some people find this place and choose to find a way out through Love and some people find this place and choose to do harm to themselves and others. In any case... I certainly don't believe in most religions concepts of Heaven and Hell.\n\nAnd I believe answers like the one below mine are the most pressing reasons why the world in in the shape that it is. People who endorse Guilt, Suffering and Repentance in the name of God are responsible for the Suffocation of other Souls. Life can be daunting enough without Holier than Thou assholes prancing around preaching the good book to you and expressing that you're going to Hell where the Evil horned creature tortures you for eternity if you don't "repent" or convert to the "right" faith. As if a "proper" faith exists. News flash to all of the bible banging whack jobs out there... If I want to worship a tree or a rock or Krispy frickin Creme Donuts, I'm not goin to Hell. And if for some reason there is a Hell and I go to it... I'll be sure to see all of you there!
239191
This is so true about what you said Brad I might add this one. If you have not love of God in your Heart in Hell but only hate. Then you hate yourself-hate all those who are in hell as you hate all those who in heaven and every where esle. When you have an evil hate you on your whole soul,you are not resting with from fighting, bad mouthing  etc with each other and even  heavy sorrowing all at the same time. Its like a eternal war time without any peace and rest from it These being are wickedness and wrecked forever withont end. Love is God and there is no love in Hell. God love can't be in hell but only heaven and a few people on earth. \n Jesus's heart is all love and he loves us all equally so much. We must pray to have the love of Jesus the Christ in our heart. We can pray for others to gain heaven even the one who are not worthily of everlasting life but will have a chance. God is all know and powerful to help but then there are people who will not accept God's love and mercy no matter how God tried as they desire so much for Hell only.
563698
I'm a Christian, first of all, and I believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell, but I completely agree with you.  I can't possibly understand how someone could ever be evil enough to, when faced with the reality of God and His presence, turn it away!  Even the worst of the worst -- all have mental problems, like Hitler or serial killers.  It seems like everyone would make it to Heaven.
567113
If God does not exist, how does that for one second make my life a lie?  If I found out that God did not exist, I would not feel stupid or tricked.  I would feel disappointed, but I think I'd be rather philosophical about it.  After all, I LIKE the life I lead.  It's not as though I suffer through it because I'm afraid of hell, and if I found out that God didn't exist, I don't think I would live all too much differently.  Unless you're suggesting that loving people and helping others has no merit?  You say that at least in hell you'd be surrounded by nice people, but try reading through your question again.  There's nothing nice in that.  Quite frankly, you're giving good atheists a bad name.
584499
A well formulated question!  What a nice change of pace around here.  \n\nAssuming Heaven/Hell, God/Satan, you'd think Satan would be a bit more picky than just accepting all of God's rejects.  If he does accept all of God's rejects that would make him sound less judgmental and more open to all kinds of people.  \n\nBut I'm with you...if God is as compassionate as he is made out to be I find it hard to believe that he couldn't see that 99.9% of us are just trying to get thru the day the best way we know how and not trying to perpetuate evil.  Knowing the tortures that hell supposedly contains I find it hard to believe that God could send anyone there.\n\nBut I'm not a big believer in Hell anyway.\n\nThese are the philosophical questions that have kept discussions going since day one.
264300
Hell! What a formidable invention!\nI think that the sole idea of Hell is a Paradise for the good christian. They somehow enjoy being the ones that will someday walk through the gates of Heaven will looking over their shoulders all the BIG BUNCH of sinners going to Hell. \nIt´s not only a thing to avoid by worshipping God. It´s also a motivation, a prize to be earn, a comfort for the latter days when they´ll see all "the others" burn. \n\nI would say that, if you are REAL christian (a religion based on LOVE) you just can´t secretely rejoy in the future eternal suffering of those which don´t agree with you. So watch yourselves Christians! Don´t judge if you don´t want to be judged!
271500
Hmmm. Hi. Perhaps my perception on things hasn't been explained clearly enough. I apologize for that. Here is, in short, what I do and don't believe:\n\nThere is no such thing as a god. To me, the concept of the existence of a deity (besides being unproved and absurd) is just that- a concept. And a misleading one, at that. To me, it's a lie.\n\nI do not worship the christian devil. Hell, I do not even believe in it! To me, Satan is a reflection of humanity. You are your own god, and are free to accept it or not. Satan is not an entity, it's a force, it's in us. It's our vital force.\n\nHave fun, and be tolerant.\n\nBy the way, when I say Satan's spawn, it doesn't mean I believe I am the child of your devil, it means I am the Satan, as it is in me. It's sometimes also meant to shock. Depends.\n\nHappy, now?
260663
you kind'a have two seperate thoughts going there but heres my opinion:\n\n1) religious people have long said that animals and really all of creation worship God (or a god or many gods depending on who you ask) in their own way. it doesn't mean building tabernacles, but then again, they don't really have that physical ability or need.\n\n2)the concept of God spoiling the world is, in my opinion a distorted viewpoint. what you're doing is looking at two kids fighting over a doll and then saying it's the dolls fault. it's human nature to fight. if we weren't battling over religion, we'd be battling over land or money or whatever we deem fit.
157813
It all goes to say how the devil really does have his demons on the earth. My personal opinion is that it is much easier for people to live this kind of life you find repulsive, but for people like you and me- we are smarter than them. We see through all kinds of different things that really matter. For example TV- it's the biggest waste of time there could be, but people love it, are drawn to it. Most Americans watch TV all day long- our society is senseless causing the people in it to be as well. We are just like the hollywood stars without all the money- but people are drawn to them like they are so much better. It's all ridiculous and I think satan loves it! God wants us to be with and around other believers and until we do that exclusively~ we aren't going to find people like us. And if we do outside of "church" then it won't work someway eventually in the end with the friendship. I don't feel that you have unrealistic expectations with what should be, but if you believe already in God then what are you waiting for- but even in church there are the worst people there so it's all crazy out there and you have to trust and know what you feel in your heart.
159538
Those ignoramuses that believe in god should stop and think: why would a god that is so almighty and good allow such a place to exist.  The eternal torturing of the soul is a pretty bad scenario.  Eternal? yeah right.  What good can come of torture?  The sooner people realize that there is no god and hence there also is no hell, the better!
583421
Being good is not enough and not even for a christian. We can't continue in sin and expect God to reward us Heaven. God is not willing to turn his back on us if we do the right thing and that's serve him wholeheartedly. God is merciful and forgiven but we must repent and turn away from that lifestyle or sin.