Does God deserve hell? Do his followers?

Philosophy Forums Religion and Spirituality
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Does God deserve hell? Do his followers?

All Gods are created the same way. Even yours and mine. Here is a near perfect analogy.

youtube.com/watch?v=06jF1EG8o-Q

As a Gnostic Christian and esoteric ecumenist, I can see this plainly.

That does not mean that there is nothing that we would call other worldly or God. God, of a sort, is real, — and as archetypal Jesus says, — he is within all of us. We are Gods. Have ye forgotten that you are created by nature in the image of God?

Many scriptures show Jesus telling man to step up to his responsibilities yet few will call their God “I am”, and do as Jesus demands. Have “I am” mean you. You have to accept that there is no power greater than yourself.

To do otherwise puts God in hell.

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
― Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

Job 2;3 And the LORD said unto Satan: ‘Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a whole-hearted and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil? and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou didst move Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’

God admits to sin and may belong in hell.

What do you think?

Regards
DL

2

I think we tend to forget about when where and how the biblical text was written. We also tend to take parts out of context.
What was society truly like back then? What was the knowledge level, intelligence level, attitude, fears, personalities? We are more diverse now, more generational experience, we see and know the world differently.
If you could talk to people back then, would or could you speak the same to to them as you would present people? Would they respond as present day? Can you talk to a toddler the same way as you would a teen?
The chapter and verse you quote is part of a conversation, not the whole. Taken as is the anwer could be yes but, that would be or could be wrong due to our perspective. What our ancestors perspective would be is unknown and those words were primarily written for an ancient perspective. We need to keep this in mind. Perhaps translating to a modern perspective is in order??

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the questions assume that there is a hell…there is no hell…

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It has already been translated to death.

If the modern religions wanted to use modern language and did not agree with the old, they would rewrite the bible.

Then again, translating myths is always fun.

Tell us, with all his atrocities, would a rewrite of the bible make God or Satan God?

Who is more likely to tell his son that his human sacrifice is required? Satan or God?

Who is likely the one to demand that the innocent be punished instead of the guilty?

Regards
DL

5

I agree.
So does this Bishop.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF6I5VSZVqc[/youtube]

Regards
DL

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Loved the video. I’m sure there are some progressive Christians who no longer believe in the Calvinistic, literal Biblical translations. But, in the USA, they appear to be in the minority. I’ve often wondered about the book of Job–why God would allow such an awful testing of a human’s faith. That Satan persuaded God to test Job, just doesn’t make sense. So we have two Gods–the one who breaks his own commandments and the one who is about universal reclamation of all that exists into himself.

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‘The old Nobodaddy * aloft
Farted & belch’d & coughed,
And said, ’ I love hanging & drawing & quartering
Ever bit as war & slaughtering.
Damn praying & singing,
Unless they will bring in
The blood of ten thousand by fighting or swinging’".–Wm Blake

  • nobody’s daddy
    Blake revered Christ, not the Bible. I had a friend who declared that Satan wrote the Bible.
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The only truly progressive Christians are atheists.

Those who no longer believe in literal Biblical translations don’t know themselves what they believe in and they get tangled up in their own web of lies. If you stop claiming Bible is the inerrant word of god and admit that it’s not completely literal and up to interpretation, 2 things:

1st) In the bible itself it’s hinted that this book is the word of god and NOT to be interpreted by man. evilbible.com/do_not_ignore_ot.htm
2nd) You have just admitted that your book carries no more truth in it than a children’s fairy tale. There’s no more reason to take anything in the bible seriously, since it all could have been just made up as a metaphor.

At least fundies aren’t so full of shit and accept that they believe in all the bullshit, not just the less smellier parts. On the other hand, at least those “progressives” as you call them are ashamed of their own holy book and of the many things that God did in it (and fundies instead of being ashamed embrace killing babies as just cause God did it).

So, we got batshit crazy and immoral but honest on one side and confused, full of shit but at least still possessing basic morality on the other side.

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Maybe a lot of what is in the Bible is just bullshit written by a bunch of nasty guys.

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Bishop Spong is enlightening t those who can think.

Few Christians admit that God is a sinner and when they do, they say he can morally be so, somehow, as he owns us and his rules do not apply to himself. Of course they then say they do not believe in slavery. Hypocrisy is rampant in churches.

Regards
DL

11

That would be closer to the truth. Blake was likely a Gnostic Christian and that was why he like Christ but not the churches which did not teach Jesus’ message.

Regards
DL

12

spong is at the forefront of the new reformation of the protestant church…it is coming along…the present church may adapt or sink…

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Which is why. -----------

Regards
DL

Joyce.jpg
Joyce.jpg720×630 79.7 KB

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I am not an atheist but that right wing of Christianity deserves to sink.

Regards
DL

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You missed most of what I wrote. You chose one little part. The one little part to suit your agenda. That is pretty much how religious text is translated, picking and choosing here and there. Those for and those against do so. Few actually truly study the whole.
Long windy posts here and at other forums are treated the same. Most of the post is ignored due to something that strikes the mind emotionally. Words yanked out of context and manipulated to suit an agenda. . Both god and Satan are likely to sacrifice their child. We do it too, wars for
one example.
Your atrocities would not be an atrocity to another. What is viewed as an atrocity done by god would not be an atrocity if given another reasoned perspective.
Who decides who is innocent or guilty? How is it decided? Who is wise enough to study the whole? Are you? Am I? Is God or Satan? Can such short lived creatures that must learn how to survive and thrive know the whole picture? No.
Are people that allow a crime to occur in front of them, just innocent bystanders?

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:smiley:

thanks for showing this thing by joyce meyer…wow…as soon as you start to reason… god the father belief flies out the window…

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It is notable that among fundies there is an intense need to see the Bible as personal, hence God is their daddy. Seeing God as universal becomes impersonal for them.

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What do you mean? Isn’t your daddy also your brother’s daddy? And if all are brothers and sisters, then God is a universal father. (also if God is the universal father, then all are brothers and sisters)

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That’s the fundie perspective on the matter.

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If such a god existed it’s clear that this planet which was made for human beings is hell.

There is no going to hell. Hell is already here.

There has always been a variety of religious sects throughout history that believed those same very thoughts.