How many people think they are good. And yet the only reason they believe in God is because they fear they shall go to hell, or hope to go to heaven. In other words how many people believe in God out of pure selfishness? Is that inevitable? Are we all selfish, is that good?
I mean what if God came down to you and said from now on the only way you’ll get into heaven is if you follow satan, and if you follow me you will go to hell. And this was the absolute truth and he made it that you new this to be the truth. How many people would actually follow and believe in God then?
i believe in god because i need to be loved, is that seflish, who cares, it’s not like god needs anything, i don’t think an omnipotent omnipresent compassion being needs to be loved, that would make him, i don’t know, weak? impotent? so who care if its selfish? But yeah, we also so want to believe in heaven because we want our loved ones to go there so, that’s not selfish, kind of makes your point moot then.
Not many. If you think they do that, it is only because you have listened to too much anti-Christian propaganda.
Only to children or people who can’t think very well. People who have heard too much anti-Christian propaganda, even though capable of thought, are also those who don’t believe in God anyway (unless they are Jewish or Muslim).
That would be like George Washington saying, “The only way to be a good American is to bow to the King of England.” Yeah, one might consider not believing in George or America after that kind of remark. But what are the chances?
So can you say with certainty that you would continue to follow God and accept eternal hell? If such a situation existed. And I mean knowing that hell would be a result, there would be no thinking that by following God you would be passing a test and would thus get in heaven.
Your scenario didn’t leave any choice unless you assert that God also told me that by doing something else, I would be better off.
But to my understanding of God, no matter what God proved to me to be “best”, I would do it. But thus far, God has found it difficult to prove much to me.
Well I did say that God said you cold achieve heaven by following satan. Esentially you could assume that is the matter which God proved to you to be best. I would argue though that when one does what they think is “best” it seems people tend to do what is “best” only because it is what benefits them the most… IDK
Well, “Eternal Heaven” is definitely the highest possible goal (assuming you really knew what that meant). So if God proved to me that following God’s betrayer and ruler of Hell was the only way to achieve Eternal Heaven, I guess I would do as I was instructed (or try).
Well I think part of the problem i am suggesting is that God doesn’t “instruct” you to go to heaven. He asks you to go to hell with him, but he is honest enough to tell you that. i would suggest the answer being that “God” is more effectively the ruller of heaven, and “satan” the ruler of hell. So If they actually did switch places there would be no effective alteration in the actuallity, thus despite the ruler of heaven being named “Satan” he may verywell be God at least in the way we thought of him…IDK
In that, you are very erroniously assuming that God and Satan are on equal levels. Even Satan worshiped God, he merely wanted to stand between God and Man so as to appear as God and control Man.
But if you use the proper terminology and say that Jesus swapped places with Satan, then of course, Satan would be more properly worshiped than Jesus. But making that swap would be pretty tough to arrange, especially for God.
Some would argue nothing is hard for God, I mean for all we know God is makeing that swap all the time, he’s just so good at doing it we don’t even notice…lol
Well, without a clear definition, people presume whatever they want to believe. And then fight to the death of their accuracy. 