The bible indicates that the vast majority of us will end in hell. Most of us are on the wide road to hell and only a few of us will be on the narrow road to heaven.
Even the most righteous of us would need to be rather egotistical to think that we somehow made the grade for heaven. Even if we did, I cannot see most of us keeping our sanity too long as we watch our family members, husband and wives, — not to forget our own children, — in purposeless torture while we bask in heaven with God. I do not think the human nature could maintain any kind of happiness through that. Perhaps you do.
Do you feel comfortable teaching that doctrine to your children and telling them that they and most of their friends will end in hell?
Is your belief in hell hurting you and those around you?
Do you think that your belief is hurting you?
If you teach it to your child, do you think it is hurting him or her?
If hell isn’t real, then teaching children that they will go there if they don’t follow a bunch of false moral teachings is certainly harmful.
If hell is real, then teaching children that they will go there if they don’t follow the Will of God is certainly not harmful, and in fact a parent’s most important duty.
Why would a person need to feel ‘comfortable’ with it? Do you feel ‘comfortable’ teaching your child that some strangers they meet may try to kidnap and molest them?
I guess that few people do not quite repent. I don’t know and don’t care as far as this O P is concerned as the bible is clear that many are called but few respond.
At the same time the bible contradicts itself by saying that God is patient with us and does not lose any of us and is more of a Universalist God.
Since 60 odd % believe in Satan and hell. The O P concentrates on them and the harm they are likely doing to their own children.
Not at all. That is good parenting as long as we do not make our children phobic and afraid of everything.
I put this link to an O P I just put up that speaks to what believers should do to their children if hell is real as well as the fact that most people will go there.
Valid information are words that should never be used when discussing religious topics.
Nothing in this whole forum for whatever number of years has been at it has never produced one bit of valid information.
How can there be when speaking of unfathomable Gods?
It is all speculative nonsense unless someone actually has an apotheosis the way I claim to have had.
Even then, that is not valid information as I have no proof to show. The only proof I have is only good for me.
You are wrong in saying that a belief must be true to do harm.
People who are anorexic for instance see themselves as fat an believe they are fat and harm themselves thanks to that wrong belief even as it can be proven that they are not fat. It is their belief in a lie that hurts them. Just as a belief in the lie of hell hurts Christian adults and children.
If a belief is true, it seldom does harm to believe it. It isn’t always the wisest thing to do, but Ucci said “primarily”. And in that, he is right.
The fact that you personally have no idea of what Hell actually is accounts for your disbelief in it. And your disbelief in something true, especially since you feel so free to attack others, makes you a part of that danger to others, preaching about things you know nothing about.
I guess the danger there is in making sure one has the correct understanding of what God’s will is. Even if hell were real, teaching kids that they’ll go to hell for, say, leaving the Westboro Baptist Church would probably still be wrong in so many ways.
35um & GIA - Just a heads up, and perhaps a word of warning, James believes he’s privy to information about God and the Bible that few, in any, will ever understand. This is based on his own interpretation of scripture, to be sure. And let’s just say he took… liberties.
But really, all Christians today all seem to have their own interpretations of scriptures. That is why they are so slippery.
They change their belief the moment someone gets to close to a truth they do not like.
Have you seen or heard this rendering that shows the problem clearly?
