So I asked people why their god doesn't help...

[quote=jhoijhoi]Disease is what I refer to it as because of it's viral nature. As for my concerns, I believe they are fully justified. When I went to school (which was not private), there were RE classes (Religious Education). Within these classes, we were taught about religions, not religion. That is how I would raise a child, by exposing him to multiple choices, not one. By preaching to a 6 year old on his first day of school, you are converting him, on the spot. Even at 6 a child wishes to be loved, accepted and welcomed. If you continuously question, reject or even talk against something a teacher says, you will be seen as an outsider. My concern is that he is 6 years old and a preschool teacher jumped straight into RE. He's bringing home from the library religious children books. There's no "Puff the Magic Dragon" books or "Little Red Riding Hood" or whatever, but Christian children books. The fact is, if you want the best possible education, you attend Private schools in Australia. They receive better funding and the classes are smaller which means your child will receive more attention/one on one teaching. That is why he was enrolled into a private school; not for the religious aspect. Anyway. My post was not meant to be childish in any way, shape or form. Only to draw attention to how young children are exposed to things before they even get a chance to develop for themselves what they want to believe in.[/quote]

[quote=jhoijhoi][quote=mage legend] I know i am kind of protecting some atheists now, wich i didn't do at the start, but now i'm talking the atheists that show respect and actually deserve to go to heaven. [/quote] This is exactly what I hate about religion. Only religious people related to that particular religion can be accepted to that particular heaven and everyone else goes to hell or are turned away at the gates. Eternal damnation for the non-believers. How is this an accepted view in society? How can a Christian who is "going to heaven" talk normally to an atheist who is "going to hell"? How can you keep a straight face? It just completely and utterly baffles me.[/quote]

[quote=Toshabi]How, Jhoijhoi? Is not heaven a place for those that accepted the Lord as their Savior? Why would someone who doesn't even acknowledge God even want to be with God in the end? It's your choice to make in that regard. No mortal is worthy of going into heaven and we're all sitting in the same boat. I don't think a level headed Christian would think any higher of themself over you. All they can really do is pass along the offer.[/quote]

[quote=jhoijhoi]No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm not saying that I want or need to go to heaven to be with god. I'm saying that there are people who believe that other people should be immediately "damned to the fires of hell" just because they don't believe in their god. I don't see how one can be so righteous, so in love with their religion and god and accept the fact that half their friends are "going to hell".[/quote]

[quote=DillButt64]key words in tosh's last post being "Level headed Christian"[/quote]

[quote=Toshabi][quote=jhoijhoi] No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm not saying that I want or need to go to heaven to be with god. I'm saying that there are people who believe that other people should be immediately "damned to the fires of hell" just because they don't believe in their god. I don't see how one can be so righteous, so in love with their religion and god and accept the fact that half their friends are "going to hell". [/quote] Funny that you mention that. If you have the time, look up the Pharisees in the Bible and see what it has to say about those people. The people who use religion to push their own political agenda or to damn others aren't looked upon so highly in their own religion.[/quote]

[quote=jhoijhoi]But that's not the case as I see it. I see it as: - If you believe in heaven: - - You believe in hell: - - - Thus unbelievers will go to hell: - - - - Thus you're happy with the idea of your non-religious friends suffering eternal damnation I honestly don't see how anyone can revel in an organisation that believes non-believers deserve to be punished. And the funny thing is... all religions believe that. That their religion is right and all other religions are wrong and everyone else goes to their version of hell. The idea of damnation and those who support it - it just doesn't sit right with me. Vegetarians don't condemn meat eaters to hell. Mac users don't condemn PC users to hell. But it's alright for religions to do so.[/quote]

[quote=Toshabi]Even with fallacies aside, your argument doesn't make much sense and ultimately, you're generalizing all Christians as this group of people who are completely okay with people going to hell. It's quite the contrary actually. Christians are called to spread the gospel to others so that they too (friends, family and strangers) might be saved. Many pray for the redemption for others while some go as far as to aid countries through relief efforts while spreading the gospel to those people. The main problem with your line of thinking is you absolutely hate them for spreading the gospel, but at the same time you hate them for not wanting others to go to heaven despite the fact that they do. Your logic defeats itself on this very topic. A mother tells her child to take a bridge to get over a river, the child disobeys and tries swimming across. The child gets swept away in the current and drowns. How is the mother wrong in this picture? Do you think that she would even be happy with that outcome?[/quote]

[quote=Nighthawk][quote=Toshabi] A mother tells her child to take a bridge to get over a river, the child disobeys and tries swimming across. The child gets swept away in the current and drowns. How is the mother wrong in this picture? [/quote] Didn't keep a good eye on the child, she should have known children take risks without thought or regard to what might happen. Just playing 'devil's advocate' here. @Jhoi It could easily be argued that Christian children books are way better for children than traditional story books. Red Riding Hood's grandmother was brutally murdered by a wild animal, and then the wolf was murdered brutally by a hunter. How is that possibly going to be better than a Christian book, when the ten commandments are 'pretty good' philosophies to live by. It's also not really true that you have to believe in Hell to believe in God. Many Christians I know don't believe in Hell, and not all religions even believe in Hell. Universal Reconciliation is a thing as well, you know. In fact pretty much all religions punish the wicked with Hell, not those who have done nothing wrong. And hell, there are certainly religions who don't have a hell, or believe that hell is a temporary place before you move onto 'heaven'. Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism etc. The only real religion that sees unbelieving as a heinous sin and punishes it, as well as having a hell is Islam.[/quote]

[quote=jhoijhoi]Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Every Christian I have ever talked to in person, and my relatives are Christian, btw, believe in hell and that outsiders go to hell. Indeed, they even force conversions before "outsiders" are allowed to marry. So. In my wide experience, including PsiGuard and other Christians I've met in person and online, all believe in hell, and all believe I will go to hell. So. Thanks for all the replies, but I hope you see my stance now.[/quote]