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The message of Christianity is that salvation from an unbearable afterlife, and deep fulfillment in this one, can only be achieved via a willing surrender to and acceptance of Christ as the ultimate authority.

Why do we embrace what is so clearly an attempt to threaten people into servitude? What could be more unamerican than "authority without accountability?"

Tom Sawyer

Authority without accountability seems to be the American ideal at the moment.

DeanM

The president reinstitutes the draft. You get picked. You go. You die. Perhaps you were not even old enough to vote when he was elected. This is a situation from American history.

In Christianity, at least we choose our servitude. We follow a leader that is not even in the same catagory as any American president.

As far as threatening people. I don't threaten anybody. People threaten people, and you don't have to be Christian to do that.

Clouseau

No-one has to accept Christianity as valid. Why do Americans accept the Christian message as valid, even if 0.00000000000000001% of them actually obey it? Because to do otherwise would allow the 0.00000000000000001% to become even bigger, and that just would not do, where Mammon reigns supreme.

achristianbeliever

This isn't really all that different from what atheism tells us.

There was a story about a daughter who asked her father what happens to her when she dies. The father told her she is worm food. Over the years this led to the daughter having panic attacks over her fear of death.

There is also a story of an old woman who in her elderly years was told by her son she wasted her life. She didn't do anything bad basically her son was upset because she didn't make enough money to leave him when she died. But it doesn't change the fact that this made her miserable for she believed this life was all she had and her thinking is she's done nothing in her life.

You see the atheist view of life and death can be just as terrifying as anything a Christian can say.

What does a Christian say, "You'll go to Hell"
What does an atheist say, "You'll be eaten by worms"

Now one can claim that rotting is better than Hell but that's just a matter of perspective. I personally feel Hell is better than death in my opinion if I had to pick one of those two options and nobody can tell me my view is wrong cause its merely my perspective. Besides I don't think its a real good argument to go, "Well you think rotting in the grave is bad but compare it to this...."

The other argument is "well rotting in the grave is the truth". But that doesn't work because the Christian can argue "Hell is the truth".

What does a Christian say, "Focus on the afterlife because you can't take anything you do here with you"
What does an atheist say, "Do whatever you can now because this is all we have you can't take anything you do here with you".

The atheist has failed to explain how the latter way of thinking is somehow superior or less terroristic.

[email protected]

I think you missed the point completely:

1. Christianity has a message for all mankind.
2. That message is that each individual must either be condemned for original sin to eternal torture or achieve salvation by becoming Christians.
3. The actual torture going on in hell is not relevent--the threat itself is terrorism.
4. Perhaps you don't threaten others directly, but the industry you support does. The net effect is the same.

Valdemar

Okay, here's mine. Show me yours:

DeanM

[/QUOTE]
No-one has to accept Christianity as valid. Why do Americans accept the Christian message as valid, even if 0.00000000000000001% of them actually obey it? Because to do otherwise would allow the 0.00000000000000001% to become even bigger, and that just would not do, where Mammon reigns supreme.[/QUOTE]

I love made-up statistics. So, what you're saying that one of every 100 trillion Christians obey the Christian faith? I'd like to meet the 100 trillion Christians you examined in your study...

DeanM

1), You brought up Americans. I was staying on topic. Are you altering the scope of your original statement?

2) You are making an all encompassing statement about Christians. Not all Christians believe that only Christians can be saved from Hell. Though I will say that there are some who do, you need to qualify your statement by saying 'some' Christians.

3) The immediate threat is Terrorism. The ultimate threat is Hell.

4) The 'industry I support' contains some people who make threats. Largely, it contains people like myself who do not. Do I need to point out one threatening atheist to make you fall under an umbrella of presumptive association?

Clouseau

Fundies, I love 'em.