Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Soul Invictus · 09-13-2004, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amlodhi

Hi senor,

Let's answer a question with a question: How many Christians do you think there would be if:

1. There was no promise or expectation of an eternal, blissful reward in heaven.

2. There was no promise or expectation of divine assistance in this physical life.

3. There was no threat or expectation of anyone suffering eternal torture in hell.

IOW, how many people, do you think, would go around praising God if there were no expectations, or fear of, any of these conditions?

Amlodhi

Amlodhi,

Good assessment. I discussed this a bit in a thread that I started here and there was some interesting responses.

If one could be saved without the reward/consequence scenario, I think it would appear more genuine. Ultimately one cannot not be saved (have a relationship with God) without going to hell (negative consequence), so I'm guessing that speaks for itself as to if the system is probably a fear-induced programme.

Any thoughts?

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