Serious answers only please?

Question

Right now, I believe in God, and I think that Jesus could have been the son of God, but I'm not sure. I believe that all religions have some things that are true, and some things that are false. However part of me still tells me that Christianity may be the truest religion... I used to be a good Christian, but I lost faith in that belief because I just don't see how 1) So many Christians can be so hateful 2) Why God needs to let people who aren't saved go to hell...couldn't he just imprison Satan and give the souls of those who aren't saved a place that's not as bad as Hell, just not Heaven? 3) Why did God need to sacrifice his son if he's all powerful? Couldn't he just take all the souls out of Hell whether Satan likes it or not? To test us? Give us a choice? Why? Is this a game to him?
If anyone can answer all of these questions in a way that makes sense to me, you might save me if Christianity is true. Part of me wants to believe it is, and part of me refuses.

I also don't believe I'm going to Hell, or that Hell is permanent if it does exist in some form. I believe if there is a Hell, you only stay there until you make up for whatever you did, and then you get a second chance, like jail. I don't believe everyone who isn't a Christian goes to Hell. I believe anyone who's selfless, kind, loving, and not lustful, greedy, or hateful has a positive afterlife, heaven, moksha, nirvana, whatever.

I really just believe that God wants us to be kind to ourselves and eachother, and that the world will be a better place if we are, and when we die, instead of going away completely, we have an afterlife that reflects how we lived...but I don't believe that 80 years gives you a fair choice to earn eternal happiness or eternal torture...I believe non-Christians who led good lives like Gandhi are not tortured in the afterlife. A good God would not do that, unless you can explain why he would.

Answer 1

1) Jesus said you will know his disciples if they have love among themselves.... Not all christian (religious groups) are hateful.

2) You have many misunderstandings about Hell and heaven.... Hell is not literally a place of torment, it is symbolic of 'the grave' so everyone who has died, is in hell (except those selected to reign in heaven) even Jesus went to hell (he died) Act 2:27
And you are right.... people will be released from hell (death)
(Rev 20:13,14)
3) God is all powerful, but he also has law and principles which he set up.... Remember when he gave the laws to Moses, many of them involved the offering up of sacrifices for the different sins committed...... this is how they would gain forgiveness. God offering up his son Jesus, was for all the sins that mankind has committed. This removed the need for animal sacrifices. God did not HAVE to do this.... he did not do this for himself.... it was a gift to us, a loving act on his part.

Answer 2

There is so much you said that I can't respond to all of it, but I want to talk about hell. Hell is separation from God. God is everything that is wonderful and good. He is every moment of love joy and goodness that we experience in life. That is why separation from him would be torment. I do not believe people who are good people go to hell. Nowhere in the bible does it say good people go to hell. In fact if you read Matthew 25, I think it says that those who do good are in fact serving God weather they know it or not and they will be rewarded. Hell is only for the wicked who want no part of God. That' is why it is THEIR choice to be separate from Him.

Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was an act of devine love. He forgave those who murdered Him and in effect forgave every sin that could ever be commited. It is a good question as to why God had to do that in order to forgive sins. Think about it. You can't truly forgive something unless you are the one beng hurt and sinned against. Maybe that is why God had to become a human and suffer in order to open the way to heaven.

I cannot explain the behavior of "Christians" who are hateful. they have to answer to God. I hope what I'm saying makes sense to you as you asked, but even if it doesn't, remember this. It is Jesus who has saved you. He is the one who created you and loves you more than anyone could. Pray to Him and He will guide you to the truth. He will reveal Himself to you. He will be the one to reasure you His story is real. That part of you that wants to believe is not wrong. God is not an unjust God. He is not playing games. He loves you.

Answer 3

1) True Christians are NOT hateful. The definition of being a Christian is to live a Christ-like life.

2) People who have not been "saved", I believe, will have the opportunity to accept Christ, if they have not yet had that opportunity.

3) Sure He could have kept us all out of Hell! But then what good would that have done? Only those of us who deserve to be with Him in the end will be in Heaven.

This life IS a test. Not a game.

Answer 4

Regardless of what you ultimately believe, I can stand behind your attitude.

I do not believe in God like you do. But I have studied about God. And the idea that a loving God would allow his children to go to Hell is ludicrous. It is a scare tactic invented by the church to keep followers in line. And kudos to you for not swallowing their fear line.

Now, I'll point out something I've heard from some Bible scholars. Please research this on your own and don't take just my word on it (or anyone else's). Technically, it's not even mine, so you can't take my word on it. But what some claim is that Hell simply means final death. If you are saved, then you live eternal life. If not, then your soul ends for good.

Oblivion is not eternal punishment. You'd feel nothing. If a nonbeliever does not accept God, then he does not get to join God in the big party. But he is not tortured either. In the Gandhi example, it means that Gandhi is dead forever, while a saved Christian lives on in Heaven. That is something easier to reconcile.

Personally, I think you are fine if you don't adopt Christianity...well, not the dogma or tenets of it. Some of the parables of Jesus are really quite cool, and I suggest that they be read. But, really, it boils down to two possibilities in the afterlife:

1. God is loving, in which case, he would want us to be with him for eternity, so he forgives everyone, saved or no.
2. God is not loving, in which case, he could punish nonbelievers. But such a god could be capricious enough to punish anyone unfairly, even the saved. So, your actions might not have any impact on the afterlife.

So, yes, continue living life as well as you can. Live life as if there isn't a god watching over you. It's not like you can be moral if you do good only to avoid retribution by God, so you're better off being moral for the sake of being moral.

Answer 5

1: Jesus taught that not all claiming him as their "Lord" will
truly be his followers Read Matthew 7: 15-20, also the
illustration at Matthew 13:24-30 where he likens true
Christians to wheat that is oversown with weeds (the
false Christians, who look the same but don't produce the
fruitage of true Christianity. Paul wrote at Acts 20: 29, 30
about oppressive wolves entering the flock of God and
drawing off disciples after themselves. He also wrote to
Timothy at 2 Timothy 4: 3, 4 about how there will come to
be teachers who will turn their ears away from the truth
and tickle the ears of their followere (implying that they
will tell their followers the things they want to hear, not
the things they need to hear)
2 Hell is not the fiery burning pit that most churches
teach... Ecclesiastes 9: 5,6,10 describe the dead as
being conscious of nothing at all. Psalms 146: 3, 4
says that on the day someone dies, his thoughts perish,
That is why Jesus, on speaking of Lazarus' death, told
his disciples that he was "resting" (John 11: 11-14)
and Paul spoke of those who died as "sleeping in death"
(1 Thessalonians 4: 13) If the dead are unconscious,
of what use would torture be? The Bible tells us that
God is love (1John 4: 8) It is not love to torment people
who never had a chance to know the true God. In fact,
Jesus spoke of the resurrection of the dead at John 5 28, 29
and said that those resurrected would be righteous and
unrighteous (tho he didn't mention the wicked....)
3 Jesus was a ransom for mankind. When Adam sinned,
he lost a perfect human life, Romans 5: 12 , 18 shows that
since all we could inherit from Adam is sin and death, we need
the ransom that only Christ could give, as Psalms 49: 6,7
tells us that none of us can redeem that debt he owes to God.
So Christ willingly laid down his perfect human life as a
ransom , the exact price to pay for what Adam lost.
God is a God of justice, even tho he is all-powerful, if he
went against his justice, then he wouldn't be God, This is not
a game to him, Satan's lies impugned his honor and implied
that he lied to Adam, he challenged God's right to rule and
told Adam and Eve that they did not need God, but could be
gods themselves, deciding for themselves what is right and
wrong. The world we see now is the result of his lies....
but even tho there is so much wickedness, God from that first
sin prepared a way that would rectify all of Satan's lies,
starting with that first prophesy at Genesis 3: 15 and
culminating with John's vision of the future for the earth at
Revelation 21: 3-5.

If you really want to get the answers you need, talk to the
next Jehovah's Witness that comes by. Ask for the book
What Does the Bible Really Teach? I know that a lot of
people say a lot of bad things about the Witnesses, but they
will teach you the Bible for free and will show you the answers
you seem to really want to find out. So put your prejudices
aside and give them a few minutes and see ifor yourself.

Answer 6

I can only speak from my point of view. The Mormon religion definitely has a different view of Heaven and Hell than any other religion I am aware of. I believe we all made a choice to follow the Savior before the beginning of this world and because of that, we will all go to Heaven. Some of us may not receive the same reward in Heaven based on how we've lived our lives, but we will all be there. Some Christians may seem to be hateful, but I think most might just get a little defensive when they feel like they are being criticized. Most of us have very powerful reasons for believing what we believe, I certainly do. The atonement is something I have a hard time grasping myself. Someone could think of the concept as a twisted version of some ancient ritual that got morphed into the Bible story, but I think when you study it all, ponder the possibilities, consider your place in this universe and ultimately pray about it, I think you'll find the answer has to be that we are not just a chance occurence in this world and that there is a purpose for our lives. We can only begin to learn what that purpose is as we pray and inquire of the Lord about our deepest concerns. Then through the Holy Ghost, we will be prompted with a knowledge of whether or not the thing we are questioning is true. For me it takes daily focus. Maybe you'll get a thundering voice from Heaven telling you what to do, but I think most of the time it's going to be that "still, small voice" of the Holy Ghost whispering assurances to you that you are on the right track. Keep in mind, Satan doesn't want you to get there and doesn't want you to listen. He will try to distract you. Keep up the pursuit, listen to ALL points of view and allow yourself to be challenged before making your decision. But, listen especially close for those prompting from the Holy Ghost. As you learn to discern the spirit, you'll have more confidence in the decisions you make. I truly believe that and I am grateful for the difference that knowledge has made in my life. Maybe too, consider that we need to excerise our minds and bodies, physically, mentally and spritually. God gave us all three capacities and I know I am happier when I live my life building all three. I could go on and on, but if you're still reading, thanks for asking your questions. Questions like these help me strengthen my belief in the truthfulness of the gospel myself.

Answer 7

You dont know why so many Christians can be so hateful that is because people can be ignorant. Being stay trapped with one point of view they will only acknowledge certain thing. Their views are limited. They say they love evrybody but what they really are saying is 'i love everybody who is like me, or but i dont love you because you are different.' Dont worry about those people. Focus on what you need to do spiritually to be a good person and stay true to your religion.

In your second point you seem very sorry for the people who will be sentenced to hell, you show compassion for their impending suffering. But the question you ask is not possible to answer. Most likely a priest will tell you that it is impossible for God to get rid of hell....i personally do not believe in hell or satan so i dont feel i will be much help to you on this.

Why did God need to sacrifice his son if he's all powerful? i think this is the wrong question. He's all powerful but was it really God's decision to sacrifice his son or was it Jesus, through free will, who sacrificed himself? He may have been directed by God to do so, but it was his own actions which made him do what he did.

"Couldn't he just take all the souls out of Hell whether Satan likes it or not?" once again i personally do not believ in the devil or in hell. i dont feel i can give you an answer. To test us though? To give us a choice? And is it a game? Look i cant answer and i dont think anyone really can for you. i think if you have all these questions you need to somehow reonnect with your faith. You should explore what is out there and really search. Your a Christian but dont just listen to people from one Christian group. Go out and find others and listen to what they have to say. Go and search other faiths and broaden your view. You dont understand why some christians are so hateful its becuase there views are narrow dont keep yourself like that!

Answer 8

You're starting to ask the right questions but I think you still need to go deeper so you can see what a scam Christianity and religion in general are.

Here are some questions that will help you escape religious "thought":
-Why would an all-loving god put us here on Earth to face death and hardship when he could just skip the whole mortal phase and put our souls directly into Heaven where we'd have endless bliss?
-If you spotted someone drowning in the middle of a lake would you help them? Or at least try? Any good person would help them out without even giving it a second thought, correct? Well god most certainly sees hundreds of drownings every day, why is it such a moral dilemma for him that he hesitates until the person dies? Isn't he all-loving and all-powerful? Does this mean we are morally superior to god?

These are just a few but I don't think I can continue typing so I'll just leave it like this. Good luck, may you one day find peace.

Answer 9

Excellent questions. Like most theists, you are assuming that god is rational, moral, and actually cares about us. But you are troubled that you see so many other belief systems, even some that are close to your own, which seem to contradict your impressions/ideas. Why does god allow this? And why does god allow them to even commit evil in the name of their god?

I would suggest that you are simply externalizing (a common psychological phenomenon) your own traits, or assigning desireable traits, onto your vision for an ideal god. This would necessarily make your customized god more appealing and comfortable to you than any other god. I have known many christians who have a similar belief system... they largely ignore the church, priest, or even bible, in favor of their personal rendition of reality: a one-on-one relationship with the perfect god. Of course, this god you are creating in your own mind is merely a figment of your imagination.

1) All people can be hateful, regardless of their belief systems. They often rationalize to make their belief system somehow consistent with their hatred.
2) This is your idea of an all-powerful, rational and just god. The bible depicts a much different god.
3) ditto

To explain these apparent contradictions, theists usually rationalize that it is necessary for god to grant us free will. This is complete nonsense. If god is all-powerful, free will is not necessary. And if god is good, then free will is not even preferred, because it allows evil. Worst of all, if god can prevent evil, but chooses not to do so, then what kind of god is she?

You should consider the very real possibility that gods may not exist at all. Give it time. It can be a very difficult journey. But over time, you will begin to see things more clearly. Millions of atheists and agnostics live perfectly happy and highly moral lives.

Answer 10

Jesus is the Son of God. The only way to spend eternity with Him (go to Heaven) is to accept Him as your personal Savior. Christians are people with faults, failures and weaknesses (sin). Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean that those things in your personality will just instantly go away. We work, with God leading the way, to fix those things in us that need to be changed so we can serve the Lord. God has to show those things to you then help you fix them.


Hell was never intended for man. Only for Satan and his forces. The only way for man to end up in hell is to hear the Good News and then purposefully decide to reject Jesus as their Savior. What is hell? A lake of fire and eternal separation from God. Why does God send people to hell? He doesn't your choices do. He is a fair God. He must remove from Himself pride and arrogance (which is against Him nature) and prove His deity that is why Satan is going to hell because he said he would be like the most high God (prideful and arrogant) and he is a created being. God created him. He challenged God's deity. He can't be like the most high God.

There had to blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin (purification). We are made righteous by this sacrifice. God loved us so much that He sent us the ultimate sacrifice Jesus. No more bulls, rams, and birds, etc. as was done in the Old Testament. Jesus is our High Priest and because of His shed blood we can now go directly to God through Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. Yes He gives us choices. He doesn't violate our free will (by the way He gave us a free will to choose). He wants us to choose Him, to choose life, because that is how relationships are built. This sacrifice is God reach down to man o have a relationship.

Our sins were dealt with at the cross. Now it is about relationship.