Question for Non-Christians....?

Question

Why are most non believers offended when a Christian tells them that they are going to Hell? I mean, Hell is a punishment set forth by a God you dont believe in, so the punishment must be fictonal as well. So why get offended? Why not just laugh it off? Ive heard the analogy used...Its like a Dr telling you you have a terminal illness...wouldnt from your perspective, it be like a witch doctor telling you you have a terminal illness...completly lacking crediability? Or, does it go deeper than that? Are you perhaps not so sure about your decison to deny God? Im not trying to offend anyone, Im just trying to understand why the agnst?

Answer 1

Their spirit knows....that is why they get so upset. They don't realize why.

Answer 2

Really I can only speak for myself but when a Christian tells me I am going to Hell, I do get somewhat offended. Some Non-Christians do, and some don't. Some do laugh it off, others don't. It The reason I get offended is not because I believe in Hell and it is not because I believe in God. I believe it is an insulting thing and actually quite arrogant for another human being to tell me the eternal destiny of my soul. I get offended because I feel like just because my opinions and/or beliefs are different, the person/Christian in question is wishing bad things upon me because of those different beliefs/opinions. (I am an Agnostic who believes in a soul, or a similar form. I am spiritual but not religious.) It also depends on the tone in which a Christian would make this statement to me. I had a boyfriend who once told me that if I weren't saved, I would go to Hell. He said it in a demeaning and judgemental tone, which offended me and hurt my feelings. I am with a Christian (Baptist to be exact) now, and asked him what his beliefs on the subject were. He calmly explained that it was his personal belief that if I weren't saved, I would go to Hell. While it hurt my feelings that he would think such a thing, I understand that this is what his religious beliefs have taught him. He also had a much more open and understanding mind towards my beliefs. So like my mother always told me, "It's not what you said, it's how you said it."

Answer 3

I'm not offended.
I just treat such a suggestion with contempt.
True - the punishment is fiction.
Your analogy is juvenile.
I have never been more sure, during the last 53 years, that god is imaginary and, therefore, hell is also a fabrication.
No angst. Any other atheist with angst? Anyone? Hello?
Just understand that, given a certain level of intelligence, religion and gods are a ridiculous concept. Nothing you can say will change our depth of understanding of this.
Now - learn not to read a tone of voice into the written word that isn't there. That, too, would be your imagination working against you.

All religion is wishful non-thinking. Start thinking? Start asking better questions?

Answer 4

Because it shows a great lack of compassion on the Christian's part... especially if that is Only thing they say to Non-Christians. When that is the case, it appears the speaker has no respect for life, but demands respect in return. This is, to most of us Nons, very hypocritical.

Denying the image of God set forth by Christianity, is NOT denying God in that sense.... because even the Bible itself states no one has seen God in his Spiritual form (of course, except when Moses saw his backside - oops and Abraham saw him with 2 other "men" and another said something like "I saw GOd and my life is preserved" - besides these things) The Bible also states God's thoughts are above everyone elses.... yet the "you're going to hell" based on writings by other men leads a person to believe that person has a direct line to God's thoughts. All based on whether or not we believe in Christianity or carry the Christian title.

I'm sure there isn't a Christian alive that believes in Hades, as the Greeks knew it (with the God of the Underworld, Hades himself and Cerebus guarding the gates to Hades)... yet I bet they would get upset if every Pagan they ran across kept saying "Well, you don't believe in the Greek Gods... so you're going to Hades". I'm betting they would be offended that someone dared to judge AND condemn based on a label or certain type of belief and ignores the persons actual actions/words.....

Answer 5

i am offended by the intolerance, bigotry, hatred and ignorance of the fanatical religious zealots from ANY religion. You are all as bad as each other, none of you honour the true teachings, or learn from them!!
None of you truly understand religion or what its purpose really is! So when any of you say to me that i am going to HELL, it does not bother me, because to me heaven and hell does not exist. But i know that at some point, when you least expect it, your hatred and stupidity will be rewarded with something on this earth, because what goes round comes around and it will be your punishment for your biased religious intolerance!

Answer 6

My problem with it is in the intent. If someone wishes ill for me, or gets off on the idea of the eternal suffering of his fellow man, it's a nasty, cruel, inhumane sentiment being expressed at me.

Seriously, would you like it if people declared bad things will happen to you because you hold a certain opinion? That's not a nice thing to say, is it?

I am not afraid of a made-up hell... but people being self-righteous jerks will tick me off now and then.

My own opinion is that what applies to one applies to all, and anyone who believes in a deity who would do that sort of thing, risks having it done to them too, because they believe in judgement. Remember, Christians will be judged by the same measure they set for others.

May you receive that which you wish for others. That's what I have to say about it.

Me personally, I believe in the Tao, which never rejects anything.

Answer 7

First, I always laugh to off. That doesn't mean that it is not offensive. It is offensive, by definition, that someone would say I deserve to be tortured for eternity, for whatever reason. If a witch doctor told me I had a terminal illness, I would shrug it off... if that someone told me I deserved a terminal illness, I might be offended. Just because I know what they say not to be true, I can still be offended by it.

Answer 8

I think most are offended by the fact that we have to listen to it in places such as our office at work.

If I go to the doctor or the witch doctor, and listen to or laugh off their diagnosis, that is still different than having to work with the witch doctor, or having them knocking on my door and doing everything they can legally do to force their silly diagnosis on me.

That's where your analogy breaks down.

We are not coming to you for your diagnosis. You are trying to insert it into our culture in every way that you can.

Very different.

Answer 9

Most of the time we do. I've never become angry, in fact, I don't know any non-Christians pagan or atheist that gets offended. It does tend to get on one's nerves after awhile. Especially the self-important ones that yell, I just wish they'd shut up so I can go about my business. Here on Y!A I expect it and frankly, sometimes look forward to it. It gives me the chance to unleash the biting sarcasm on someone who I don't know instead of family. In the real world, I detest being accosted by the fundies. No one wants to be attacked. They yell, and sometimes come right into your face and push into you. I really hate it when they do it when I'm with my kids, it scares them.

Answer 10

I do not think god punishes anyone. I do think God disciplines those he/she loves. Disiplin imparts strength and knowledge, good stuff! If there were a hell, it would involve being stuck for eternally with a bunch of holier-than-thou christians

Answer 11

I think it is funny personally.

But you gotta admit that you might find it a little annoying. I mean witch doctors don't stand on the street corner and tell you when you didn't go to see them. They don't come and knock on your door.