question inside?

Question

I am not atheist but I absolutely do not believe in the God described by Christians ,muslims ,or jews, I just think there is something , whatever you want to call it bigger than us . I do volunteer work in Africa and many places where my fellow human being needs help,I do sincerely try to improve the life of others but I do not get involved in any religion ,I just do not believe in any of them, especially when they try to convince me to CONVERT OR GOD WILL SEND ME TO BURN IN HELL, that really inflames me more than anything else. My questions is to the religious people here, (and please do not preach , no verses from the bible, use your own words), I have been told I need to practice this or that religion to be spared eternity in turture,the famous hell you seem to like to talk about.If I anybody does such a thing out of fear it is not a sincere conversion anyway . Can you explain to me why would your God punish me just because I do not practice your religion but I am ,and really try hard to be the best human being I can? It does not make any sense that a person has to be punished or rewarded based on what religion he believed in, that is absurd,what kind of demented God do you portray to worship?

thank you angefeabeta for the compliment :)

to simple simple I have studied the Bible and that drove me away from the Christian faith, I cannot be forced to believe in something , how can a God make me perish just because a RELIGION belief? what kind of JUST God would that be?

Answer 1

I have to commend you and recommend that you continue as you have been doing. I also like to quote from someone who is very knowledgeable about spiritual matters:
'You’re either a conscious or unconscious child of God. A lot of people are unconscious children of God when they presume to inflict their religion upon other people. It’s the big head that says, “My God is bigger than your God,” or “My religion is better than yours.”
'There is one fact about religion, though: Your religion is best for you right now. That’s basically all you can say about any religion. All you can speak about is your religion, and all you can say is that it’s either the best for you right now or it is not. If it is the best for you, then you should be growing spiritually and enjoying life.
'You should be learning things that help you develop more love and compassion for other people in your family, and those you meet when you’re out and about in your daily life. That’s if your religion is working for you.
'If you’re not doing these things, then find another one. Or leave religion entirely and maybe listen to the voice of nature.
'No matter what religion you belong to, or whether you belong to no religion at all, ultimately you are listening to the divine Voice of God within you – either by intuition, dreams, or direct experience of the reality of the spiritual worlds.'
I have benefited immensely from this guy.

Answer 2

This question was bothering me for some time as well. And, being logical person as I am, I came up with my own answer.

I had this bad luck to live through a war. And I saw many people who were practicing this or that religion and who were often seen in the first rows of their respective churches/mosques and who committed atrocities.
Now, nobody is going to convince me that those people are going to heaven! You can kill, go to church/mosque, be forgiven and go to heaven? If there is God (and I believe there is) such thing will never be allowed.

Basically all main religions in the world preach the same thing: you need to be a good person, wish or do nothing bad to others, help people as much as you can, respect others, treat older well, be humble and so on. They basically preach the same idea of love, patience, respect and humility. The words describing how you can get there are different depending whether they are written in Bible, Qur'an or Torah.

So my thought on your question is this: the idea of most of the main religions is the idea of good, and people should try to live according to it. (But the religion in itself, especially the institutions behind it and the people... hmmm! Don't let me start now about pedophile priests and female circumcision in some Arab countries... ) God will not punish anybody who live according to his words although the person is not calling it his words. Deeds matter, speaking a chant (prayer) in certain formulaic words does not!

Answer 3

I know this is long, but bear with me....


God isn't demented, He loves you. Christians believe in the bible as the living word of God. They take the bible to be the manual by which to live. The "famous hell" you speak of is an actual place in the bible where people will go to. But there is a heaven as well. The rewards of heaven are much greater than any fear of going to hell.
Think about it for a second. If someone came up to you and was really actually able to offer you eternal life in a great place where the streets are paved with gold and there is no more sorrow or pain or crying or anything bad, would you turn it down? What would you do? Most people would say that they want to go there. I know I do.
I guess the bigger question here would be then, where do we go when we die? Or more so, what happens after we die? This is the question absolutely no one on the face of this earth can answer, no matter how hard they try.
Except, we have this little book called the bible. You don't absolutely have to believe in it, no one can force you to. It's just that Christians do. They must. And in it is heaven and hell. It tells us the answer to that very question that is burning in our heart of what happens after death. It offers answers. And not only that, but it offers life!
Yes, the consequence of not following after Jesus is eternal death, being cast into the lake of fire. I'm not going to sugar-coat anything. It is the truth. But the truth of the matter is that God doesn't want you to go there. He does love you and He wants you to understand that.
However, not only is He my God, but He is also yours as well. Even if you don't believe in Him. He is the one who created us and formed us in Him image. Things didn't go so well in the garden of eden and we sinned. So that's why there is evil in the world.
But that's not the point. The fact is, according to the bible (and we must take from the bible), that just being a good person isn't enough. Jesus Christ, God's one and only son, was sent down to earth for us. For all mankind, to take away our sins so that we can go to heaven and so that we can be with God after we die.
It's just fact, is all I can say.

And you may say that I have been brainwashed or that I'm crazy or whatever it may be, but I know through experience and through faith, that God is real and Jesus Christ died and rose again for me and you and heaven is real and hell, too. I don't believe it because I'm scared of hell. I believe it because I know God, and He is good, and He is love. He loves you...
God Bless You


Oh and to add another thing, to a comment made below:

If you say you don't believe or go to church because there are people in the church who commit sin and do bad things and they still get to go to heaven, the fact is they don't. You shouldn't base your belief off of someone else's actions. Your belief is what you make of it, not what someone else does.

Answer 4

Stop looking for answers from so many different people. Turn to God, instead. Where can God be found? I am certain you do not wish to be pointed to a fake. God is the One who can fill the place in you that is empty. He has made Himself known in the very plain and simple teachings of His Son. Examine what he has said and find out for yourself the power of his Spirit to convince. He really does want you to know Him.

Edit:
It is God's righteousness that provided for you escape from the very thing you do not like. You certainly have the right to deny what He has made available. At the very least He has cared enough to let us know before hand His desires. The separation that you now have is a thing you can continue or eliminate. The choice is yours alone to make.

Answer 5

Disputing who is wrong or who is right is not healty.
Instead of struggling against beliefs that are not sutable for you, if you really try your best to be the best human being ever, study buddhism for instance. It is not a religion, does not have a God, but lead you to developpe your inner potentiality up to became a Buddha, an enlightened being so able to understand truth and help others..........

Answer 6

Belief is so much greater than religion. Believing that the Heavenly Father sent His Son to die for our sins and that by His shed blood we are forgiven is the major belief you should have.

We have all sinned. We each have our own belief system. We were all given freewill (the ability to choose righteousness or evil).

No religion is better than another. They all have their flaws. This is why you should listen to your heart and not be deceived by man.

And from what I understand Our Heavenly Father is a loving Father. He doesn't want His children to "burn", He loves us and wants us to prosper.

Answer 7

Not all religions believe in a heaven and hell. But not to put a damper on the fact that this is the BEST question I have read in a long time.

YOU GO GIRL!

Blessed be.

Answer 8

Read the Bible
or
answers
seem
nonsense.


To those whom are perishing Beleivers seem perishing.

Answer 9

I totally get where you are coming from.