Why is it that Christians are able to understand that you don't give jaywalkers the death penalty, but...?

Question

...they think eternal Hell is a "just" punishment for not believing that a man rose from the dead 2,000 years ago? Christians, YOU don't believe the miracle stories from other religions, right? How is YOUR disbelief any different from the disbelief of those who happen not to believe in YOUR religion's stories? You expect US to lay away at night, worrying whether YOUR faith might be correct, but YOU never give a second thought about dismissing other people's religions as false! Are you SO sure of your OWN infailablity that you know YOU have chosen the RIGHT religion? Are you unable to make a mistake? What will you do if, on Judgement Day, somebody ELSE'S God calls you forward to render an account? Has it occured to you that maybe God doesn't want defamatory stories about Him/Her made up, like the ones in the Bible...?

O.K., guess I spoke too soon... apparently they DO think the death penalty is fair for jaywalkers! Figures...

Answer 1

When you have an encounter with the Living God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, you don't have to wonder any more - you know.
I have peace with God.
I have had peace with God almost 37 years now.
I would be the first to acknowledge that His judgment against me calling for eternal damnation was and is completely just, because I have trifled with the eternal souls of my fellow man.
Thank God another paid the price of my guilt.
Thank God for Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Answer 2

Christianity believes that God gives jaywalkers the "death penalty."

I don't think of eternal hell as punishment... that's an antiquated definition that is unfortunately still used as a scare tactic by some Christians. It is understood now to mean more a state of eternal separation from God.

What we actually believe is that through our sin (list of what constitutes 'sin' is available on request, but jaywalking would be included!) God cannot allow us into his eternal presence without some form of atonement, and that we must ask for that atonement. It comes in the form of Jesus' death and resurrection. In essence, we are all condemned to 'hell,' but Christians are those who have asked for salvation from it.

And people believe it for different reasons. Personally, after looking at all of the possibilities known to man, process of elimination convinced me that it was the right answer. I could be wrong, but I don't believe it.

Answer 3

Ok, the details of this don't apply to me, but I can tell you the answer Christians would tell you, since you asked.

Eternal hell is a just punishment for sin because all sins are against God, and God is eternal. You are not punished for your belief/disbelief. You are mistaken because they don't believe that. What they believe is that Jesus came to redeem you, but you have to still ask for and accept it.

I am curious as to what you think is a better punishment for sin/evil,
or if you think there should be none at all.

Answer 4

Ha, Ha. I am still laughing from your first two sentences and can't read the rest for laughing. Here's something interesting that I read today -

The way to understand our origins is to remember that living organisms are in a state of constant change - It's not that evolution *can* occur, but that it *must* occur, simply because there is no mechanism in living organisms to ensure perfect, flawless reproduction for ever.

Suppose you could study a population of chimpanzees in the jungle, on a timescale of millions of years. Clearly, each individual only lives a few decades, so the population is constantly being succeeded by individuals which are different from their parents, because reproduction is imperfect - and remember, this is *inevitable*. It can't *not* happen. All the time this population is inter-breeding, the genes are getting mixed together, and only genes which work well with all other chimpanzee genes will tend to get passed down to successive generations (because individuals with genes that don't work well together will tend not to survive and reproduce).

However, suppose that circumstances arise which cause a group to become genetically isolated from other chimpanzees. This could be as a result of an accident of geography (e.g. an impassable river) or breeding preference or simply great distance. There will develop two distinct groups of chimpanzees which can never again exchange genes, because they have become different enough that mating will not produce viable offspring. This is what biologists define as speciation - i.e. the population has forever split into two distinct groups. Biologists have observed many instances of speciation, so there is no doubt that it occurs.

Assuming that both groups continue to survive, it is again *inevitable* that they will diverge genetically - There is no possible way that both groups, isolated and independent from each other, can change in exactly the same ways, and the longer they continue to breed, the more different they will become. Over millions of years, given that the rate of genetic change via mutation tends to remain fairly constant, the two groups will become as distinct as today's chimpanzees and humans are from each other, and from their most recent common ancestor.

All this is based on what we *know* is true - it's not supposition or guesswork, and remember it's not just possible, it absolutely *has* to happen, because there is no mechanism in biology to make reproduction a 100% perfect, flawless process.

NB: The reason we're classed as apes is that there is no valid way to group all the other apes together that doesn't also apply to humans. In other words, whatever criteria you use to define what is an ape, in order to include chimpanzees, gorillas, orangs and gibbons, humans will also fit those criteria. Indeed, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than to gorillas, and gorillas are more closely related to humans and chimpanzees than they are to orangs, so any classification that separated humans out from those other apes would not make any sense.

Answer 5

Are you asking or telling?
Do I believe in the death penalty?
What does that have to do with you and your anger towards Jesus? Or is that just anger towards those who believe in him?
If some one comes to you and says I am who I am you will believe them. and Jesus has done that for those who believe. Maybe you will never believe. Maybe you're just fighting. You're not the first or the last to fight with the Holy Spirit.

As to the dogmatic position that is said of true believers, yes we are without a doubt fastened to the truth that has set us free.

Jesu said " I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father but by me."

I guess that pretty much states our position.

Love to tell the story! Keep asking to hear it.

Gypsi Priest

Answer 6

Dude. Calm down. Not ALL Christians believe the same things. I am Episcopalian and I do not believe in Hell. I belive Hell is right here on earth, and Heaven is attainable for everyone whether they believe in it or not. those who do not fulfill their time here on earth have to repeat it until they do, but eventually all go to Heaven. Now, also, I do not expect or encourage anyone else to believe as I do; to share my beliefs. People believe what they choose to believe and I do not proselytize. I prefer to live by example and not preach hellfire and brimstone and drive people away from, rather than toward, God. God, BTW, does not judge or ciriticize or threaten people, that is the purview of certain Christians who I prefer to distance myself from altogether.

Answer 7

A Christian's religion is not a story, it is the truth from the ONLY God. I do not expect anyone to lay awake worrying that we are right. God will call those to Him in His time. All we can do is pray for you, and continue to plant the seeds that God will water.

I have aboslutely no fear at all that any other God would be judging me, since there is none.

As for the Bible, it is God's truth and Word, and He commands us to obey it.

God bless you.

Answer 8

It don't matter who you are or what you believe, all human "deserve" hell. Christ's death is God paying for our mistakes. It's GRACE that allows us to enter Heaven because Heaven is a place witout ANY sin. Not believing is Christ's ressurection is just like not accepting his payment for us so you have to pay yourself.

God has his ways of speaking to all of us and if we are following the wrong religion he can communicate that to us. Being is Christian is not just a decision that you make because you want to believe it. It's one that you make because you fell the presence of God.

If you have a problems with Christian, please let it be something that you found in the Bible. Lots of people call themselves Christian but do not live it our in their everyday lives. And even thos twho truly are Christian screw up one time or another, that don't mean that we preach a screwed up religion. PLease don't get upset with all of us just because one man harps on another religeion.

Answer 9

Nobody is making you believe in our God, you have the opportunity to turn away from God or accept him. The choice is yours. Nobody thinks an eternal life in Hell is just, that's why were trying to tell you that you need to believe in the one true God. If I'm wrong and I have chosen the wrong God to be my God then I will accept the circumstances. If I'm right then I will also accept the circumstances. The choice is mine to make, just as yours is yours to make. If you choose not to believe in God then why should he have mercy on you on judgment day?

Answer 10

You are absolutely correct. A better Christian does not say who goes to hell or heaven.

TO ME, a better Christian simply gives care... inspires ...and reveals the greatness in people. A good Christian does not only say the good things but also live the good things.

If I meet someone who says I'm going to hell for not reading the bible well enough, chances are, he/she has ran out of good thinks to say and has resorted to threats to sell and prescribe a "better" faith.

A good Christian dwell in gratitude and hope.... loves every life and finds hope in every life. To me, a good Christian is responsive to the needs around him and is responsible to those that he loves.

Christ was not a Christian but he asked people to follow him. He did not ask them to change their religion. He just asked them to proclaim the good news...

That you can be a blessing to others in all your circumstances. To me, that is what the speech on the mount was all about.