Scenario. Let's say you go through your whole life continuing to disbelieve in God. The time comes when you die, and you immediately find yourself in the place of hell. You then realize that what the Christians were saying was true all along, and you also realize that it was your disbelief that sent you there. Also, you left behind children who were heavily influenced by your unbelief in God. They too are atheists and will not believe, and it is only a matter of time before they join you in the place of hell. Will you swallow your pride and admit that you were wrong and it is YOUR fault for every child of yours that goes to hell, or will you continue in your defiant attitude toward God?
2007-12-05 07:46:40 · 52 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The majority of these answers let me know that you would continue in your arrogance. Even in the midst of being proven wrong.
2007-12-05 07:56:54 · update #1
Diane the succubus, Read Luke 16:19-31. Hell comes immediately after death. Judgement comes later. I think YOU should keep up.
2007-12-05 08:10:52 · update #2
Even when the church is gone and these people are covered in open sores they will still curse GOD. Praise the LORD.
2007-12-05 07:55:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 5⤋
Christians, please answer honestly?
Scenario. Let's say you go through your whole life continuing to disbelieve in Allah. The time comes when you die, and you immediately find yourself in the place of hell. You then realize that what the Moslem's were saying was true all along, and you also realize that it was your disbelief that sent you there. Also, you left behind children who were heavily influenced by your unbelief in the JuJu up the mountain. They too are atheists and will not believe, and it is only a matter of time before they join you in the place of hell. Will you swallow your pride and admit that you were wrong and it is YOUR fault for every child of yours that goes to hell, or will you continue in your defiant attitude toward Allah?
Atheists just believe one less god than you do.
2007-12-05 07:59:28 · answer #2 · answered by Celestial Teapot 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What will you do when you see you were wrong about Zeus and he throws you into Tartarus? Will you still deny him even then? Your question is on the same level as this. No gods exist, end of story. It could always be worse. As Mark Twain, Isaac Asimov and other smart men said, that is better than going to a boring Heaven. At age 11, I told Dad I did not want to go to Heaven. for the record, i do not believe or disbelieve in anything. I know, not just believe. My opinions are based upon logic and research, not merely blind belief in something that makes no sense. what you say here is never going to happen. The Bible is strong proof that its god, heaven, hell, etc. do not exist. It is filled with errors that I saw at age 7.
2007-12-05 08:00:27 · answer #3 · answered by miyuki & kyojin 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Your question poses the antiquated, and rarely invoked argument by modern Christian apologist known as Pascal’s Wager.
It is best exemplified by what Constantine did at his death bed when he confessed his sins but who also had someone murdered as a human sacrifice to the Greek gods just in case.
In other words he “diversified” his spiritual “portfolio” so to speak.
The problem with Blaise Pascal’s apologetics are rooted in his approach to the world where he divided all of humanity into three neat little categories.
1. those who know God and love him
2. those who do not know God but seek him
3. those who neither know God nor seek him
Most of the atheist who post on this site would fit into the third group and as such it is a pure exercise in futility to even posed this question to them here since these folks not only disbelieve any notions of any God(s) but have effectively closed their minds to the subject whenever they encounter any attempts to convince them otherwise.
One of the reasons they have done so is because most of what passes for spiritual discussion and apologetics is nothing more than a rehash and regurgitation of the same old antiquated arguments like well, Pascal’s wager for one thing.
Most atheist did not become so overnight. Most Christians become “Christians” by raising their hands and repeating stuff some spiritual leader planted in their minds.
In fact, many professing atheist used to be Christians and know more Bible that your average bible thumper—not because they are somehow smarter or better than Christian theists but rather because they have spent a great deal of time studying thinking and asking a lot of questions about theology and philosophy.
When they encounter old arguments like this they take it as an insult to their intelligence by someone who has obviously not done their homework outside of their subjective “personalized” form of revealed religious truth which is what most of religion is based on nowadays.
You cannot effectively engage 21st century minds with 15th century arguments from such a limited framework of presuppositions with any hopes achieving anything short of sounding ignorant and uninformed.
I’m not being mean spirited here just honest.
2007-12-05 08:47:37 · answer #4 · answered by Pi 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ok, an honest answer...
Assuming in your scenario that I was condemned to hell simply for not believing in God, not because I was an otherwise bad person or anything. That means this so-called God was a petty tyrant, who damned me not for being bad, but not kissing his/her/it's rear end enough.
I am a good person and live a good life. If I end up in Hell then it only proves that any god out there is not one worthy of 'worship'.
So, you ask if I would want my children to bow to a petty tyrant? No, I wouldn't know what to think at that point. I can't worship an evil deity, nor do I want to be eternally punished unjustly.
Your scenario is inherantly flawed for these reasons. If you honestly think your all-loving god would do that to his own children, what kind of god is that?
Re-think your own faith.
2007-12-05 07:59:33 · answer #5 · answered by lmn78744 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well... see... gods and hell and all that other stuff... simply don't exist. That's what I believe. That's why I'm called an "atheist".
Also, Christians don't believe what you said. Christians believe that people burn because they did not accept the gift of Jesus Christ, not because they didn't think your god exists.
What's the point of your question? If I did die and go to hell, its too late... swallowing my pride (which, by the way, you have much more than I do)... would not even be relevant. It would be too late.
2007-12-05 07:50:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 0⤋
Our honest answer is most likely not going to be what you are hoping for simply because we are atheists. We dont believe in the hypothetical of such sort. I swear I read a couple of sentences, trying to pretend its true but I cant. Its just as hard for me to put aside my views as it would be for a Christian being asked to pretend to be a Muslim or Hindu.
Also...What if you died and you did arrive at a judgment day...but of anther sect...another religion?
What would you do then?
You can be just as wrong about it as any other. Its probably hard for you accept that since most religious people are determined that their faith is the correct one.
Its all a guessing game, one which I have decided not to dedicate to worshiping something I believe to be fictional.
And frankly, there is something very demented about your god if he is to punish offspring for the faults of their parents. And also quiet an irritating god you'd have there to give you the capacity to think and have free choice but only to the extent you remain ignorant and follow only his commands.
Contradictory isnt it?
And also, your question is not only offensive to atheists but also to those of other religions. What is more or less being said by you is if you are Christian, you are safe. If anything else, then you are screwed.
Edit:
How are we almost about to be proven wrong? Do you even read our answers?
And I think it highly hypocritical of you to call us arrogant when you yourself cannot set aside your own bias to give our answers proper weight. Is it not arrogant of you to have already come to the table with a preconceived answer and to not give any credence to anything other than that?
You were not asking an honest question; you simply wanted someone to confirm your own faith for whatever reason.
You, just like your god, wanted your ego to be boasted about.
Congratulations...you are emanating a fictional character.
2007-12-05 07:53:44 · answer #7 · answered by Vampie 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Who's being defiant? I'm only doing what I think is right. Sure, I may be wrong, but that doesn't mean I was a bad person and it certainly doesn't mean I did bad things for my children.
I was as honest as I could be for myself. It's not about pride, it's about doing what is best for myself and the people around me. I'm not an atheist for selfish, personal reasons, and I don't hate god.
Any omniscient, just God would understand that.
2007-12-05 07:52:53 · answer #8 · answered by Alex H 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
ther are so many religions ,i think people just believe what they want , my dad was an atheist and my mum a christian , we got brought up as christians , but my view on life is, if there was a god , there wouldnt be all the rubbish that is going on in the world , fair enough the good comes with the bad , but me , il have to wait till i get to the other side to find out x
2007-12-05 07:58:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Pascal alert!
I assume this question is also for pagans, Wiccans, heathens, Hindus, Buddhists and all other "non-believers"?
cheers! Drink
Added: It's arrogance to assume you've shown any "proof" that atheists or others have been proven "wrong" about anything, especially with this scenario. A scenario is not fact.
2007-12-05 07:57:00 · answer #10 · answered by Aravah 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
God is a neurological product of the brains of those who believe in it, like how the brain conjures up dreams, emotions, consciouness, near death experiences, out of body experiences. It's all in the brain. Even the visions of heaven and hell you might get after death are all products of the brain, which will eventually fade away into nothingness when the brain finally dies.
2007-12-05 07:56:06 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋