The Bottom Line On My Anti- Fundamentalist Posts

[David Sklansky]

No reason to keep dragging this on. I posted a short and sweet summary on Ken Jennings forum and I'll repost it. Then I'm off to other things.

"I am not going to get into a protracted debate on this forum. But here is the bottom line. The idea that belief in Jesus is a sufficient criteria to get into heaven does not bother me much. But the idea that non belief guarantees hell, does. Even accepting the fact that no one is sinless and that all deserve some sort of punishment, to leap to the idea that wonderful, exemplary people are eternally burning in hell, but wouldn't be if they fully accepted a story with dubious evidence for it, is obscene.

I admit that one of the methods I chose to try to discredit this obscene belief could be considered obnoxious. But in spite of that obnoxiousness, I think there are many cheering me on. Including, just maybe, Jesus Christ."

[Piers]

Religion is not about being correct it’s about providing a service to its members.

Fundamentalist religions not only give its members that feeling of superiority essential to the human psych, but also provide an excellent environment for recruiting and retaining members.

[RayBornert]

just say no to curses and doom hooks

salvation is not an SAT test at the pearly gates

sadly, there was a time in my early adult life that i really believed that if i arrived at the gates of heaven with an insufficient critical mass of acceptable beliefs that i'd be promptly escorted to the big barbeque by zog the turd smoking demon.

ray

[Praxis101]

[ QUOTE ]
Religion is not about being correct it’s about providing a service to its members.

Fundamentalist religions not only give its members that feeling of superiority essential to the human psych, but also provide an excellent environment for recruiting and retaining members.

[/ QUOTE ]

They also feed ideas that inhibit divergent, brilliant minds - the kind of individuals who have the greatest impact and benefits for mankind.

Religion is not evil. It had its time and served its function well, maybe even benefited mankind in some ways. There are other methods for attaining this "feeling of superiority" - religion's environment is too inhibitive.

[revots33]

[ QUOTE ]
The idea that belief in Jesus is a sufficient criteria to get into heaven does not bother me much. But the idea that non belief guarantees hell, does. Even accepting the fact that no one is sinless and that all deserve some sort of punishment, to leap to the idea that wonderful, exemplary people are eternally burning in hell, but wouldn't be if they fully accepted a story with dubious evidence for it, is obscene.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of Christians SAY that wonderful non-believers go to hell. Very few of them believe it.

Here's why I think this: you are a devout Christian whose wonderful, kind, idealistic daughter decides she doesn't believe in god. She dies. Do you HONESTLY believe your beautiful child is now being tortured for eternity?

If you do, I'd argue that you are warped.

[RayBornert]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The idea that belief in Jesus is a sufficient criteria to get into heaven does not bother me much. But the idea that non belief guarantees hell, does. Even accepting the fact that no one is sinless and that all deserve some sort of punishment, to leap to the idea that wonderful, exemplary people are eternally burning in hell, but wouldn't be if they fully accepted a story with dubious evidence for it, is obscene.

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of Christians SAY that wonderful non-believers go to hell. Very few of them believe it.

Here's why I think this: you are a devout Christian whose wonderful, kind, idealistic daughter decides she doesn't believe in god. She dies. Do you HONESTLY believe your beautiful child is now being tortured for eternity?

If you do, I'd argue that you are warped.

[/ QUOTE ]

suicide is also a great example. the 1992 film - dracula - illustrates this issue rather well.

there are definitions of god that can fix suicide before and after the fact.

ray