[pilliwinks]

[ QUOTE ]
A benevolent god will not punish us for eternity for acting during a short life according to our god given nature, even if we are mistaken.

chez

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I mentioned that there are people who think that God, having made everything, is perfectly entitled to bin whichever of his toys displease him after he has made them. Personally I find that unsatisfactory, and inconsistent with what we know of God's nature. Instead I think he really does give us choices. Real choices with real consequences. Yes they are constrained by the nature and nurture we receive, nonetheless for many of us, that nature and nurture really does allow us to make up our mind about whether we want to know about a potentially demanding (if well intentioned) overlord, or whether we are only interested in looking out for No1. I don't believe that God punishes those who make mistakes (all of us) or are ignorant (again, all of us), but I do believe that there are bad results for those who make bad choices.