COMMUNICATING A THREAT:
How many of us grew up under the teachings of heaven and hell? The good people go to heaven and the bad people go to hell...right?
Yeah buddy.... and it got even more complicated in the group of judgemental hooyahs I grew up around. It also depended on what denomination you were affiliated with. We were Pentecostal and everyone else who was not was most definately HELL BOUND because they did not teach or live the same Holier than thou B.S.
We labled them as "religious sinners"
So, anyone who did not believe exactly the way we did was threatened with Hell and eternal damnation.
Even the "newbies" were threatened. The same old sales pitch was ..."If you were to die raht now without Chrast (Christ) in yur lahf, Hell will be yur home ..Praise Gawd"
Hell, even the Pentecostals argued and judged each other over differences in Dogma. If your not baptized in JESUS NAME...you got a one way ticket ta hell. Courtesy of the the duty radio preacher on any given Sunday.
Thankfully, I managed to retain my sanity and finally come to the realization that it was all a crock of horse dukie and my life is not validated by the craziness of religion. Do I feel threatened? Nah..I'm good
Heaven and Hell is just a way for religions to scare people. Now the Catholic church really takes the cake. I went to Catholic school for twelve years. The nuns would hit us with the edge of a ruler if we did anything wrong. The priest would also beat the students in grade school. Scare tactics were used by them and my parents. What a fun time... not.
Yup. I grew up with heaven and hell shoved down my throat. I was a pretty good kid, but my dad made me out to be a lying, obstinant, disobedient shithead. I only got in trouble at school once, and never had any trouble with the law, yet my dad made me out to be the spawn of satan and I was going to hell to be tormented and totured by demons for all eternity. To tell a child they're going to hell if they're bad is nothing short of child abuse.
Life long nonbeliever and current Anti-theist here.
But yeah.... fictional deity expressed "unconditional love....uhm, conditions apply, and I made hell, just in case you don't love me enough".....that's some kinda guy there....
religion is a cult of abuse.
When we came to this website we left all the baggage by the roadside. We were shot and and missed, Shit at and hit. We came here to discus what Religion could not define or support Historically when the Bible was written or by the Authors who were documented as being totally illiterate Fisherman. We have seen Jimmy Swaggert, Joel Olsteen, Jim and Tammy and Billy Graham who are the Big Buck Evangelaists to hit the Fortune 500. Look Back but don't Stare and forget what hurt and humiliation, false interpertations and stories that made you wake up and realize yourself. Forget being an sinner, or going to Hell or where ever. The Club is here and this is what we do. Welcome.
It's hard to describe the sense of relief I felt to realize the whole Bible thing was a lie. Probably the most relieved I'd felt in my entire life.
That whole blood-thirsty, murderous god thing had bothered me all my life.
Since god is the one and only to make the decision who goes to heaven or hell, I would imagine nothing pisses it off as much as humans trying to make that judgement call for him. It is like saying " Step aside god, you are not needed here. I'll make this judgement call."
Based on your words I must agree. You are good.
...and the good people were delighted to watch the 'bad people' thrown into the 'firey pit!' Now that is goodness!
And all this because Gawd luvs you so much, he's gonna burn you for all eternity for getting his half assed message wrong in the biggest game of Chinese whispers ever.