Saturday, June 26, 2010

The fear of eternal torment

Of all the idiotic things taught in Christianity; nothing irritates me more than the constant threat of eternal damnation. When I left the ministry and the church behind, anytime I ran into members of my former congregation on the street they would remind me of the dire consequences I will suffer for turning my back on God. They would bring to mind the stupid tale of Jonah and the whale; which by the way the bible does not specifically mention that it was a whale: Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Christians assume that since the Whale is considered the largest sea animal it must have been a whale, That is like saying that if he had been swallowed by a large land creature it must have been an elephant. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a whale a mammal? There is a huge difference between a mammal and a fish for example mammals are warm blooded fish are not, they breathe through blow holes and not gills, and finally they give birth to live babies that drink their mothers milk. Just goes to show how faulty Christian reasoning is.

I am warned what a terrible thing it is to have known God and turned away, than to have never known him at all. In reference to back sliders (people who leave the Lord and revert back to the world) whoever wrote 2 Peter 2:21 said: 'For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.' All throughout the bible you are told that the only way to live a fruitful and productive life is through the worship and adherence of God's commandments. Those that refuse to be mentally enslaved by fairy tales are forewarned that nothing they do in this life is going to go well or be good enough without God. Not to mention the terrible fate that awaits them after they depart this life and enter into the next life.

The bible clearly makes a distinction between the "saved" and the unsaved, the world and the church. John 17:14 'I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.' They are the elite, the chosen by God to walk the Earth bringing the word of truth and eternal salvation to mankind. It is because of this that I think Christians in general have an air of arrogance about them, a detestable snootiness to their persona that quite frankly make me sick. This is also where I think the term 'born again' came from, when you are born again according to Christian theology you are no longer a man of the flesh you are born again as a man that lives by the spirit.  John 3:5,6 'Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' This is the significance of baptism by immersion in most protestant churches; the immersion in water signifies the burying of the old man of the flesh, the ascending out of the water signifies the birth of the spiritual man.

Then there is the threat of you being a target for evil spirits and demons to take their abode in your physical body, due to the fact that you are no longer under God's protection and graces. Matthew 12 43-45 states:43.When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.44.Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.45.Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Finally, the threat of hell and eternal torment which I find stupid and completely at odds with a so called forgiving God of mercy and love. It sounds more like this biblical deity is very good at having his poor little feelings hurt and can hold a grudge forever. Revelation 20:13,14 'And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.' According to whoever wrote Revelations under his drug induced haze he composed this wonderful end for those who did not serve God. Notice too that according to this text it seems that death and hell are treated separately. It almost sounds like death is also a place apart from hell "and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them". Could this be the equivalent to what the Catholic church refers to as purgatory, or what others call limbo? Either way the lake of fire seems to be the final place of eternal torment that awaits us who don't believe. I tip my hats off to the church for being able to hold the world through fear and intimidation with such ridiculous beliefs and ideas. You die, you go to hell, and finally after the judgment we are cast into the lake of fire, what utter bullshit!

6 comments:

  1. you're an IDIOT...


    A perfect example of when PHILOSOPHY becomes an ENEMY OF LIFE...

    http://stephenlaw.blogspot.com/2010/06/playing-mystery-card.html

    not quite samantha with her *supernatural spit*, eh?

    _________________
    you were at the WRONG PLACE at the WRONG TIME...
    _____________________
    this isn't one of your little WORD GAMES...

    blasphemy is a DEATH SENTENCE

    you people actually BELIEVE the BS you preach!

    GOD 1 - atheists 0

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQcNiD0Z3MU


    Atheists,
    you are ENEMIES OF GOD AND ARE GOING TO BE ANNIHILATED...

    Repent and turn to God or be destroyed...

    YOU HAVE NO CHOICE...

    my interpretation of the STATUE FIRE... it symbolizes the SPIRITUAL DEATH of atheism...

    http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/topofthetimes/national/la-naw-0616-jesus-statue-lightning-20100616,0,4295974.story

    http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/6/16/1276680110544/The-King-of-Kings-statue--005.jpg

    http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-06/54332292.jpg


    http://friendlyatheist.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/butterjesus-1.jpg

    PRINCESS DI IS WEARING A NEW DRESS!

    http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speechesandarticles/a_speech_by_hrh_the_prince_of_wales_titled_islam_and_the_env_252516346.html
    ______________________________
    http://skepticblog.org/2010/04/06/would-i-ever-pray-for-a-miracle/

    Shermer, I WANT TO SEE YOU BEG FOR A MIRACLE...
    ___________________
    we do like your music Lady Gaga, but...

    The B**BQUAKE - 911

    Let me show you the FATE OF TRAITORS...

    http://www.loiterink.com/photos/products/182_3424_500x500.jpg

    they are incapable of telling the difference between SCIENTIFIC *FACT* AND
    RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL *TRUTH*... FATAL ERROR!

    they also preach a *VALUE FREE SCIENCE* called *POSITIVISM* that ignores the
    inequalities of wealth and power in capitalist civilization...

    for a sample taste of PZ Myers' GARBAGE...

    http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/06/sunday_sacrilege_imagine_no_he.php

    HIJACKING IN PROGRESS!!!

    http://hawaiiwebgroup.com/maui-design/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/website-hijacking.jpg

    HIJACKING IN PROGRESS!!!

    how can these HEADLESS IDIOTS BET AGAINST GOD!!!
    ________________________________________
    what happens when you LOSE Pascal's Wager...

    http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/pascals-wager.htm
    ____________
    you FIGHT PAPER MONSTERS...

    the blood and bodies of the atheist movement...

    you mofos killed MICKEY MOUSE!!!!

    this has more TRUTH then what Dawkins, Randi, Harris, Myers, and Shermer
    combined have said in their entire lives...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=5R2wE8Sduhs&playnext_from=TL&videos=hht1U_19anc&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh%2Bdiv-1r-3-HM

    they tried to BULLDOZE the entire METAPHYSICAL DIMENSION...
    they LOST THE WAR......

    you have FORFEIT YOUR SOUL, shermer... you have become an object in the material world, as you WISHED...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUB4j0n2UDU

    http://farm1.static.flickr.com/7/11792994_ffaaee87fa.jpg

    we're gonna smash that TV...

    They had become ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE AND OF GOD...

    you pushed too much and *CROSSED THE LINE*

    degenerates (PZ) or children (HEMANT) - ATHEISTS!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRRg2tWGDSY

    do you have anything to say, you STUPID LITTLE F*CKER?

    how about I tell you, Mr. Shermer, EVERYTHING YOU THINK ABOUT THE WORLD is
    *WRONG*

    THE BOOBQUAKE - 911!
    ****************************************************
    http://dissidentphilosophy.lifediscussion.net/philosophy-f1/the-boobquake-911-t1310.htm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx7XNb3Q9Ek

    RUN, ATHEISTS, RUN!!!
    -------------------
    http://www.4degreez.com/misc/dante-inferno-information.html

    the 9th and FINAL RING of Dante's Inferno is designed for little blaspheming traitors like you...

    but at least FREE AIR CONDITIONING is included!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Without the threat of eternal damnation, Christianity would not have such a hold over people. It's really the only thing they've got going for them. I think that's why it's so hard for people de-converting--I know I went through phases of thinking "what if I'm wrong?" even though I knew better, and I have talked to many atheists who have shared that experience. So far I've been lucky in that I've avoided the subject with former congregation members, but it remains the single most reason I won't bring it up.

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  3. DM I did not know that they let patients use the internet in the mental ward. Calling me an idiot is a compliment coming from someone who can't even make his own arguments but rather floods my comment section with other peoples urls.

    ReplyDelete
  4. DM is a ditz and a spammer. He doesn't know how to have a conversation.

    I am with you. Being an ex-minister is quite disturbing to the SHEEP. They really don't believe and need to guilt others into believing so they can feel safe in a pack. I of course was told I was going to hell. It was disturbing at first, but now I wear it as a badge of honor.

    The Bible fails in science. The writer of Deuteronomy thought a bat was a bird and not a mammal.

    Deuteronomy 14:11-18
    You may eat any clean bird. But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

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  5. Lol welcome to my blog ex-minister I hope you enjoy the posts and keep coming back.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I will. Feel free to check my blog out. We can work to remove the shackles of religion, the how and the whys. It is great to know others are on the same path AND in their own way.

    ReplyDelete