what do atheists and agnostics think of Jesus saying they will be condemned

[Hollie]

I'm not sure I get your main point..

I actually don't know why I asked...

I guess this is why:

Jesus said He ws the Son of God.. and so, you either believe that or you believe He was a fake... So I guess those who reject Him are saying the latter...

Marshall Applewhite said there was a spacecraft at the end of the Hale-Bopp comet his followers could ascend to. They killed themselves by slugging down barbiturates and vodka.

 

[dblack]

Marshall Applewhite said there was a spacecraft at the end of the Hale-Bopp comet his followers could ascend to. They killed themselves by slugging down barbiturates and vodka.

That's what the non-believers saw.

 

[Hollie]

Fear is not the point. Those who believe in Jesus are blessed to develop a relationship with him. Those who do not believe are condemned to have no relationship with Jesus. He will not force himself into any unwanted relationship.

Fear actually is the point. You accept the message and get rewards or burn in hell. That is a powerful mind control technique and sadly, there is a portion of the population which will buy into it. Instilling fear and self-loathing because you were born base and evil with original sin, (while the belief system offers rewards for accepting the ideology), is quite a "hook".

 

[Hollie]

That's what the non-believers saw.

Who can say for certain the Heavens Gate crowd didn't make their flight?

 

[Meriweather]

Fear actually is the point. You accept the message and get rewards or burn in hell. That is a powerful mind control technique and sadly, there is a portion of the population which will buy into it. Instilling fear and self-loathing because you were born base and evil with original sin, (while the belief system offers rewards for accepting the ideology), is quite a "hook".

I accept that some believe this is all religion is about. They cannot understand the usual situation which is this life has thrown us some curves we cannot wait for the next life to resolve. We need help now.

Original Sin is merely mankind's propensity to turn away from doing what is ideal to something that is "good enough" or simply wrong. Those of us who wish to follow the way of the spirit, not just the ways of mind and body delve into the ways of God, or the ideal way.

If my experience was that all religion had to offer was hope once I die, I would have tossed it aside like you. Instead, it opened up ways to live that have brought, joy, happiness, and blessings.

My advice, as always, is to seek and find God. Then, with lots of study, we can gain a better and clearer understanding of those who, in ancient times, wrote of their own experiences of God--all of which have very little to do with the afterlife. It has more to do with our present lives.

 

[BlackSand]

I'm not sure I get your main point..

I actually don't know why I asked...

I guess this is why:

Jesus said He ws the Son of God.. and so, you either believe that or you believe He was a fake... So I guess those who reject Him are saying the latter...

.

It isn't about whether or not you believe it.
If they don't believe, in the scripture you posted, Jesus indicated they have already been judged.

There would be no need to ask anyone what they believe as far as judgement is concerned.
What difference would it make how anyone responded?

.​

.

 

[Hollie]

I accept that some believe this is all religion is about. They cannot understand the usual situation which is this life has thrown us some curves we cannot wait for the next life to resolve. We need help now.

Original Sin is merely mankind's propensity to turn away from doing what is ideal to something that is "good enough" or simply wrong. Those of us who wish to follow the way of the spirit, not just the ways of mind and body delve into the ways of God, or the ideal way.

If my experience was that all religion had to offer was hope once I die, I would have tossed it aside like you. Instead, it opened up ways to live that have brought, joy, happiness, and blessings.

My advice, as always, is to seek and find God. Then, with lots of study, we can gain a better and clearer understanding of those who, in ancient times, wrote of their own experiences of God--all of which have very little to do with the afterlife. It has more to do with our present lives.

I can't speak to spirits and spirit realms. There are too many competing religions and gods managing those religions for me to make sense of them.

My advise, as always, is to live your life with hope and humility, free of fear that you might miss a checklist item required by the gods to meet some human derived standard that will allow you eternal bliss.

When we distill all the inventions of gods who ruled over humanity before the invention of your gods, we find that gods come and go with the societies and cultures which invented them. It's a sad thing that fear of death is such a compelling reason for the invention of gods. Hope, joy, happiness, etc., are human attributes shared by humans in societies and cultures long before the invention of the Christian gods. I would never presume that people who lived before the invention your gods shared any less hope, joy and happiness or struggled any differently with loss, grief and sadness with life's harshness and disappointments.

Are you any more special or deserving than someone who lived their life 2,000 years ago?

 

[Meriweather]

free of fear that you might miss a checklist item required by the gods to meet some human derived standard that will allow you eternal bliss.

Again, a checklist is your view of religion, not the view of most people of faith.

We do not see faith the same way, nor have we the same perspective of God.

 

[Meriweather]

When we distill all the inventions of gods

Seek God. Don't invent Him, but no need to ignore Him either.

 

[Meriweather]

It's a sad thing that fear of death is such a compelling reason for the invention of gods.

I am sorry to hear you fear death so much that you believe everyone else has the same fear and that is why they turn to religion. Both these premises are incorrect. Most people have a respect of death, but realize that it comes to all and therefore don't waste a lot of time on it. Unless, you spend a lot of time thinking about it and assume others do as well?

 

[Meriweather]

I would never presume that people who lived before the invention your gods shared any less hope, joy and happiness or struggled any differently with loss, grief and sadness with life's harshness and disappointments.

Nor did I say or even imply they did. I said I was having issues, not anyone else, and I (not anyone else) needed help through them. By the way, those issues had nothing to do with death. If you were never at a great loss or helpless, then no reason to empathize with anything I have said.

 

[Meriweather]

Are you any more special or deserving than someone who lived their life 2,000 years ago?

Why do you assume that I am? Try understanding that I am not.

 

[Hollie]

Again, a checklist is your view of religion, not the view of most people of faith.

We do not see faith the same way, nor have we the same perspective of God.

You write for the ''we'', yet I'm not convinced you are the voice of most people of faith.

 

[Hollie]

Seek God. Don't invent Him, but no need to ignore Him either.

All gods are invented by humans.

Seek truth. Don't accept hand-me-down gods which are the product of geographic / regional / familial association.

 

[Hollie]

Why do you assume that I am? Try understanding that I am not.

Great. You can assume then, that others can find satisfaction, happiness and joy in their lives without the compulsive admonitions of gods, threats of hell, torment and misery for not accepting one partisan version of belief in supernatural gods.

 

[Hollie]

Nor did I say or even imply they did. I said I was having issues, not anyone else, and I (not anyone else) needed help through them. By the way, those issues had nothing to do with death. If you were never at a great loss or helpless, then no reason to empathize with anything I have said.

Everyone I have ever known has experienced losses and disappointments. If religion helps them cope thats fine. Ultimately, dealing with losses and disappointment may have been part of the impetus for religious belief.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

What do you Christians think of the threats from Greek mythology to obey and worship Zeus, or else?

Now you know what atheists think of your magical threats.

I.E., we don't.

 

[Hollie]

I am sorry to hear you fear death so much that you believe everyone else has the same fear and that is why they turn to religion. Both these premises are incorrect. Most people have a respect of death, but realize that it comes to all and therefore don't waste a lot of time on it. Unless, you spend a lot of time thinking about it and assume others do as well?

I'm sorry you found a need to presume I fear death so much that I believe everyone else has the same fear. I never wrote that so why the need to edit what I wrote?

I think it's undeniable that a component of Christianity is to be a soothing balm for those who are afraid of death. The notion of 'eternal life', 'eternity in heaven', 'no more pain or sorrow, etc., is a big carrot for those who want to believe. And, that begs the question then, “why does anyone need to instill the fear of burning flesh and eternal torment in children”? That quite obviously is intended to instill fear with the countering claim that ''belief in this partisan version of gods and eternal bliss is yours''

 

[Meriweather]

Seek truth.

That's what I am saying. Seek God. I did. He can be found. He is.

 

[Meriweather]

You can assume then

Sigh. I don't have to assume. I know. I was born into a family that included atheists, I married an atheist from a family of mostly atheists. Not one has ever accused me of mentioning hell, let alone threatening them with it. That is not a part of faith the rest of us dwell on--and 'my' atheists don't dwell on it either.

Let it go.