After being told that I’m not a Christian and that I’m going to hell for all eternity, this is what I have to say about the weak threat of hell:
The Bible says “God is a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”
But we are taught that God is “so forgiving” because he “let’s” us into heaven…
How is that forgiving if the vast majority go to hell and stay there? That’s not forgiveness that is very obviously God holding a permanent grudge.
The Bible tells us to love our enemies.
Yet with the concept of traditional hell, God fails to love his own enemies. Traditional hell is a contradiction of scripture! It’s a contradiction of love, forgiveness and salvation!
The Bible says “Do not take revenge” yet traditional-hell has got to be the biggest revenge of all. The punishment isn’t even proportional to the crime. 70 odd years of sin isn’t even a blip on eternal punishment. At least when Hitler put Jews in the gas chamber…they died! It would be better to stay dead when we die that for God to resurrect people just to punish them for all eternity.
This business about deserving hell for our sins is a very human concept.
What about deserving to be loved because we are created in the image of God? We all deserve to be loved and are loved unconditionally. Love can’t end in permanent hell.
God is a father. Fathers don’t lock their children up and throw away the key. Fathers don’t torture their children. If your father punished you for no reason then I feel sorry for you. But God our father only disciplines because he loves. Hence why I believe hell is discipline with the purpose of saving us, not abandoning us.
The Bible says “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Yet we are taught to believe that once we die, God suddenly changes and forsakes us for all eternity if we don’t meet the right criteria.
Why this idea that God changes so much when we die? God is the same yesterday and today and forever.
I would be depressed for all eternity if I went to a heaven that excluded the majority of people. There’s nothing happy or truly victorious about a place that is exclusive to Christians only. Especially after all the hurt and damage we Christians have done to each other.
The age of accountability is NOT in the Bible.
The statement that we must accept Jesus before we die is NOT in the Bible.
God is love
Love is patient
Love is kind
Love keeps NO RECORD OF WRONG
Love never gives up
Love covers over a multitude of sins
Love so long and high and wide and deep it’s almost unfathomable
Love is unconditional
Love never stops hoping
Love endures all things
Love never fails
Love will save the day