Do You Religious Folk And Believers Think I Will Be Going To Hell?

Not to derail the topic but does doing good works somehow compensate for the things we have done that cannot be labeled as good works?
In other words, is one transgression wiped out because of one good deed?

 

To my way of thinking, a person cannot choose to believe. You either believe something or you do not. This is like trying to love someone that you don't love... the sentiment is empty. I also believe that there are many, many professed Christians where the sentiment IS empty; they are good at lip service but their actions reveal the truth. (So I'm sure God sees them hiding behind their cloak of righteousness.)

Frankly, all the Bible verses and hooey are a big turn-off to me. I don't believe any of that stuff about people living 800 years, all the animal species on earth fitting into an ark, blah, blah. So quoting the Bible just goes by me like a bullet.

 

I must reiterate, for those who don't 'know' me. I am a curious agnostic, always searching for my own personal truth. I admire true Christians (and all other believers) and envy them since they seem to know a peace that I do not. I do not mean to ever demean anyone's beliefs, whether you worship God, cream cheese or a random animal... if you truly believe then I covet what you possess and wonder how you got there.

P.S. In keeping with the thread topic, I do not believe that hell exists, so in my opinion Lon is safe from eternal damnation.

 

My method of study is to disprove whatever the proposition might be. If someone tells me that 1+1=2, my immediate response is to insure that what I am being told is true by first assuming that it is false.
I did that for nearly 10 years when it came to Biblical premise but was still unsatisfied until some very stark physical evidence came into play that I personally witnessed. Evidence that brought an unbelieving doctor to his knees and believing staff openly praising God which removed all uncertainty in my mind as to what the truth really is.
Such occurrences have filtered through in my life and I no longer call those things miracles but instead, every day actions from God. I no longer call things impossible because I’ve seen the impossible turned into not only possible but done.
One thing I realized early on is that it doesn’t have to be a total matter of faith for something good to happen but rather, my admission that I cannot accomplish anything without the Father.

One of the reasons I stayed in the rescue missions ministry for so long is because of all the so called miracles that seem to pop up when they are the most needed. I’ve seen more stuff happen than are listed in the Bible and what’s more, I wasn’t the only one to see and experience them.
That said, even the most faithful are prone to get a little questioning at times and when that happens to me, something else comes along that simply cannot be explained any other way than an act of God, and bang, I’m back.

 

I suppose in a way I'm just the opposite. I look at the terrible things that happen to people and wonder how a benevolent God can allow horrors to happen.

 

I don't think the one keeping score, if any, gives a second thought to it. Not important. He probably don't even remember who wrote that in the first place. Just saying, additionally the writer of those words was either ordered to do (as an employed scribe) or he was trying to make a buck or a coin to keep from pouring concrete all day or some such manual labor. Maybe it's a fairy tale or falls under that rule that we now look through a mirror darkly but in that day or some such afterwards. We're all home free so carry on. Maybe, huh?

Sorry, had to correct some spelling on the above. That paragraph was jambled like War 2 Navajo code.

 

Bill, you never disappoint.

 

A curious Agnostic without a committed world view presupposition could easily find truth by studying Christian apologetics from legitimate sources. Such venture would reveal that the Bible's creation account is far more compatible with today's scientific evidence than any of the evolutionary models. It would reveal that the global Genesis flood event is far more consistent with the catastrophic geological record than the long-age uniformitarian evolutionary model. It would reveal multiple studies demonstrating how the necessary number of animal kinds could easily fit on Noah's ark. It would reveal thousands of archaeological finds and ancient documents supporting the Bible's historicity. And quite significantly, it would detail incredibly specific, fulfilled prophesies that could only be made through divine means. Honestly, the vast majority of Christians accept their faith on the Bible's witness testimonies. But for the skeptical Agnostic that won't accept the Bible's authority on blind faith, there is an overwhelming abundance of empirical evidence to soundly defend it.

An Atheist committed to a world view presupposition can find an abundance of secular material to justify a naturalistic belief. This includes a massive volume of evolutionary material that is more hypotheses than fact, an endless list of supposed Bible contradictions, an appeal to difficult theological issues, and more. It doesn't matter that the strongest known laws of science counter the naturalistic views, that the top 300 Bible contradictions have rational explanations, and that the multitude of theological difficulties have been addressed in many ways. The Atheist will only accept evidence that supports his world view, no matter how inconsistent it is with reality. (Many misguided Christians do a comparable thing by accepting theistic evolution, but that's an equally irrational notion.)

It seems to me that the Atheists I meet, including my own family and friends, have made a conscience choice to reject God. I think it's a prideful unwillingness to submit. They want to be their own God and master of life. The Agnostics I meet tend to be people who have had a bad experience with churches or religious people. They have an innate belief in some kind of god, but won't accept the Christian faith and any Biblical commitments or responsibilities. This gives them the same freedom as the Atheist - to be their own God and master of their life - while claiming to seek truth, but not really doing so. In my view, unless the Agnostic is on a genuine path of seeking religious truth (which could be done in a matter of months), they are no better off than the Atheist. Both lead to a loss of one's eternal soul.

It appears that neither Agnostics nor Atheists have fear for their souls, but neither do they have sufficient evidence for denying their existence. On the contrary, both Biblical and secular evidence strongly support a supernatural spirit world, existence of a human soul, and life after death. To me, it only makes sense to accept the path that not only best fits the evidence, but also leads to an eternal, joyful life.

 

Your superior attitude is annoying, and if you could direct me to that "overwhelming abundance of empirical evidence to soundly defend it," I'd like to see that. Personally I see no such "evidence" and pointing to Bible verses does not constitute evidence.

You are correct in that I do not fear for my eternal soul, whatever that means. Please tell me, what is so appealing about living forever? One lifetime is plenty for me, and my belief is that's all I'll get.

A major difference between believers and non-believers in my opinion is that believers like to criticize and subtly threaten non-believers with eternal damnation, etc. Still using that fear tactic to "believe or perish in hell."

I'll take my chances.

 

In my view:
..... a curious agnostic could find a number of spiritual, religious, secular, science-based ideas to believe in. Christianity isn't the be all / end all, the bible isn't the only scripture, and not all belief systems require a scripture, as some value their own direct experiencing over that of someone else.

In my view:
..... an atheist rejects the notion of deity and its corollary of submission to anthropomorphic explanations for everything without wanting to think themselves something that they've already rejected, and instead seeks the experience of the sacred that isn't limited to a tribal chieftain concept of deity and submission.

In my view:
..... neither agnostics nor atheists fear for their souls, for many of us are secure in sitting with the questions of spirituality, require no certitude to secure a happy life eternal or mortal, and are open to contemplating a variety of possible truths. On the contrary, in my view, it appears that it is people who do fear for their souls who are attracted by the idea of Christian salvation.

Now, with that said, y'all have a nice day.

 

And you, Yvonne, are a much better representative of my idea of a true Christian. Thanks for that post.

 

As for the original topic of the thread and whether non-believers are bound for hell... I suppose I have a hard time believing that there is a simple go/no-go to the hell thing. I might not be a true believer, but I lead a pretty good life. I'm responsible, generous, and usually try to live my life as my parents taught me. I have become noticeably rougher and more skeptical with age, but still have no evil intent toward anyone.

That said, am I to be judged and sent to hell, where I'd sit alongside Heinrich Himmler on the loser bench? I suppose I could ask him what on earth made him create those death camps, which could take up a few days. Then I could visit with John Wayne Gacy, and ask him if he had other bodies of young men buried elsewhere than under his house besides the 30-odd that police unearthed. Yes, I can see how I equate to those guys.

 

Check out Tartarus. Neither Heaven or Hell but Grand Central Station with infinite wait until the chief demons
decide if you are there by error or not. Lots of fascinating reads about Tartarus. Supposed to be the eternal prison for fallen angels and the Titans (likely ancient aliens).

 

Sorry --I don't believe in Greek Mythology