Has religion served its purpose?

@kellyjay said
Disagreeing with you doesn’t mean I the one mistaken.

@suzianne said
Have you heard that God loves all of us and is desirous that none fall astray and become lost?

Why would such a God be willing to torture those same for all of eternity? Is there a purpose for this? I argue that there is not, and he is not.

Perhaps your certitude that these will be your neighbors and not you causes you to have this blasé attitude about it, but the Go ...[text shortened]... cerned that my view is a minority view. But you are wrong in assuming it has no scriptural support.

@josephw said
I would like to believe as you do that the "second death" means annihilation because the idea of eternal punishment is as unimaginable as death.

There's no file for it in our being. We weren't created to experience death.

But death reigns nonetheless.

@divegeester said
No it doesn’t, it that is yet another non sequitur … isn’t it.

Here is what you said, and my reply.

@kellyjay said
I don't deny words of scripture as you.

divegeester replied
You just avoid replying to posts which contain one’s which show your prior assertions to be mistaken.

Which is what you did, several times when I quoted Matthew to you demonstrating ...[text shortened]... ipture hence you are shown to be someone who in fact does, on occasion, deny the words of scripture.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Isn't the idea of eternal punishment also unimaginable when applied to the actions of a loving God? Have you thought about that? I mean, really thought about it?

Believe in me or be eternally punished. Is that really the God you worship?

@josephw said
No.
Yes.
Yes.

You've mischaracterized. It's "believe in me and live forever."

Presuming to accuse God of being unjust is folly and the consequence of erroneous thinking.

By your own logic can that which is perfect be flawed?

Is God flawed because He so loved the world that He gave His Son to die in our place so that we who believe will have eternal life?

And ...[text shortened]... He metes out justice to those that reject the author of life?

Get your head screwed on straight.

@ghost-of-a-duke said
I find it unfathomable that anybody (with their head screwed on correctly) can see no disconnect between a loving and omniscient God and one who would meat out eternal punishment.

@rajk999 said
Its what the church does to the mindless masses. Jesus said that God can destroy souls. Yet churches preach that souls are immortal and hence there is no such thing as complete annihilation and anyone who does not believe is tormented.

religion has a place as much as santa. at some point you grow out of it.

@kellyjay said
Show me they are temporary

@divegeester said
Temporary is not the opposite of eternal.

I never said sins were temporary.

@divegeester said

Here is what you said, and my reply.

@divegeester

Look, it's not as if we are going to strap you down and inject you with Haldol to help you see things "the right way".

@divegeester said
Temporary is not the opposite of eternal.

I never said sins were temporary.

@kellyjay said
Well, eternal is forever, temporary is not, one means one thing, while the other means something else. You don't seem to understand what all-inclusive means. Now you are struggling with the difference between eternal and temporary. If sins are not eternal, they are not, which means temporary because they will not last forever or eternally. Are you purposely being dull, or do ...[text shortened]... id to you so that you have to have every word explained to you in precise detail, so you understand?