A merciful god sends a majority of Earth's population to hell automatically?

[Rafael]

This is the angle in christianity that bothers me the most. Is a deity that condemns all non-believers to hell worth believing in?

A muslim farmer somewhere in the Turkish outback who has never wandered beyond his grazing lands - hell?
A hindu doctor who spent his life developing a better cure for malaria - hell?
A buddhist monk in the Tibetan mountains - hell?
An Aborigine who upholds the dream time tradition - hell?

Why isn't there a middle ground in the afterlife for good non-christians, similar to the concept of Limbo?

One problem with mankind is that it poorly represents the mercy and grace God has and they usually do all the judging for God instead of letting Him take care of what only He is capable of doing in judgment. With God, mercy is greater than judgment. Would it not be best to let the One who created the creature be the judge of what He created?
Going on hear-say is a big problem, but the quick "take-out" culture we live in takes the matters of life and death so casually these days, playing games and watching images of death daily on the TV, becoming numb to the actual horror of the penalty and curse that death actually is.
God offers us life, and we often take this temporary one for granted, not realizing that the eternal life hinges on what we do with this one.
According to what a man is given in this life determines how he is judged, and God is perfectly able to judge justly to all those He has created, knowing every detail of their lives from begining to end - even the number of the hairs on their heads.
It is not wise to judge for God, because His word says that by the measure we judge with, we will be judged.
This what God's will is for all men:

2Peter 3:9 ¶ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Mt 7:2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Mt 5:7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

 

[MariaRegina]

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[MariaRegina]

SECOND MOD HAT NOTICE

As some of you may have noticed, this thread is now considerably shorter.

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[threedog]

This is the angle in christianity that bothers me the most. Is a deity that condemns all non-believers to hell worth believing in?

A muslim farmer somewhere in the Turkish outback who has never wandered beyond his grazing lands - hell?
A hindu doctor who spent his life developing a better cure for malaria - hell?
A buddhist monk in the Tibetan mountains - hell?
An Aborigine who upholds the dream time tradition - hell?

Why isn't there a middle ground in the afterlife for good non-christians, similar to the concept of Limbo?

A Deity who condems all non-believers to an eternal- everlasting torment of the soul is not worth believing in. What earthly father would do such a thing to his only son or daughter and call it love or justice. Jesus is the supreme example of eternal Love and Mercy. Let no man show a higher expression of love and mercy than God.

Threedog

 

[despondent]

I don't think that is completely true, that God sends everyone who doesn't believe to Hell. Just think aboput it! Why sould He do this to the epople like in Islamic countries where women who have been so confined have never ever been in contact with any Christian go to hell.
But it is true that God doesn't like anything impure to enter Heaven. Anyway, for those who don't know the Lord, they'll be judge by their own beliefs, or religion, etc.It was the opinion of Paul in his epistles. But I don't recall which one. Maybe someone lese would know and add it? Thanx.
Despondent

 

[Adventist Dissident]

This is the angle in christianity that bothers me the most. Is a deity that condemns all non-believers to hell worth believing in?

A muslim farmer somewhere in the Turkish outback who has never wandered beyond his grazing lands - hell?
A hindu doctor who spent his life developing a better cure for malaria - hell?
A buddhist monk in the Tibetan mountains - hell?
An Aborigine who upholds the dream time tradition - hell?

Why isn't there a middle ground in the afterlife for good non-christians, similar to the concept of Limbo?

The answer to your question is NO. No body automatically gose to hell. it is a choice.
Romans makes it clear that "through 1 man Adam all DIE" It is because of the actions of someone else we will Die. Adams action of rebellion passed on to his offspring the genetic tendency to evil. we were no longer good only we were good and evil with an evil bent called "iniquity" this is the unfariness of Sin. We did not cause the problem yet we stil die. For this No one will Go to hell. People Go to hell becuse of this John 3:18 says and "This is Judgement that light came into the and men love darkness rather then light because there deeds were evil." Man was born with a sickness he did not cause and a problem he cannot solve, but God generously provides solution, but man does not take the medicne God provides , because he LOVES evil and does not want to be exposed.

 

[Adventist Dissident]

This is the angle in christianity that bothers me the most. Is a deity that condemns all non-believers to hell worth believing in?

A muslim farmer somewhere in the Turkish outback who has never wandered beyond his grazing lands - hell?
A hindu doctor who spent his life developing a better cure for malaria - hell?
A buddhist monk in the Tibetan mountains - hell?
An Aborigine who upholds the dream time tradition - hell?

Why isn't there a middle ground in the afterlife for good non-christians, similar to the concept of Limbo?

one of the premises of your questions is false. That we are good people.

take the bible test to determine weither you are Good person..
1. have you ever stolen? then that is stealing. No theives in heaven
2. have you ever lied, or lied about someone. then no liars in heaven.
3. Have you have commited adultry? Every lusted in your hear? Jesus calls it adultery. NO adulters In heaven
4. have you ever murdered. Jesus says if you are angry with your brother without cause then you are murder. No murders in heaven.
5. Have you alway been respectful to your parents.? NO rebllious childeren in heaven.
6. Have you ever desired anything that was not yours and wanted to obtain in a way that was not accoring To God law. then that is covting, weather it is property,people, postions. since evil starts there in the heart then no people who covet.
7. Have you love God first at all times and under all conditions. Then you have had other Gods befor you.
8. Have you made a God to suit your self? Who is God to you? if you answer this with out consulting God as to what He says about you are and idolitor. you offer and alternative reality of who God is, what God wants or How God says things should Be.
9. have your properly represented God at all times and under all conditons? if not then you have taken the name of the Lord in Vain.
10. have kept the sabbth Holy. do you worship God when He want,How he wants, the way he wants. God want to create and reality of his way of doing things Do you mess that up. Then you wont be going to heaven.

If you can pass this test then you can go to heaven. If you can't you are going to need some help. If you reject that help then it is your fault. Not Gods.

 

[MikeMcK]

This is the angle in christianity that bothers me the most. Is a deity that condemns all non-believers to hell worth believing in?

Yes.

In the Bible, the first four aspects of God's character that we see are righteousness, justice, love and mercy.

God's righteousness demands that there be a moral code.

God's justice demands that violations of that moral code (ie. "sin") be punished.

God's love moves Him to act on our behalf.

God's mercy moves Him to provide a way for us to be reconciled to Him and spared this punishment, because He knows that there is nothing that we can do on our own to overcome our sin and become reconciled to Him.

A muslim farmer somewhere in the Turkish outback who has never wandered beyond his grazing lands - hell?

Sinner.

A hindu doctor who spent his life developing a better cure for malaria - hell?

Sinner.

A buddhist monk in the Tibetan mountains - hell?

Sinner.

An Aborigine who upholds the dream time tradition - hell?

Sinner.

You:

Sinner.

Me: Sinner.

Everybody in this thread:

Sinner.

Christ:

SAVIOUR!

Why isn't there a middle ground in the afterlife for good non-christians, similar to the concept of Limbo?

Because there are no good non-Christians. All of us, Christians and non-Christians have broken God's laws and, apart from Christ, are enemies of God.

At what point does the "all-loving, merciful god" kick in?

From the very first verses of the Bible, we see examples of God's love and mercy. the entire Bible, from Genesis 3:16 on, is the story of God's love for us.

 

[The Virginian]

This is the angle in christianity that bothers me the most. Is a deity that condemns all non-believers to hell worth believing in?

A muslim farmer somewhere in the Turkish outback who has never wandered beyond his grazing lands - hell?
A hindu doctor who spent his life developing a better cure for malaria - hell?
A buddhist monk in the Tibetan mountains - hell?
An Aborigine who upholds the dream time tradition - hell?

Why isn't there a middle ground in the afterlife for good non-christians, similar to the concept of Limbo?

What is it about God being God, that is such a bother to people? Obviously there'are a host of prople who have an inaccurate concept of "diety". According to the Webster's Dictionary I have before me, deity 1. the state of being a god; divine nature; godhood. That's one facet of this proverbial , or should I say continual mis-understanding.

The other facet which most people do not voice, is what they believe about the origins of mankind. Were we created, or did we crawl out of the primordial ooze? If we evolved then we can have a say in whether or not we should be consigned to an eternity of torment. However; if on the other hand we were created, then we're trying to remake the divinity into an image more palatable to our shifting mores. And behind all this there lies the knowledge we have of ourselves that "we are sinful people".

You say that God consigning people to hell because they don't believe is a sticking point; what if God had said that the death of His Son on the Cross for the sins of the world, was unfair to His Son, and canceled the crucifixtion! We'd be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Then again how is it that we have some smathering of an idea of a deity who created us, but turn right around and desire to tell Him just what it is that He has a right to do with us. Prepostorous!

God purposed that His sinless Son should die to ransom back His creation, which had sold itself to Lucifer in sinful disobedience, but we're so stuck on ourselves we can only fathom redemption and etrnal life from a human and selfish vantage point; which is what this question says, about everyone who asks it!

 

[Letalis]

Thread closed.

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