do you try to scare people?

[BloodFire]

im under the impression that christianity tries to scare people by saying that other people no matter how good will burn in hell or be eternally seperate from God... i dnt like it. it sounds terirble and like its a threat.

 

[HypnoToad]

It's no more a "threat" than telling someone they should get off the train tracks or they'll be killed by a train. In fact, most would argue that if you saw a train barreling down on someone, you are morally obligated to warn them and try to get them off the track.

 

[Determinedheart]

I don't agree with telling someone they will burn in hell to get them to believe in God I think you should know the truth, but I think being an example of Gods love and telling people how much they are loved and that asking Jesus into your heart and believing he came and died for us on the cross gives you a gaurantee of a place in heaven to spend eternity is something you should know.

 

[WashedClean]

I agree with determinedheart. The Bible says it's the goodness of God that leads men to repentance and faith in Christ. Scaring someone to convert would probably result in a false conversion. I think it should be a part of the message because it's the truth, but it shouldn't be the focal point.

The message should be that God loves us so much he left his throne in Heaven, endured suffering and died in our place. He took our punishment because it was the only way to reconcile us back to Him. Now that's a Savior!

 

[talitha]

God has given us a real choice with real stakes. That's the way He designed this temporary world that we live in. He is like the millionaire who hides his identity because he wants his sweetheart to love him for who he is, not for what he has. God's goal is not ultimately to save us from Hell - that is a side-effect, but the ultimate goal is to have an everlasting relationship with us based on friendship. I agree with people's sentiments who say that fear is the wrong reason to convert, but that doesn't mean that the consequences are any less real. During our stay on this planet, there is a certain amount of the protection of God upon believers and unbelievers alike, for as long as a person draws breath, it is a sure sign that the Holy Spirit is still striving with him - all breath comes from Him. But as soon as we leave this plane of existence, it is purely our relationship with God or lack thereof that determines our eternal whereabouts. The Psalmwriter said that to know God IS eternal life. Truer words have never been spoken.

blessings
tal

 

[PhilosopherD]

im under the impression that christianity tries to scare people by saying that other people no matter how good will burn in hell or be eternally seperate from God... i dnt like it. it sounds terirble and like its a threat.

Oh, you mean like how the Book of Mormon threatens destruction upon orthodox Christians who "desecrate" Mormon doctrine?

 

[talitha]

PhilosopherD, Please go easy on BloodFire...... she is really on a search here, and this is not the apologetics forum....

(((((BloodFire))))))
tal

 

[MelissaShae]

I think that Christians are to witness to those who are not Christians. I witness all of God's words including those of eternal damnation, however that shouldn't be the main focus, the focus should be on God's love and holiness and how we are to serve him here to be with him forever in Heaven. Scarring people into Christianity will not work and I don't believe that it should be done that way, however God does speak to us thru his word about hell and this should never be ignored or pushed to the side. Telling someone that they are going to hell will not make them a Christian, but telling them them of the Lord and Heaven and all he has done for us will.

 

[ebia]

im under the impression that christianity tries to scare people by saying that other people no matter how good will burn in hell or be eternally seperate from God... i dnt like it. it sounds terirble and like its a threat.

Some do. Most don't. You can't fully explain what Christ has done for us without touching on what he has saved us from, but "turn or burn" is a stupid simplification that most Christian denominations have grown out of. However, it still remains as a perception in many people's minds outside the church.

 

[prophecystudent]

I worked in a counselling center for some time. We did telephone counselling in conjunction with a religious TV show.

Whether we brought out the "either/or" speech depended entirely upon the person with whom we were talking.

When I did, seldom, it was nearly always at the end of the call.

It usually went something like this: "having heard the gospel, each person is then allowed to make his or her own choice. One caution, however, is that once the gospel has been heard there will be excuses when the person stands before Christ."

Personally, I dislike preaching hellfire and damnation, but there are times when it is appropriate and necessary.

Testifying of Christ's sacrifice, love and His assuring our salvation is the best way to go. But!!!!!! when nothing else seems to be working, then it is time to address the alternative.

Fred

 

[£amb]

im under the impression that christianity tries to scare people by saying that other people no matter how good will burn in hell or be eternally seperate from God... i dnt like it. it sounds terirble and like its a threat.

No. My witness to how God is working in my life is by example not by lip service. It's easier for someone see how God is working in your life just by living it..not by standing on the street corner preaching about the end of the world.

 

[hlaltimus]

im under the impression that christianity tries to scare people by saying that other people no matter how good will burn in hell or be eternally seperate from God... i dnt like it. it sounds terirble and like its a threat.

It aught not to be the designed objective of Christians to "scare" people, but it might be the unavoidable consequence. God's objective in warning Noah about a coming deluge of global proportions was not to scare the godly man, but to save him and our present race. However, we read in Hebrews 11:7 ---

"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."

He who wished to save a man and his household gave him a message which message consequentially demanded "godly fear", and the Christian message will sometimes leave the distinct odor of the "fear of the Lord" while that message is in the very process of saving an otherwise doomed soul.

 

[BelindaP]

It does come across as a threat when some people preach. That's not how the message of Christianity is really supposed to be shared with unbelievers. The hellfire sermons are best delivered to people who already believe.

If you read through the book of Acts, you will find that none of the conversion experiences happened as a result of a hellfire sermon. People were told to repent and what they had done wrong in some instances. However, they weren't threatened with hellfire.

We should follow the Apostles' example and save the discussions of hellfire for the believers. God's love is what truly wins people over. If He hadn't loved us first, then we would never have been able to love Him.

 

[Criada]

God is love!
He wants people to come to Him out of love, not fear!
Hell is a consequence of our decisions, not something God wants to scare people with!
No one would try to form a relationship with another person by threatening them, and God certainly doesn't.
He wants to remove fear, not caus e it.

 

[childofGod31]

We definitely should tell people of God's love first. But complacency is such a hard thing to overcome. It's like overcoming an addiction. People are more likely to come to God when there is talk of the end of the world, or a hurricane coming... Sometimes fear is necessary to push somebody out of complacency, like giving a car a push to start it.

The problem is, hell and damnation is not preached in love and sends a message of a threat instead of a warning. Some Christians can't stand somebody's bad behavior and say with a kind of bitterness: you will go to hell. But if they had tears in their eyes and said it imploringly, then it would sound like a warning (or nagging).

 

[tapero]

im under the impression that christianity tries to scare people by saying that other people no matter how good will burn in hell or be eternally seperate from God... i dnt like it. it sounds terirble and like its a threat.

There are some Christians who witness and use hell in their witness.

There are other Christians who do not.

However, in my witnessing, I answer their questions, so if one asks me, if I don't ever come to Christ will I go to hell, I would tell them, according to what the bible says those who don't believe in Christ and that He was resurrected will go to hell.

This doesn't usually come up because they won't generally put forth that question.

However, no, I do not preach hell. I preach Christ, the teachings of him, and crucified and resurrected.

The Holy Spirit calls every man all the time till the day they die.

 

[IXOYE<><]

Before I was saved, I never responded to the hellfire and brimstone bit. It was only after I heard of Christ's love, when I started feeling the pull of God's spirit upon me.

 

[HeavenBoundByBlood]

I think that there is a vast difference betwwen "Scare tactics" and "Legitimate warnings."

"Legitimate warnings" are based on human concern for one others, ranging anywhere from simple "community bonds" [e.g., where a motorist will stop on a road and begin flagging other motorists (often perfect strangers) around a dangerous spot on the roadway], to heart-wrenching appeals from a parent or a spouse or a friend to a dearly-loved one about the dangers of continuing on some truly disastrous or criminal path. These are all motivated by human compassion and commitment and concern. Sometimes they would need to be forceful and vivid, though, in order to break through stubbornness or callousness. Legitimate warnings treat the other person as valuable (worth preserving) and as agents (capable of responding reasonably).
Scare tactics", on the other hand, have traditionally been used by those interested in power, fame, advancement, and control. Their message is manipulative, and appeals solely to the self-preservation element (never to the benefit to the community as a whole), and is never motivated by love. Those users of scare tactic treat people as objects, as statistics, as pawns.
So, in this case, 'legitimate warnings' can be okay, but the line between them and 'scare tactics' can be very fine...

And the Christian is supposed to be the 'salt of the earth', not the 'whip of the earth' anyway...Christians are supposed to live close to God, so that the beauty of God's heart 'rubs off on them' and so the world can see Him and fall in love with Him, and open up to the rescue and to getting a new heart, filled with love for others...

The issue of love-or-faith.

This is a minor point, but one that I feel might be relevant to the point under discussion. God's initial demand is NOT for a marriage-level love from us, but for a simple childlike trust in Him.

Hebrews 11 points out that those that come to God must (a) believe that He exists; and (b) that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. And the biblical expansion of this into "trust" or "confidence" in Christ (as God's compassionate answer for the problem of out situation--His means of rescue, as it were) is apparently doable by little children (Mt 19.14) and by those who have large 'pockets' of doubt in their faith (Mk 9.24)...in other words, people like us...

The great command to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength" was given to a people who had already been rescued by faith in the Exodus from Egypt. They had accepted help (albeit semi-reluctantly) from God by celebrating the first Passover--a simple meal, a simple "non-meritorious" gesture, but one done in expectation that God would be "a rewarder of those who sought Him"...

~Hope this helps
In His Grace,
Tommy

 

[Stinker]

im under the impression that christianity tries to scare people by saying that other people no matter how good will burn in hell or be eternally seperate from God... i dnt like it. it sounds terirble and like its a threat.

I used to believe in the literal hell fire. I still think that it would not be illogical for God to have the right to reward someone for any amount of time as well as punish someone for any amount of time.

My study on the 'hell fire' eternal punishment question convinced me to believe different from fundamentalists.

Apparently, perhaps Christianty's strongest debator and Apologist may come to this belief this as well:

http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/craig-bradley0.html

 

[Merlin]

I share God's love and the joys of christianity.