You're assuming that I don't know much about religiosity, faith, &c., so I just want to give a quick background about my religious history:
My mother was raised Irish Catholic, my father Southern Baptist. As a very young child I would attend services, as well as Sunday school and CCD, at their respective churches. My mother, disillusioned with the traditions of the Catholic Church not based on biblical scripture, left the Church for my father's Baptist congregation. This happened shortly before I would have had my first communion.
I attended a Southern Baptist church until I was about 12, when my family opted to attend a non-denominational congregation closer to home (the strain of a two-hour+ round trip every Sunday with four young children was becoming too much of a strain on my parents' pocketbook). I attended this congregation for another four years. When I got my drivers license at age 16, I chose to attend a more "modern" service with another congregation. I continued to do so for about two years when, after a long intellectual journey, decided that the claims of Christianity were unfounded.
Throughout my upbringing I dutifully attended many youth groups, including AWANA and other, local groups. I was very passionate and vocal about my faith, studied the Bible, &c. My Christianity permeated every aspect of my life, and I was content with that fact. The rest of my immediate family and (with
maybe two exceptions) my large extended family are still very religious.
That history was less brief than intended. I hope you'll excuse the length.
Anyways, back to the task at hand:
If faith were fustymusty and emotionless, I'd agree with you. But you're neglecting to factor in that we have a relationship with Him that is as real as any other. I don't expect you to understand it - that's what I mean when I say the two worldviews are just wholly incompatible (though, hopefully, not combative which is what many of us turn it into, unfortunately). I know who I'll spend an etenity with because I know Him, and I love Him, and I truly believe He loves me back.
My argument was that Christians as a whole, both currently and historically, have not had a consensus on the nature of their god. Yet at the same time Christians claim to be able to "know him" personally. I just wished to point out that there will very probably be many Christians who don't get what they are expecting, and not allowing an out for them after their death would be akin to a prison sentence.
To illustrate this point, imagine that you are hired for a particular job. This conditions, working environments, benefits, &c. of the job are clearly spelled out before you accept. Along with the benefits, there is a stipulation that you must stay with the company for five years. After you start the job, however, you find that the working conditions are not as they were described, and that your boss is overbearing and cruel. Would you stay in your job, or would you try to nullify your contract?
We signed on the dotted line that, yes, we would like to be in paradise with God forever, and ever, and ever. I'm someone who is making that choice, and am making it with my own free will. I totally get that it doesn't make sense to you, though.Well, strictly speaking, the angels fell. But, yeah, they were somewhere with God, and then they weren't. The difference is, the angels weren't saved because of Christ. We are. Completely different rules, on a completely different pitch, with a completely different shaped ball. The two situations aren't comparable.It is, though. Ultimately, that's precisely what it is. There are only two choices.
My point is that, in heaven, angels were given the ability to choose and that, also in heaven, chose to go against god. If Christians are not given these abilities in heaven, how are they not unthinking robots? If this is the ideal that Christians strive for in heaven, how can you argue that the Christian god doesn't want unthinking robots?
