If there were no Hell...

[DarthNeo]

If there were no Hell, if you chose not to accept Christ as Savior and the only punishment was living your 80 some odd years, dying, and losing all consciousness, basically you just took a "dirt nap" for eternity when you died, would you STILL become a Christian?

 

[Solomons Porch]

Yes, because I have a peace inside that I would not have without Him. I have a reason and a purpose during the time that I am here. When I am sad or hurt, He comforts me. Even if it was just during the time spent here on earth, yes. He's the only reason I live and Oh what a reason

 

[Greg J.]

Your God would not be a God of justice, who forgave us our sins because it became just to do so through Jesus' death.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, 1984 NIV)

 

[Nithavela]

If that were the case, and it would be certain, I would become a christian, propably.

 

[John Hyperspace]

If there were no Hell, if you chose not to accept Christ as Savior and the only punishment was living your 80 some odd years, dying, and losing all consciousness, basically you just took a "dirt nap" for eternity when you died, would you STILL become a Christian?

All I can say (the words you use in your question assume a certain understanding which I'm not sure agrees with what I'm lead to understand) is that, if it were made undeniable to me that death was the end of all existence; I would still be kind to others, love others, try to help others as I could; I would still forgive without hesitation, ask for forgiveness when my heart condemned me; show mercy, defend the weak with all my strength, and never stop never stopping. I would be exactly the same as I am now. Nothing would change. I'm not who I am for desire of reward or fear of punishment; I am who I am, because that's who I am.

 

[Hidden In Him]

If there were no Hell, if you chose not to accept Christ as Savior and the only punishment was living your 80 some odd years, dying, and losing all consciousness, basically you just took a "dirt nap" for eternity when you died, would you STILL become a Christian?

Yes. Because there would still be a millennium. There would still be a new earth coming, correct? For those causes alone, I would still be a proponent of Christianity, because Christ eventually ruling over this planet will make it a far better place to live in.

With or without reward, the cause of Christ is worth both living and dying for.

 

[BubbaJack]

The idea of hell is monstrous. How many people have lived lives of misery because of this teaching?

 

[Rajni]

If there were no Hell, if you chose not to accept Christ as Savior and the only punishment was living your 80 some odd years, dying, and losing all consciousness, basically you just took a "dirt nap" for eternity when you died, would you STILL become a Christian?

That's a good question.

I know that the fear of hell was one of the reasons that getting born-again was
so exhilarating for me, because it eased my fear of ending up in 'hell'.

Of course, Christianity isn't the only belief system that contains a hell-concept,
so if a fear of hell were that instrumental in driving me to believe a certain
religion in order to avoid it, I would be tempted to cover all my bases by joining
other religions such as Islam and Zoroastrianism just to be sure I avoid their
hells, too.

Nowadays, I don't really believe in endless torment anymore, yet I still enjoy
the sense of connection I have to the Lord. I no longer see Him as fire
insurance, but rather as the Beloved.

 

[Alex Karabatsis]

I think this video answers the question very well... Hell is not a place, living with out Christ is Hell.

 

[PsychoSarah]

If there were no Hell, if you chose not to accept Christ as Savior and the only punishment was living your 80 some odd years, dying, and losing all consciousness, basically you just took a "dirt nap" for eternity when you died, would you STILL become a Christian?

I view no existence as worse than an existence of eternal torment, just a personal comment. My lack of belief has nothing to do with what any proposed afterlife would be like.

 

[seeking.IAM]

Yes, I would. For me, the compelling reason to follow Jesus has nothing to do with salvation. I think salvation is merely the bonus, albeit a desirable one. Consider the calling of the disciples. They followed without a promise of salvation or even understanding at first exactly the nature of this Jesus.

I have met Christians who I thought embraced the faith primarily to save themselves rather than out of true devotion. It seems like the wrong reason to me.

 

[DarthNeo]

Yes, I would. For me, the compelling reason to follow Jesus has nothing to do with salvation. I think salvation is merely the bonus, albeit a desirable one. Consider the calling of the disciples. They followed without a promise of salvation or even understanding at first exactly the nature of this Jesus.

I have met Christians who I thought embraced the faith primarily to save themselves rather than out of true devotion. It seems like the wrong reason to me.

I take exception with your first statement. They were all Jewish and probably had even a basic knowledge of the Messiah - they followed Him because that is who He said He was...

 

[2PhiloVoid]

If there were no Hell, if you chose not to accept Christ as Savior and the only punishment was living your 80 some odd years, dying, and losing all consciousness, basically you just took a "dirt nap" for eternity when you died, would you STILL become a Christian?

...probably not, because both Christ and my own eternal life in Christ are what drew me to become a Christian in the first place.

To tell you the truth, I was never concerned about hell when I became a Christian. Rather, it was the beauty of Jesus and my want to continue to exist that made me look 'up.'

 

[Gene Parmesan]

If the doctrine of Hell never existed, I'd be more likely to be a Christian.

 

[DarthNeo]

If the doctrine of Hell never existed, I'd be more likely to be a Christian.

That is interesting...can you tell me why?

 

[grasping the after wind]

If there were no Hell, if you chose not to accept Christ as Savior and the only punishment was living your 80 some odd years, dying, and losing all consciousness, basically you just took a "dirt nap" for eternity when you died, would you STILL become a Christian?

Absolutely yes. Being a Christian is the best part of my current existence I would not give it up just because I did not have to fear some punishment I already do not think I am going to receive or I was not going to live in eternal paradise when twas all over. You ought to have included that last in your headline as I think there would be more people likely to jump ship over that then there would over there not being a Hell. ,

 

[grasping the after wind]

If the doctrine of Hell never existed, I'd be more likely to be a Christian.

Then just ignore that doctrine. There is nothing that I can find in the Bible that suggests one has to be afraid of Hell in order to be a Christian.

 

[grasping the after wind]

BTW I expect to live my full 120 years not just 80 or so.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

That is interesting...can you tell me why?

Sure thing! I find the concept hard to accept. Infinite punishment for finite crimes? Squaring that with a loving and just God is difficult to accomplish, at least for me. And from what I understand, disbelief in God/Jesus is adequate for eternal torment. I know Christians would say, "Hell is separation from God, and you choose separation so He won't force you to spend eternity with Him," or something to that effect. I have a number of issues with such an argument that I'm happy to discuss, if you'd like to go there.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Then just ignore that doctrine. There is nothing that I can find in the Bible that suggests one has to be afraid of Hell in order to be a Christian.

I can't say that I am afraid of Hell. I'm unconvinced of its existence. But if I were convinced of its existence, it would make me question the nature of God and whether He were worthy of praise or not.

Also, I'm not the kind of guy who ignores the bits he doesn't like.