Discussion about Jesus’s death which now encompasses creationism and the second coming. Thread 2

Apart from the obvious heinous things (murder etc) what else might get you sent to hell instead of heaven

Are you able to force yourself to believe things you don't think are true?

In that case, all you need do to get a place in Heaven is believe and accept it. Is that a great sacrifice?

Have you ever heard of a community without rules? Would you want to live with people who are allowed to do whatever they feel like doing?

Questioning, to understand, is allowed and encouraged. If somebody doesn't want to live that way, nobody forces them to choose Heaven.

I do the right thing as a good human being and not because a religion tells me I have to.

We have one. It's called transgenderism.

No, it's unconditional. Come to him whatever you are, whoever you are, whatever you have done, in repentance for what you have done of evil and he/she will welcome you.

Well, the rules are not unwarranted: don't steal, murder, rape, hate, make others lives intolerable - treat everyone as you would wish to be treated. Don't destroy the earth. Why would you not obey those rules?

Most Christians are not creationists and evolution is accepted e.g. by the Church of England. Indeed, the study of the world as it is and how it works has been supported by Christianity for centuries because it was seen to glorify God, whose creation these things are.
The Biblical account of creation is a nation-building story. It's point is not its truth but that the God being followed by the people of Israel was a creator god, not the embodiment of a natural force, e.g. a god of thunder, or fertility - this view was unusual in antiquity, as was the idea that such a god was universal and not attached to a place - a lot on this in the OT. Jesus talking of his house having many mansions is firmly based on OT revelations that the god who calls Israel is a universal god, whose salvation is open to all.
Another view of the Genesis stories is to see that the world is good - God is described as seeing what he has made as 'good' around 11 times (haven't got Genesis handy, so not going to count) meaning that the material world is as sanctified as the spiritual world, there is no sacred and profane, only what is sacred. Thus, we are instructed to care for the world. Our having spilled oil over the Niger delta, filled the oceans with plastic and thrown sewage into rivers suggests that we are now very much at odds with God, if we believe in him/her, and that we need to correct our behaviour before it destroys us whether we believe in God or not. Comsumerism has very much accelerated the process of degradation and it is a form of behaviour we would be better without and which is, anyway, unsustainable.
I don't believe in creationism (I do believe in the theory of evolution, just as I believe in biology) but I can see why the story is useful and gives a direction to our behaviour both towards the earth itself and the numerous lives that depend upon it, as also how we treat ourselves and other people - that all are in the image of God means that all are of equal worth.

It means I have other priorities! To me there are more pressing issues than discussion of how dinosaurs fit in with the Bible narrative. Lots of things in the Bible seem more relevant.

Very selective love. Only given to those who obey his rules and worship him without any questioning

Interesting idea! No, because Christianity is about Jesus coming 2,000 years ago as the Messiah, the sent one. Jews believe in Him but think he has still to come. But there are the Messianic Jews who worship and live as Jews but believe that Jesus came, died and rose. Three different religions, not cults.

Precisely this.

The irony in the concept that whatever religion a person follows is the true religion and the correct one and the rest aren’t legitimate. Funny that ….

God's love is not unconditional at all. It depends on worshipping and believing in him. It is absolutely transactional.

The threats about Hell are warnings. Important difference! If we believe that Jesus came to enable us to live for ever in a place full of love and free from fear and suffering, we can accept His offer. It's open to all. He wants everybody to want to go there, and for nobody to miss out. Read the New Testament and see that it says this.

If you went to a church like the Bible-believing ones I know, you would start to find out about the love and get a quite different perspective. People there will encourage, not threaten.

God's love is unconditional. Luke 23:42-43 says that Jesus told the criminal on the cross next to Him that he would join Him in paradise - because he believed, he was accepted. Doesn't that show love?

If Mormonism is a "fake Christian cult" is it fair to describe Christianity as a fake Jewish cult?

Oh my days.

I know you mean well, and your belief is sincere, but don't. Please, just don't.

When I read the Bible I find God's demonstration of love for the people He created out of love. Why say He is sadistic? Does the New Testament describe methods of torture that He deliberately inflicts on us?

He promises believers that He will look after their needs and Christians are often amazed by things He does for them. Of course there are challenges and hardships, but He either provides a solution or helps us through them.

I don't understand your point about MLM. If you mean Mormons, who are big on MLM, let me say that Mormons are not Christians. Mormonism is a fake Christian cult.

I'm sorry you're constantly having to deal with very difficult things. Let me make a suggestion. Ask for prayer in one or more of these ways -

1. visit a Bible-believing church and tell them whatever you feel like sharing. If they don't welcome you, try another.

2. go online and look for prayer lines (by phone) and prayer walls. Lots of Christians are willing to pray for you, without making judgemental comments

If you don't believe God is real, let Him show you He cares. If He isn't real, nothing will happen anyway so no harm done!

Your god’s love and acceptance is very conditional, and he seems very capricious and unpredictable, inflicting pain on innocent humans but telling them it’s all part of his plan and we have to trust him. And if he’s in a good mood he might heal some one. And the constant threats that If we don’t worship him we will spend an eternity in suffering, in hell.

If an earthly father ever treated his own children like this, you know social services would be knocking on his door.

And why would you want to spend eternity in the presence of such a volatile entity? Where is this love, that everyone, speaks of?

@Tryingtokeepgoing

And those older gods/goddesses are still being worshipped today. By a small minority, of course, but belief in the older gods has certainly not gone. Most contemporary pagan polytheists believe in the existence of all deities from all pantheons, although our personal interest/attention will only be given to a particular few.