Replies to post #3739 on Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[SoxFan]

I'm having a little difficulty with your god. Would he punish a Cro-Magnon man or a Neanderthal man? At what point in our evolution did your god start to punish man?

[jbennett53]

Jar, I am not sure. If one is disobedient would not it be better for God to gently correct the behaviour rather than punish? What really bothers me about that is the degree of punishment meted out for what disobedience? Stealing a candy bar hardly deserves the same punishment as the one who constructs an Aushwitz fully aware of it's intended purpose. Are there degrees of Heaven and Hell? After death what purpose is to be served by punishment? Is it for revenge or to frighten others? Why should justice be preserved? Is not Heaven perfect? What if a husband dearly loves his wife and one goes to Hell and one goes to Heaven? Would that not be punishing the one in Heaven who actually now considers their residence to be Hell? Jesus forgave those whose crucified Him. Is the man with the hammer and nails in Heaven? Are the ones who raised the Cross in Heaven? They were forgiven, after all.
When does one go to Heaven? According to some fundamentalists that occurs on Judgement Day. If so, some have been waiting a long time. That doesn't seem right?

ALL creation, which now groans, shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into glorious liberty of the children of God.

[webster groves]

Your concept of God and man reminds me of the US Army.

I don't say this just to be flippant.
I've noticed that a large fraction of the officer corp is quite religious.
I have been trying to figure out why for many years,
and can only come up with "a willingness to submit to authority"
and a "need for a sense of place in a defined structure".

Amen (Sir!)