There are of course many Christians, mostly from a conservative or fundamentalist background which would share this same perspective (albeit with a different set of Scriptures).
Gypsy earlier said "I don't need fear of God to be a good person." and "no one else will believe in me if I don't."
I am a Christian but not in the stream that most people are used to. If there is an afterlife, then I think there is only heaven. The Christian scriptures say very little about hell and what they do say was mostly and probably added after the fact (this was all before photocopiers). Even the word "Satan" in Hebrew means "accuser". He's not an evil dude; in the book of Job, he's one of God's servants like the prosecutor in a court case--a member of the team.
In my understanding, if there is a hell, it is what we make it. When GW Bush finds himself in heaven with Osama bin Laden, do you think the two of them will ever be able to accept the fact that this is heaven? No, for them it will be a hell (maybe heaven for the rest of us if we can watch them though). LOL
I don't see God as someone to fear. I don't see faith as something to get me a free pass into the pearly gates. I have faith because I feel the love of God and I know that love through the sacrifice of Jesus. Faith in me is my attempt to respond to that love and help it grow. That love is there whether I accept it or not.
It's like growing up. I wasn't always the best kid and I didn't always make things easy for my parents, but I have grown to the point where I know now that their love has carried me through a lot of crap and garbage that I wouldn't have made it through on my own. For that I honour them.
I try to live my faith because on my own, I can be a real jerk. Faith brings out the best in me.
I also have to thank everyone for making this a very interesting and heartfelt thread. I can appreciate the vulnerability that an issue like this creates for people. I hope we all continue to honour each other as we share.
There are of course many Christians, mostly from a conservative or fundamentalist background which would share this same perspective (albeit with a different set of Scriptures).
Gypsy earlier said "I don't need fear of God to be a good person." and "no one else will believe in me if I don't."
I am a Christian but not in the stream that most people are used to. If there is an afterlife, then I think there is only heaven. The Christian scriptures say very little about hell and what they do say was mostly and probably added after the fact (this was all before photocopiers). Even the word "Satan" in Hebrew means "accuser". He's not an evil dude; in the book of Job, he's one of God's servants like the prosecutor in a court case--a member of the team.
In my understanding, if there is a hell, it is what we make it. When GW Bush finds himself in heaven with Osama bin Laden, do you think the two of them will ever be able to accept the fact that this is heaven? No, for them it will be a hell (maybe heaven for the rest of us if we can watch them though). LOL
I don't see God as someone to fear. I don't see faith as something to get me a free pass into the pearly gates. I have faith because I feel the love of God and I know that love through the sacrifice of Jesus. Faith in me is my attempt to respond to that love and help it grow. That love is there whether I accept it or not.
It's like growing up. I wasn't always the best kid and I didn't always make things easy for my parents, but I have grown to the point where I know now that their love has carried me through a lot of crap and garbage that I wouldn't have made it through on my own. For that I honour them.
I try to live my faith because on my own, I can be a real jerk. Faith brings out the best in me.
I also have to thank everyone for making this a very interesting and heartfelt thread. I can appreciate the vulnerability that an issue like this creates for people. I hope we all continue to honour each other as we share.