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Maybe you don't know yourself as well as you think. You said you were in combat. I didn't make that up. Maybe you need to examine THAT paragraph.
Thought police indeed.
Still just making vague innuendos and not coming right out with it. Is that because you really DO understand what I've said, but just don't want to acknowledge it?
To refresh your memory:
Originally Posted by Pleroo Those of us who lived under the belief that the threat of eternal hell was true understand the damage the belief does. I, for one, appreciate everyone who speaks up about it, whether it is to show that there is plenty of reason, biblically, to believe such a thing is not true, or to show that it is not compatible with the nature of a God who is love, or how it depicts God as a cosmic crime boss, or to explain the injustice of eternal punishment for finite offense, or to explain the illogic of God demanding that one believe certain "right things" about God in order to avoid eternal hell but not being crystal clear what the "right things" are, or to testify to how such a belief can warp the way those who hold the belief view other people.
The fact that the horrific concept of eternal hell has been used so long and so effectively to strike fear into the hearts of others that, even in a time period when people should have long a since been free of its hold, it continues to nag at people because its been fixed into our collective psyche, gives me all the reason I need to combat it, and to encourage others to do the same.
You see, just because I am now free from the soul twisting belief in eternal hell, doesn't mean I'm content to let others continue to labor under its evil influence if I can help it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pleroo Yes, the belief threatens the mental and spiritual and emotional well-being of THOSE WHO HOLD IT. Get it?
Using Justtitans example of the hippo around the corner. If someone actually believed that that was true and refused to ever leave the spot they were standing because of their fear of a non-existent hippo, and their felt need to stand there and warn people of their supposed impending doom, would you just leave them there without any attempt to reason with them? And what if unsuspecting and ignorant passersby were falling for what the hippo-mentalist was preaching and were dragged into the delusion? You wouldn't feel any desire to help out?
Still just making vague innuendos and not coming right out with it. Is that because you really DO understand what I've said, but just don't want to acknowledge it?
To refresh your memory:
Originally Posted by Pleroo Those of us who lived under the belief that the threat of eternal hell was true understand the damage the belief does. I, for one, appreciate everyone who speaks up about it, whether it is to show that there is plenty of reason, biblically, to believe such a thing is not true, or to show that it is not compatible with the nature of a God who is love, or how it depicts God as a cosmic crime boss, or to explain the injustice of eternal punishment for finite offense, or to explain the illogic of God demanding that one believe certain "right things" about God in order to avoid eternal hell but not being crystal clear what the "right things" are, or to testify to how such a belief can warp the way those who hold the belief view other people.
The fact that the horrific concept of eternal hell has been used so long and so effectively to strike fear into the hearts of others that, even in a time period when people should have long a since been free of its hold, it continues to nag at people because its been fixed into our collective psyche, gives me all the reason I need to combat it, and to encourage others to do the same.
You see, just because I am now free from the soul twisting belief in eternal hell, doesn't mean I'm content to let others continue to labor under its evil influence if I can help it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pleroo Yes, the belief threatens the mental and spiritual and emotional well-being of THOSE WHO HOLD IT. Get it?
Using Justtitans example of the hippo around the corner. If someone actually believed that that was true and refused to ever leave the spot they were standing because of their fear of a non-existent hippo, and their felt need to stand there and warn people of their supposed impending doom, would you just leave them there without any attempt to reason with them? And what if unsuspecting and ignorant passersby were falling for what the hippo-mentalist was preaching and were dragged into the delusion? You wouldn't feel any desire to help out?
Still trying to cover your tracks...
You did not claim it did damage to yourself.
C'mon now - you guys create multiple threads about this - you have conjured up a make believe denomination of fundamentalism - because I am a threat to myself? No way.
The belief is the threat. TroutDude said the light came on. He got it. Why can't you get it?
C'mon now - you guys create multiple threads about this - you have conjured up a make believe denomination of fundamentalism - because I am a threat to myself? No way.
The belief is the threat. TroutDude said the light came on. He got it. Why can't you get it?
LOL. I'm reposting EXACTLY what I posted previously, for you to reread.
Quote:
You did not claim it did damage to yourself.
Sure I did.
Quote:
C'mon now - you guys create multiple threads about this - you have conjured up a make believe denomination of fundamentalism - because I am a threat to myself? No way.
Read the whole post. Yep, the belief is a threat to those who hold it. Is it really so hard for you to wrap your head around the idea that people might care about something other than just themselves?
Quote:
The belief is the threat. TroutDude said the light came on. He got it. Why can't you get it?
Yes, the belief is the threat, as I explained it in my very first post, TO THOSE WHO HOLD IT.
It's still the same thing. You are preaching what you believe is right.
It's not the same thing. You (generic you who preach eternal torment) are preaching a threat: believe as I do, or else. We're not threatening people with anything for not believing as we do, but rather explain the inherent problems with the eternal hell belief itself, on all the various levels.
It's not the same thing. You (generic you who preach eternal torment) are preaching a threat: believe as I do, or else. We're not threatening people with anything for not believing as we do, but rather explain the inherent problems with the eternal hell belief itself, on all the various levels.
How can something be a threat, if in your mind, supposedly, it doesn't exist?
How can something be a threat, if in your mind, supposedly, it doesn't exist?
It is not a threat to those who know better, either having been taught from early on that it wasn't true, or having escaped the belief through examining it closely. Unfortunately, since eternal hell has been used for so long and so effectively to strike fear into the hearts of people, it has taken hold in the collective psyche, and people are often susceptible to that threat. So, it still needs to be spoken out against by those who care about other people who are, or might be, ensnared by it.
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