Originally posted by Darth Demise
Im expecting the worst with this one:
It is my belief that though there is a possibility that there may be some all powerful god somewhere in this or even some other universe, it is not very likely. I do not reject the idea of a god, but I refuse to accept such a prospect. And furthur along that argument is heaven and hell. Do they exist? or are they just lies spread by the church to scare us into believing in the almighty. I would say the latter rather than the former. Buddism and hinduism are the closest to what I believe. No real belief in a true almighty god. The only thing is, Im not spiritual either so I cant be one of those. That's my story and Im sticking to it.
I do not believe that God uses fear tactics on anyone. God is Love and perfect love casts out fear.
Let me give you an illustration Darth Demise that I know you will relate to. You are traveling down a dark twisted road that has lighting which is very few and far in between. Suddenly, you encounter a good samaritan who motions for you to stop. You stop and the good samaritan walks over to the driver side of your vehicle. You very cautiously roll down your window just enough to hear what the good samaritan has to say. The good samaritan informs you that the bridge is out less than a mile from where you are, and that if you continue traveling on the road that you are on you will perish. You say thank you and proceed down the winding road, gradually increasing your speed.
Question: did the good samaritan use fear tactics to warn you about impending danger up ahead? Did the good samaritan threaten you in any way? Did the good samaritan instill fear in you about the situation? So then what did the good samaritan do? Glad you asked. All the good samaritan did was demonstrate concern for your well-being by warning you of a future reality. Similarly, God warns you about a future reality: His just, holy, righteous wrath against sin and the reality of Hell for those who are not saved from God's wrath against sin. God is holy, and He is Judge of the universe (transcending all earthly judges). Since God is holy, He must punish sinners (if God does not punish sin then He will cease to be holy, just, and righteous). If you are a judge and you fail to sentence a convicted person for their heinous crimes then you will cease to be qualified for that highly responsible position any longer. You will have compromised your integrity and failed to uphold the oath that you took to render righteous and just judgment in accordance with the laws that you are bound to uphold as judge.
So, warning someone about impending danger is not using fear tactics. If warning someone about imminent danger was a fear tactic then police officers, the news media, parents, friends, spouses, employers, relatives, emergency medical technicians, doctors, lawyers, firefighters, the armed forces, federal law enforcement, and anyone else who warns you of immediate danger should be ignored because they are just using fear tactics to save and spare your (valuable) life.
