It's one of the many reasons why certain religions believe you'll get many chances to relive your life, reincarnation. It has it's own set of philosophical/practical problems, but it seems they have a solution for the eternal punishment-issue.

Going by the Bible, God isn't an ever-friendly being by the way. I'm not saying he 'hates' in general, but there are parts in the Bible where he seems angry to say the least, :P

Cheers

Of course, to observe and learn. We like to observe and learn things, and we are derived from his toughts. Thus he must at least be familiar with the concepts "observing" and "learning". Either he made us like himself, eager to observe and learn, or he made us quite the opposite meaning he does not like learning and observing. Yet making something that is the opposite of yourself indicates that you have an interest in your counterside, thus want to observe, thus a paradox. Paradoxes are always false, and so the only thing left is that he made us like him, eager to learn. Or whatever .


I wonder why God would want to be believed in by his own creation anyway. He can do whatever he want, if he wanted to be believed in by his own imagination, then he has some sort of psychologic disorder? An Inferiority complex? I think we can safely discard that option, so he practically doesn't care about our awareness in him but for scientific reasoning. If he does it to observe behaviour, it can be any of the answers, but I can choose only two.


So far I haven't seen anything from God, so I can't possibly tell from experience. But Bible teaches us above two answers, along with "releasing laws to demand do good deeds". I don't see any difference between that one and inflict spectacular punishments for bad deeds. Though, I'm very well aware that the medieval times had a big, big influence on religion, hiding the whole belief under a dark curtain. Thus these answers may not be total truth (for me) at all.


IF God wants to learn from humans, that is. Just observing them covers all other answers.


Well, that is what I would have liked. A sarcastic, old-fashioned God with sense of dry humor, just coming down to earth once in a while to teach us the right way, not meaning that you have to follow it. He doesn't care about your opinion, he just shows you the right way and let it go.

There's a great dutch hilarious series of G. the Father, returned on earth to demotivate us doing various things. He hates vacation, making yourself pretty, getting kids, paranormality, individuality, creativity and 6 other subjects, and demotivates us to do any of those in a hilarious way. I wish to have such a God ^^.

That's entirely true. The question is, if someone murdered in cold blood, and decided that they were right in doing so. Would you not insist the death penalty? People seem to think that the christian God doesn't get angry or have any emotions, that's completely not true. The bible says "we were created in his image" that means that we were created with all the features of God, including emotions. What makes what God says right? Well...he's God, the creator. It's like asking "is what my parents taught me wrong?".

@jcl, frank: The fact is that God does not SEND you to hell. God gives the option of living any way you like, however, when you make a bad choice and live against his ways, then you go to hell because you did not listen despite what he has said. There is no hate crime involved. Would you expect someone to break the law and not pay the penalty? No, you would expect no less than them to be punished, is that a hate crime? Is sending someone to the electric chair because they committed cold blooded premeditated murder a hate crime?

The thing most of you don't seem to understand is also what JulzMighty said, the bible does not say that if you go to hell you will be there for all eternity, as a matter of fact the book of Nicodemus (not included in the bible by the catholic church) records that certain people like Moses (who disobeyed God) made it into heaven when Jesus went to heaven.

Do not call going to hell a hate crime, you choose yourself where you want to go by deciding to believe in God or not. If you don't follow his commandments, that's your fault, don't blame him.

For the poll answers, the facts are more important than how you call it. Hitler did not SEND dissidents to the concentration camps. They had the option of living any way they like, however, when they make a bad choice and live against Hitler's ways, then they go into the gas chambers.

I am aware that it's important for many people to avoid attributes as "hate" or "sending to hell" for the god they worship, because such attributes have a negative connotation in today's society. However, the poll is formulated in a sort of commonsense way - if a god decides that people who don't worship him go to hell, it's called "punishing in hell". Otherwise I'd need 100 differently formulated options for any question. The 'hell' answer would be right even if you would use different words than "punishing in hell" or "hating". In that sense, selecting the answer might demand a sort of straightforwardness.

but "hate" isn't a necessity for sending to hell, so i cannot answer the last question because there are no decent options there (as far as i'm concerned).

anyone can choose to do something they don't want to do -- even God.

julz

Ok, assume this is true and you are a quite exact copy of God. Then I can learn from you about God. You are probably often praying and worshipping, reading the Bible and talking about it. What book is God reading? To whom is he praying and worshipping? Or did he implant some new features into your existence?

Hitler did not give a choice. If you were of a race or did not Look up to his standards, you died. There's a difference in mass-murder and punishment. The difference is that mass-murder is a hate crime and doesn't give you a choice and punishment is not a hate crime and gives you a choice. I suppose your parents hated you when they grounded you to your room for doing something wrong?



God does not need knowledge he already has. Why would he need to read a book when he is constantly busy with prayers, watching over the human race and talking with those that believe in him. Even then, God would see the author write the book, perhaps he does read them. As for praying and worshipping, God implanted in us a void, a void that only he can fill, which is why there are people who praise and worship him of their own accord, why would he need to praise and worship when he has legions of angels and humans praising him?

If hell really is as punishing and eternally evil as lots of religions claim it is, then there's no doubt that 'hate' came into play as well.

After all, people won't get send there because God loves them so much,



Sure, but getting grounded is way different from spending eternity in flames and torture,

Cheers

I'd like to learn understanding what 'choice' establishes a difference between punishment and mass murder. Can you explain? I give you some examples.

A dictator sentences people who oppose him to prison camps, where they eventually die. A god sends people who don't believe in him to hell where they'd burn to death if they weren't already.

Second example: A dictator kills all people of Jewish ancestry. A god kills all firstborn male children of Egyptian ancestry.

I have problems to understand the basic difference in the examples. I have maybe a choice between opposing a dictator or not, but I have no choice between believing in a god or not, or between being male and of Egyptian ancestry or not. And even if I had a choice, it's still mass murder as far as I understand. But maybe I'm just stupid. Can you help?

But why he implanted this void in you but not in me? I am happy that I can fill any void with my work, my hobby, sport and family.

And I will not punish my kids eternally. And I also will not threaten them with such punishments, though I could do. Many people do. They say to their kids to not make a grimace otherwise the grimace would stay forever (just as an example). This is old-school. We should be more honest to our kids. They will understand. Threatening them is a bad method to teach them. Is God old-school now?