“Something feels wrong about the whole way the Xtian faith is put forth. A JBR God would not create so many billions of souls knowing he was going to damn something like 75 to 90+ percent of them to eternal hell”
I’ve always assumed that if we were created, we were created for a purpose. Now, if it’s necessary to be useful in order to fulfill that purpose, it shouldn’t be surprising that those who prove themselves to lack utility – obedience, faith, whatever it might be – end up thrown on the trash heap. If this life is not all there is, I’m betting there’s going to be a lot more going on than sitting around and playing harps. Maybe we get to be the angels for the six-eyed, four-armed beings on Zed Zed Nine Plural Zed Beta, I have no idea. It’s a big universe out there.
Anyhow, many of the parables seem to portray the separation from God as more of a throwing on the trash heap – the original Gehenna, interestingly enough – than a punishment per se. I’m not attempting to argue this from a theological point of view, it’s just my casual thinking on the matter.
We don’t worry too terribly much about things we create for our purposes. Even before I was a Christian, I never understood why anyone would expect God to do so either. Oh, sure, the love thing, but then, you might love your dog, but if he pisses on the carpet every day, you would probably elect to get rid of him before long.
Nick’s argument also presupposes that we aren’t headed straight for Hell on our own anyhow. I don’t think that’s a given, in fact, the Bible appears to suggest the opposite.