Religion has actually convinced people that there is a invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time! But he loves you. He loves you, and he needs money. He always needs money. He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money.
~George Carlin~
As near as I can tell, comedian George Carlin grew up learning the basics of the Roman Catholic religion. He's been on record a saying so. So, I can cut him a bit of slack when it comes to his own criticism of the church. I, on the other hand, was raised mainly in the various sects of Christianity. It goes without saying that through the years I have developed a critical view of the mainstream church for myself. I cannot point to an exact moment as to where my critical thinking began, but I can recall a few of my non-church friend's ridiculing me for the apparent judgmental views of many Christians. Indeed, many so called believers are way too much into pointing out how those around them should be adhering to the scriptures of the Lord. I watched a video of a popular pastor the other day as he went through a litany of behaviors which God would supposedly punish in the end. Of course, these included the usual Christian targets of homosexuals and sex before marriage. Now, I am in no way advocating for immoral behavior, but I have been on the other side of that fence. When I was younger, I would dabble in pornography to the extent where it became a addictive issue for me. I heard all of the pastors who would condemn those who engaged in such behaviors. Most of the time, I would spend time in prayer begging God not to forget me. But the most disturbing moment came the day I heard a pastor in the church I was attending proclaim that there was indeed "A place for the wicked." As someone who had been engaged in what the church would describe as immoral behavior, I suddenly felt as if I would not see my eternity with the God I loved. Since then, I have come to see that this was simply one more lie spoken by the church. Call it scare tactics or stretching the truth, I believe that the true love nature of the Father is something that is not spoken of much in the church {First Epistle of John 4:8}. What is preached is mans need to "Be like" Jesus (another lie) and that his sin will forever be a barrier between himself and God. I guess that does sound a bit judgmental.
Whom, not perceiving, you are loving; in Whom, not seeing at present, yet believing, you are exulting with joy unspeakable and glorious, being required with the consummation of your faith, the salvation of your souls
Peter to the Dispersion (1) 1: 8-9, Concordant New Testament
I've come to realize that the mainstream church, be it Catholic or other, is more disposed to telling people what man speaks than what the word of the Lord tells us. For the word has proclaimed that it is the Lords desire that ALL His children shall be saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}. If there is indeed a hell as the church is so happy to tell us, what does that mean for the work of Christ on the cross? If Jesus has given Himself for us, what need does God even have for hell? Do we believe that we are a new creation in Christ or do we believe some Pharisee school pastor who claims that there is a special place for the wicked {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:17}? Theoretically, if there is a place such as hell where the wicked will spend their eternity separate from God, who is it that ultimately decides who will end up there? God? The local pastor? For there have been many mainstream church pastors who have taken to condemning those to hell who they feel deserve their fate. That was my fear when I heard of the place for the wicked. In my heart I knew that I was behaving wrong. At the time, my own place in the Fathers love had yet to be revealed to me. I believe that there are many believers out there today who are experiencing the same thing I did. What changed my life was my eyes being opened to how God really sees me as His loved child. While I believe that there is no hell per se, I do believe that there is a place for all of the Lords creation. That is, a life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.
He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love
First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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