Quote:
Originally posted by taxwonk
Gotta back up TM here. 'Splain, if you can, how the notion of a just and merciful God equates to anybody being "toast" solely because of non-belief.
Oh, and here's a hint: YOU CAN'T!!!!
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Here's my thinking. I do start with three assumptions: (1) That there actually is one ultimate God who created the universe and all of us and that there is life after death (without that assumption, who cares because we die and that's the end, period, nothing more), (2) This ultimate God gave us free will and will honor our choices, and (3) At some point a person's belief or unbelief can become so entrenched that nothing will change his or her mind (as support for this assumption, I give you the Holocaust "revisionists"). I'll do this with a hypothetical.
Let's say this ultimate God is called Fred and the place of eternal bliss with Fred is Fredland. I don't believe Fred is God. Not only that, I affirmatively reject Fred as God until my dying breath (because I said I don't know how God will deal with people who sincerely believe in God under a different name, the hypothetical is that this rejection is not because I think Ralph, not Fred, is God) . Should Fred force me into Fredland against my will? Let's say Fred is unbelievably more merciful than I could ever imagine and decides to give me one last chance to change my mind and believe in Fred just as I'm at the crossroads between Fredland and Nonfredland and reveals emself to me in all ems power and glory but like a little kid, I've (figuratively) got my eyes squeezed shut and am covering my ears yelling "There's no Fred! There's no Fred!" and continue to reject Fred. If Fred nevertheless pulled me into Fredland dsepite my rejection, isn't em disregarding my free will? In saying that people who reject God are "toast," I'm saying under that hypothetical, I would expect Fred to let me spend eternity in Nonfredland.
A lot of you might have trouble with my second assumption and think that God would only be just and merciful if em takes everyone to Heaven despite the choices they make. That is a matter of faith and belief as much as my belief that God honors our free will.
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