It seems silly that there was one single point in history (out of the billions of years) in which the only true god injected himself into our understanding of the universe.
Injected into a society varying greatly different to that of our own at this time, hoping that only the valuable truths will trickle down through misinterpretation, mistranslation and editing.
Then asking the masses to believe this and selectively separate the parts of one such book they consider figurative and actual.
I don't see why someone should go to hell for chance and data.
Just one of the many deficiencies of some mainstream religions.
Hi lc9849! Yeah - good point. I've heard people defend god by saying we can't detect him because he doesn't want to be detected. But, then why talk to all the people in the biblical era, and mess around with them? That made it seem like he did want to be discovered (and they shall know my name is the Lord!, that kind of thing). So, where is he now?
Believing that god intentionally flawed the evidence of his existence, because he wants you to believe in him but wants to force it to be an issue of faith, seems really unbelievable to me.
Yes, why should we bother worshipping a God who seems to have lost all interest in us. Maybe that guy has a big sign on his door saying "Don't disturb me, for an eternity".
SteveS, I was actually thinking that same thing and going to post it but you beat me to the punch. I second your thought, why did god through such measures to hang out with Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Moses, and on and on. Until we get to the point where the g-man decides he wants to take a masochistic weekend here on earth, only to show himself to 500 people and disappear forever. That is unless you believe that suicide cult leaders talked to god, but some how I don't think that they did.
Which you bring up an interesting question, why does god need faith in him? God never needed that before, at least faith in his existence. And this seems to be the faith that christians seem to push........"if you believe god exists then you will be saved." Why not just reappear to everyone irrefutably evident? Instead of sending agnostics, atheists, and who ever doesn't buy the christian god in general to hell to burn forever. But who said god was efficient.
D
I think the argument can be summed up as "if God does exist, then he's rubbish"
Heaven is the positive reinforcement and hell is the negative reinforcement.