Dennis Diehl writes an interesting essay on the true nature of coercive religion.
Boy does this little bit of encouragement say reams about the either/or mentality that goes with many fundamentalist teachings. So here is the lesson for the day evidently. EITHER I love Jesus, which I assume means confess him, promote him and do everything he is thought to have said and taught, or burn, not just up, but FOREVER in hell. Whoa moma, what a choice and even better, what a reason to love Jesus! Obey out of sheer fear of annihilation. Spirituality doesn't get any better than this!
I need a better reason. The fear of eternal damnation in hell offers no incentive. I don't believe in hell so why should I love you? I've never been a fan of the "love me or I will kill you" approach, nor do I like the "obey me, or submit to me" approaches espoused by some of our religious brethren. If you want my love - leave me alone.
2 comments:
Ahhhh the old hell fire and brimstone approach. I haven't heard that in a long time. Such sweet childhood memories. When I think about it, it’s quite amazing that children of the church did not grow up with a fear to speak their minds, a feeling of inferiority or insecurity complex, and the unwillingness to doubt the word of god! Oh.. That’s right... they did..
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