Board Thread:Bible Questions/@comment-35576995-20180513184349/@comment-35576995-20180519175703

SouthWriter wrote: Two things to realize: 1. Justice is getting what you deserve. We all have sinned and deserve God's wrath.

2. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. God is gracious to those to whom he shows mercy.

A corrallary to #2 is that Grace is getting what you don't deserve. None of us deserve to be chosen by God to be saved from his wrath. But praise God that he is merciful and sent His Son to die in our place.

God wrote the rules, so it is HIS "game." There are no spectators, so those who brake the rules, lose. Unfortunately, everyone breaks the rules. Therefore, there are no winners. But then, for no particular reason, God aopts some of us losers into his family. We become winners because of who we know. Is that fair?

My point is, eternal life is not a matter of fairness, but rather of grace and mercy. It may seem like denying God exists is not such a bad thing, but it is a form of idolotry. The God denier sets himself, or nature, or job, or anything else in the place that God belongs. After breaking the first "rule" many of the others follow. So, it is not "simply for not believing". How does that make any sense?

Why should we hate ourselves just because a deity says all of us are bad people? That's another thing that bothers me about the Bible, it promotes self-loathing, and treats everybody like disposable garbage.

Belief is not a choice, it's a compulsion, beyond the realm of choice, acheived through convincing arguments, evidence, and trust. Let's say somebody sets you up on a blind date with a girl named Samantha, but you're not interested. Are you "denying" Samantha? No. What if you don't believe Samantha even exists? Would you still be "denying" Samantha even if she does exist? No. All Samantha would need to do is show up and ask you out in person for you to accept.