To add to Zebedee's question:
I have some related questions--
1. Why would an all-powerful and all-knowing (and all-good according to Christian doctrine) being create sentient and self-conscious animals who he knew would disobey him, simply to torture them eternally? How is this moral?[/quote]
I do not believe God created humans just to torture them, because sending people to hell was not part of the original plan. As for the rest of your question, I do not have an answer.
2. Why would an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good being make belief in him and obedience to him the sole criteria for being saved from eternal torture? How is this moral
Because he wants us to be in communion with him.
Christianity teaches that humans are sinful by nature (humanity is messed up ) and because of our sinful nature it prevents us from having a relationship with God and heaven. That is why Jesus was sent to die on the cross, to bear our sins and bring us to God.
3. Why would such a being create irrational rules and eternally torture people who break them? And,
Could you elaborate more on this?
related to question my (1) above, why would he then go on to create people who he knew would break these rules? (e.g.-- Men with inborn homosexual tendencies) How is this moral?
Science has not proven as to whether or not people are born with homosexual tendencies.
Because of this I can only give my personal opinion on homosexuality: I believe homosexuality is unnatural and homosexual sex is a sin. As to whether or not a gay person will go to Hell depends on their relationship with God.
4. Finally, would you not agree that any person who did these sort of things would be unquestionably be considered immoral by most people (including most devout Christians)-- e.g. "obey my irrational rules and believe in my power or I'll torture you endlessly", "I'm going to breed the most vicious pit bulls just so I can torture them as punishment for being vicious"? If so, why is it that when God does it it's "good", even when a person does it it's considered immoral, by the very conscience that God supposedly gave us?
I have no answer to that question
As to question #2, isn't it also terribly unjust that God would punish us for not believing in him and his incarnation as Jesus Christ when there are so many competing religions and worldviews, and he's given us no obvious, objective measure for judging which is right and which is wrong? So basically Muslims and Jews go to hell because their parents raised them in that religion and your all-loving God didn't bother to show them why it's wrong.
Ok I know will be criticized for this:
I believe God is showing us the way to him. The reason people are not finding him is because they are not listening.
Topic: Hi everyone