I was going to use a more philosophical, intellectual title to address this matter, but the bible itself says of itself that it is so simple that a fool shouldn't err. So, like a child, I'm keeping it simple, because there really is no other way to put it.
I was born and raised in the pentecostal church. I no longer claim Christianity, but in my search for knowing God, I still listen to sermons. The sermons I listen to are usually by black hellfire and brimstone preachers, because that;s what I'm most familiar with. I don't know if you're familiar with a man named G Craig Lewis. But if you are, then you have an idea of the type of ministers I listen to. What I honestly have a hard time understanding is why it feels to me that God is hell-bent on sending me to hell?
You might think that I'm exaggerating when I make this statement, but I am by no means being overdramatic. I try very hard to believe that when these preachers say "God loves you but hates your sin," that they mean it. I try with everything within me to believe that these people really love me. But I have to be honest. I have never felt love coming from these preachers. I always feel that they are just saying what they have been taught to say, if they aren't just in it for the show. I do believe that some of them are genuine and sincere. But you can also be sincerely wrong.
even all of these testimonies I have ben hearing over the years of people who died and went to hell, and were brought back to tell about it. I listen closely, and what I gather is that it is very hard to make it into Heaven. And I don;t undertand if God really wants people in Heaven, why He made it so hard to get in. It just doesn't seem right. It seems to me like He plays favorites. But why create people just to throw them in hell. It's almost like He enjoys it. Even many preacher talk as if they're glad there is a hell and glad you're going. It's like if you don't live up to THEIR standard (personal hidden agenda), you can't do anything right, and for that you ARE going to hell. I also don;t understand why God is so hard on homosexuals when He created the very biology that made them that way. And don;t tell me that they weren't born that way, because I am one.
Unless you have seen things through, of course, you cannot fully understand where I'm coming from, and most of this is just hot air to you. And this is another thing; Christians are poor listeners and bad at understanding. They just love to judge others so they can (secretly... and often unconsciously)feel better about themselves. I know this because I've spent my lifetime (29 years) around them. I've seen Christians of every kind, so I know what I'm talking about. But I would literally be here for a couple of days describing to you all of the contradictions I have observed throughout this exclusive belief system.
And as much as I want to know God and be His closest friend, I feel that He doesn't really want to get to know me, but is just out to play mind games with me. I'm not being irreverent or sacrilerious: I'm just being honest. It makes me not feel like praying, even though I want to. It makes me not want to read the bible, because it's full of contradictions (and don't tell me there aren't, when they are very blatant). God just seems, to me, to be the cruelest, most cold blooded, hard hearted, unforgiving, stone faced, dominating, ruthless, non caring, bi-polar, sadistic, spiteful, wicked terrorist of all time.
Have you seen this recent testimony of a girl, Angelica Zambrano, who claims to have gone to hell for 23 hours and saw Selena Quintanilla, Michael Jackson, and children in hell? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZFI7R4ZxKQ&feature=related
I was born and raised in the pentecostal church. I no longer claim Christianity, but in my search for knowing God, I still listen to sermons. The sermons I listen to are usually by black hellfire and brimstone preachers, because that;s what I'm most familiar with. I don't know if you're familiar with a man named G Craig Lewis. But if you are, then you have an idea of the type of ministers I listen to. What I honestly have a hard time understanding is why it feels to me that God is hell-bent on sending me to hell?
You might think that I'm exaggerating when I make this statement, but I am by no means being overdramatic. I try very hard to believe that when these preachers say "God loves you but hates your sin," that they mean it. I try with everything within me to believe that these people really love me. But I have to be honest. I have never felt love coming from these preachers. I always feel that they are just saying what they have been taught to say, if they aren't just in it for the show. I do believe that some of them are genuine and sincere. But you can also be sincerely wrong.
even all of these testimonies I have ben hearing over the years of people who died and went to hell, and were brought back to tell about it. I listen closely, and what I gather is that it is very hard to make it into Heaven. And I don;t undertand if God really wants people in Heaven, why He made it so hard to get in. It just doesn't seem right. It seems to me like He plays favorites. But why create people just to throw them in hell. It's almost like He enjoys it. Even many preacher talk as if they're glad there is a hell and glad you're going. It's like if you don't live up to THEIR standard (personal hidden agenda), you can't do anything right, and for that you ARE going to hell. I also don;t understand why God is so hard on homosexuals when He created the very biology that made them that way. And don;t tell me that they weren't born that way, because I am one.
Unless you have seen things through, of course, you cannot fully understand where I'm coming from, and most of this is just hot air to you. And this is another thing; Christians are poor listeners and bad at understanding. They just love to judge others so they can (secretly... and often unconsciously)feel better about themselves. I know this because I've spent my lifetime (29 years) around them. I've seen Christians of every kind, so I know what I'm talking about. But I would literally be here for a couple of days describing to you all of the contradictions I have observed throughout this exclusive belief system.
And as much as I want to know God and be His closest friend, I feel that He doesn't really want to get to know me, but is just out to play mind games with me. I'm not being irreverent or sacrilerious: I'm just being honest. It makes me not feel like praying, even though I want to. It makes me not want to read the bible, because it's full of contradictions (and don't tell me there aren't, when they are very blatant). God just seems, to me, to be the cruelest, most cold blooded, hard hearted, unforgiving, stone faced, dominating, ruthless, non caring, bi-polar, sadistic, spiteful, wicked terrorist of all time.
Have you seen this recent testimony of a girl, Angelica Zambrano, who claims to have gone to hell for 23 hours and saw Selena Quintanilla, Michael Jackson, and children in hell? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZFI7R4ZxKQ&feature=related
