Hi Y'all,
Paul Smith wrote:
(Aubyn writes...)
You must not get out much, Jim. I know lots of Firm Believers who teach just
what Stephen states above (of course many of these would substitute "punish"
for "torture" but the operational definitions would not change).
Are you sure about this? I've known quite a few "Firm Believers", and I don't remember any of them saying that God punishes or tortures nonbelievers. The standard position, I think, is that the eternal punishment is a sort of default state (arising from a freely chosen separation from God) from which belief in God saves a person.
My sense is that there is variability in the beliefs of "Firm Believers." At one end, we do have those for whom their religion moves them from a position of "love thy neighbor" and peace to one of interreligious hate and violence. The use of religion and "scripture" as a foundation for destructive fanaticism is documented both historically and globally and cuts a broad path across religious lines. Of course, there are many who have used both religion and "scripture" for immensely positive ends as well. Thus, is religion in and of itself the problem or is it the means by which individuals and groups use these beliefs? I'm reminded of the phrase, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people. Guns just make it easier" and thus, perhaps, "Religion doesn't cause people to hate and kill people. People cause people to hate and kill people. Religion can be used to just make it easier."
An example of both the idea that those who don't believe in Jesus will live/die in an eternal pit of fire and of the use of religion as a basis for hate can be found in the Chick Tracts/Publications that can be found at some churches (you will find them in special display racks).
I first became familiar with them when a girl scout troop in my neighborhood was engaged in a community recycling project but one of them was also passing these tracts out at the same time. One that clearly highlights, "Don't believe in the ONE path, you will got to the pit of fire eternally" can be found at:
http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0096/0096_01.asp
They also have video clips highlighting this concept. See Lake of Fire at http://www.chick.com/catalog/videos/LOTW.asp#clips
If you look closely you will see a nun, sumo wrestlers, Klansmen, a surfer, and an assortment of others all waiting their turn to be tossed into the pit.
The girl scout in my neighborhood was randomly passing out the tracts and I received "Doom Town" - http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0273/0273_01.asp - Clearly, anti-gay.
Not only do gays and lesbians not fair well in these tracts but also Catholics, Muslims, and a host of "others" portrayed throughout these publications.
http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractlist.asp
I should add that the Girl Scout Council in St. Louis was not pleased that these were being passed out during a sanctioned Girl Scout activity and they responded quickly.
These tracts are good examples of how religion can be used as a basis for destructive bias and the idea that those who do not believe one clear path are doomed eternally.
Best wishes,
Linda
--
Linda M. Woolf, Ph.D.
President-Elect, Peace Psychology Division 48, APA
Secretary, Society for the Teaching of Psychology (Div. 2, APA)
Professor of Psychology Coordinator - Holocaust & Genocide Studies,
Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights
Webster University
470 East Lockwood
St. Louis, MO 63119
Main Webpage: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's (and woman's) best friend. . . . Inside a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx
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