Reply #24: I don't believe in hell

[Birdiesmom]

...and I'm struggling to remain a Christian, for precisely the reasons you mention.

However, I'm sticking with Jesus, because of all the religions, he is the only figure I've found who advocates a true brotherhood of all humankind, and a God who suffers as long as any human suffers.

I've had to reject large portions of the Bible as culturally based and thus unreliable, in order to do this. This makes me a "bad Christian" in the eyes of nearly every Christian I know. But God comes off much as a thug in the Old Testament, and the concept of Hell in the New Testament doesn't make God and Jesus look that much better, since it condemns the overwhelming majority of humankind to never-ending torment.

However, despite the fact that Christianity has been used as the excuse throughout history for numerous wars (including the current one in Iraq, or haven't you heard Bush's declaration that God told him to invade?), the Inquisition, the Crusades, the abuse of black Americans, homosexuals, women and children, and witch hunts of various types -- Christianity has also been the impetus behind international vaccination programs to third-world countries, AIDS relief, famine relief, multiple soup kitchens and homeless shelters across the U.S., rehabilitation and job programs for Vietnam vets, and many programs that the US Government no longer provides.

Non-religious groups also provide these services, I know. Decent human beings abound, religious or not. But to love my fellow human beings as much as I love myself -- that's a goal I will never reach, but it's certainly something to strive for. So for now, I'm sticking with Jesus.