It is a core part of Judaism, Islam & Christianity that you must believe certain things. What those things are varies with the religion and even within the different sects of the different religions. Since belief / faith is what an afterlife is claimed to be based on it is important to understand exactly what a belief / faith is.
Belief is defined as
1 : a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
2 : something believed; especially: a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
3 : conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence
Faith is Defined as
1 a : allegiance to duty or a person: loyalty
b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
on faith
: without question <took everything he said on faith>
There isn't a con artist in the world that doesn't look for those who are quick to believe what they are told. Not so they can help them but so they can deceive them. What is almost amusing is so many Christians especially the fundamentalists are real quick to warn of people trying to deceive you. While those who believe in a religion believe it not because of facts and evidence but because that is the story they have been told they must believe.
The Christian, Muslim & Jew will fight tooth and nail to defend the belief system, which bases pleasure or torture not on what is good or what is true but strictly on the words some man wrote in an ancient book. Because those words were written in that book thousands of years ago then that is the way it is for all time. That is absolute insanity.
There are some who have tried to use this you must believe what I say mindset to their benefit. We have a word for this kind of person. We call them a Cult Leader. Jim Jones, David Koresh, Applewhite and Charles Manson just to name a few. All of them were looking for the True Believers. What does the True Believers get for their Faith & Belief? They either end up dead or in prison.
A lie that goes right in line with what a con artist like one of these TV preachers will tell you is this. Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
The truth is not all things are possible just by believing it. I can believe I am a millionaire all I want it will not make the money suddenly appear in my bank account. There are tons of mental patients that really believe they are Jesus or Mary or some other person from history. However their belief that they are doesn’t mean they actually are but that they are suffering from a mental disorder.
It is only those who try and escape from cults that can end up being "Saved" but what they are saved from is not some mysterious "Sin" concept but the evil plans of the cult they were a part of.
To call a book written by men that is full of symbolism, which is Moon worship in the Old Testament & Sun Worship in the New Testament and calling it the divine anything is absurd. What this comes down to really is an Episode in Star Trek The Next Generation. Where Picard was captured by a Cardassian and was asked how many lights he saw. When he said there are four lights he was tortured and the Cardassian said there are five lights. In the end Picard was given a choice. A life of bliss or more torture and all he had to do was to say he could see five lights when there were really only four lights.
The most quoted verse in the bible is a prime example of the kind of manipulation that I am talking about. Notice the only requirement is one believe something. It doesn’t mean it is true only that you believe it! John 3:15 – 18 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.This type of behavior Christians will bend over backwards to explain. Calling it loving to demand human sacrifice to satisfy his blood lust. These people will literally excuse behavior from their god that would be repulsive in any human doing. The excuse used to explain this is God can do what God wants because God is God. Which is a might makes right philosophy. It is not a philosophy based or rooted in love but only in power.
The old saying about power is very true with the God of religion. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!
The bible thumping Christian will never admit that Jesus is really the Sun. That the Sun is our savior because without it we would be dead. No they will demand that all of this is some spiritual thing and that the symbology is a trick of the devil.
To not base what you believe on facts and evidence is to set yourself up to be taken for a ride. Only a total fool would just believe they have a long lost relative in Africa that died and is giving them millions all they have to do is send a few hundred dollars to some guy they never met and never heard of. Yet this is exactly what all Christian's, Muslim's & Jew's are doing when they buy into this bullshit concept of a God that only loves them and everyone else is wicked and going to burn in Hell.
No matter how you slice it this type of approach is the method of the con artist not one who is honest and worth trusting. Trust only those things which you can prove. It is fine to hope for hitting the mega million lottery but don't quit your job, sell your house on the hope that you will hit the lottery! The same is true with a God.
It is fine to hope there is something out there that cares about us and loves us but don't bet on that pie in the sky type of thing being real. And certainly don't demand that I buy into your pipe dreams. I don't even play the lottery why would I engage in such with an afterlife?
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