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Originally Posted by usgrant7
My question is this: Are you going to spend an eternity in Hell on principle?
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Apparently so. But fear of eternal (*)(*)(*)(*)ation simply isn't enough to make me abandon my principles.
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Will you curse your torments thinking you are innocent? Will you shake your fist at the God of the Universe, the creator of all that there is, saying, "I am Innocent! I don't deserve to be here!" when he who sees all, and everything that you have ever done, saw fit to send you there?
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I'm entitled to my opinion on the matter. God can do what He wants; I'm entitled to think it's unfair and twisted.
If God demanded human sacrifice, would you kill off your neighbors to please Him? If not, then you're judging God in exactly the same way you say I am. If you would, then there's not much left to be said.
Some things are not moral even if God demands them.
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What if you are being deceived by the very one who wishes as much company as possible, when his sentence is carried out?
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That would imply that I think the way I do because of some external persuasion. I think the way I do because of my own application of logic and morality.
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What if you are arguing from a perspective which you have not considered the possibility of God, at all, and you are just saying these things to be contrary?
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But I'm not. I'm agnostic, not atheist. I recognize the possibility that God exists.
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My question to you is this: If the rule maker is the ultimate authority, and he is real, are you really being truthful if you say, "Screw Him if this is His policy!"
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Admittedly, it's easier to stand on principle when I'm not sure if God actually exists, and any punishment is abstract and, if it occurs, will occur after I'm dead.
But the principle is still valid. God can make the rules, but I don't have to respect bad rules (or their maker) just because they exist.
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I don't think you like paying taxes, you are actually forced to pay taxes, but if the thing that you hate, suddenly calls you up to defend her against all enemies foreign and domestic, will you point to your W-2 and declare, "I refuse!", just because you don't like taxes?
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A fair point. See above for my main answer. In addition, however, consider where the analogy fails. There's no question at all that the government exists, and needs taxes to operate. God wants me to mail tax payments to an anonymous P.O. box, for unknown reasons and purposes, and hope for the best.
And there's a *huge* difference between making someone pay taxes and consigning them to eternal torment.