@Yanny:
Sorry about my mistakes about the Jewish Religion.
You gave two very good examples at the basic principles of Facism. Mastering a dog is probably Facism at it’s most basic level. Complete Obeydience is required or the dog gets punished. I’m more of a cat person myself, I don’t train my cats.
Parenting is also a good example. However, there is one key different. Kids have a choice. I choose to be disobeydient to my parents, although I am not always punished. However, I do not have this choice for my afterlife. I am either going to Heavan or to Hell, it’s his choice and I cannot change that.
Because God is infalable, invincable, and unconested, he gains absolute power. There is no democracy, no choice, no stopping him. He acts as if we were all His toys. I am not some play thing of a God, I am my own self.
i really am not wanting to enter into this particular fray. It feels inappropriate to dignify this particular post.
At the same time, consider that we all have free will. We may leave God and return as our will and whim dictates. We stay (or return) because of love for God, not fear of punishment. As for hell - well, this is something we choose.
You seem to be missing the premise of Christianity if this is they way you look at things.
You might look at it this way. You are about to cross the street in front of a rolling bus. I pull you away from the road to save your life. You push me away, and walk directly into the path of the oncoming bus. No one forced you into that path, you chose it yourself.
I believe God wants us to ask questions. God wants a relationship with us that needs to work both ways. If God simply gave us orders and directions and we had to toe that fine line, or “God would send us to hell” then i would tend to agree with you. This is not the way it works. One may build up a relationship with God the way one might with a lover or a partner, or a friend. As one gets to know God’s will, we try to follow it. If we are unsuccessful (read: sinful) - “we know that God will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (somewhere in Romans). This is not to say that we should sin-away as we know that we’ll be forgiven, but rather that we should try not to sin for that very reason - because Jesus has arranged it (by dying) for that sin to be disregarded.
No, Hitler (and other fascists) would have one tortured and killed for the kind of questioning that i have done much of my life - if God was the same way. I have disobeyed God often enough (nearly daily, in fact) to burn me in hell for many eternities if we were to buy into your little rant. However because of Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s justice, i may sin for much of my life yet, and still receive a place in heaven.
The only way that your analogy holds is at the very end of things. If we reject God, then we have gone to a place of our choosing. If we accept God, then we have done the same. What happens in between is largely immaterial (i don’t buy into pergatory YB), except that it contributes (or does not) to our relationship with God.
Speaking of which, i havn’t prayed much recently, and i think i will do so now - it’s nice to stay in touch with a friend.