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Is freewill, as pertains to religion, an illusion? - Christianity Etc (4) - Nairaland 304q6o

Is freewill, as pertains to religion, an illusion? (1755 Views)

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Nnamdipapa(m): 8:06pm On Feb 24
MaxInDHouse:


People from all nations will form a group and they will use what they found in the Bible to settle their disparities peacefully among themselves, divert their resources into production of food and information materials, stop producing, buying, selling and using of weapons and vow never to raise weapons against anyone again! Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3

That is the prophecy!

Had it been this group called Jehovah's Witnesses has been in existence for thousands of years i may not believe it because i will say they've been planning how to achieve this thing all these while but it's just within 150 years ago that this group started exactly as the Bible says {Isaiah 2:2} and they are fulfilling what is written in that book called Bible! smiley



Still not mentioning one thing they fulfilled and how relevant it is to anything
MaxInDHouse(m): 8:12pm On Feb 24
Nnamdipapa:

Still not mentioning one thing they fulfilled and how relevant it is to anything

Now you are showing your true color! cheesy

What threatens our continue existence on this planet like WAR? And even though our God is reaching the hearts of millions and erasing hatred so that they have vowed never to military services again you still can't see what is fulfilling shey?
I believe you just don't want to face the REALITY.

Thanks for your time!wink
Nnamdipapa(m): 5:11am On Feb 25
MaxInDHouse:


Now you are showing your true color! cheesy

What threatens our continue existence on this planet like WAR? And even though our God is reaching the hearts of millions and erasing hatred so that they have vowed never to military services again you still can't see what is fulfilling shey?
I believe you just don't want to face the REALITY.

Thanks for your time!wink

Brother Max, I like you a lot and I see your zeal but it sad to let you know you are a victim of a vicious religious indoctrinations. Not just you but millions of others like you.

I asked a simple question and you find it very hard to provide the relevance of religion and your God in 2025.

1 Like

MaxInDHouse(m): 6:46am On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:

Brother Max, I like you a lot and I see your zeal but it sad to let you know you are a victim of a vicious religious indoctrinations. Not just you but millions of others like you.
I asked a simple question and you find it very hard to provide the relevance of religion and your God in 2025.

I have answered but selfishness is your problem instead of seeing how God who is no man's relative is working towards his purpose you are anticipating personal or regional success! smiley
StillDtruth: 6:46am On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:


You are projecting your fears my friend. The concept of God, religion and Bible are entirely man made to control others into submission.

Does not work for me anymore

Your are just Lying to yourself. You won't be talking about God and hell if you were not afraid.
StillDtruth: 6:51am On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:


"Free will of withholding your money" with gun pointed at your head?

Then you don't understand what freewill is.

It is still part of freewill. You can force a horse to the river but you can't force it to drink.
Nnamdipapa(m): 7:00am On Feb 25
StillDtruth:


It is still part of freewill. You can force a horse to the river but you can't force it to drink.

It is a part of your will but never a freewill.
Nnamdipapa(m): 7:02am On Feb 25
MaxInDHouse:


I have answered but selfishness is your problem instead of seeing how God who is no man's relative is working towards his purpose you are anticipating personal or regional success! smiley

There are 4000 God's, which of them is doing the work?
StillDtruth: 7:15am On Feb 25
MaxInDHouse:

So if you won't respect other people's opinion you're surely from a MAD parent! smiley

See son of Satan, see how you prove you are mad permanently and evil in pretending you do not know what an argument is?

And see your madness, you are here not respecting other people's opinions yet you stupidly complain about it.

If you want your opinions respected keep it to yourself. That is what sane people do. But clearly you are Mad
MaxInDHouse(m): 7:29am On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:

There are 4000 God's, which of them is doing the work?
Who told you this? smiley
And what works have worshipers of these other Gods told you their Gods are doing?
Imagine someone telling your children that they have many fathers to prove it won't your children ask for the things the other fathers have been doing?
To prove that there is no other God the Bible God made a promise and fulfilling it at the same time sending His worshipers to go and speak with people about what He is doing yet you want to argue in of Gods that you don't know neither heard anything from their worshipers.
Is that not self deceit on your part? smiley
MaxInDHouse(m): 7:30am On Feb 25
StillDtruth:


See son of Satan, see how you prove you are mad permanently and evil in pretending you do not know what an argument is?

And see your madness, you are here not respecting other people's opinions yet you stupidly complain about it.

If you want your opinions respected keep it to yourself. That is what sane people do. But clearly you are Mad
Your parents are MAD!
Nnamdipapa(m): 7:32am On Feb 25
MaxInDHouse:

Who told you this? smiley
And what works have worshipers of these other Gods told you their Gods are doing?
Imagine someone telling your children that they have many fathers to prove it won't your children ask for the things the other fathers have been doing?
To prove that there is no other God the Bible God made a promise and fulfilling it at the same time sending His worshipers to go and speak with people about what He is doing yet you want to argue in of Gods that you don't know neither heard anything from their worshipers.
Is that not self deceit on your part? smiley

You never mentioned one single thing your God did other than bogus stories from the Bible.
MaxInDHouse(m): 7:38am On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:

You never mentioned one single thing your God did other than bogus stories from the Bible.

Jehovah my God has united all faithful people throughout the world and made them One big and happy family of peace loving worshipers according to His promise {Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3} so that we are globally speaking the same language {Zephaniah 3:9} and today if anyone worshiper is talking about his God before he makes three to four comments even you despite all your self deception will say:
"You are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, i have some of your people in my village"
You know this person is not related to anyone in your village o! smiley
Nnamdipapa(m): 7:49am On Feb 25
MaxInDHouse:


Jehovah my God has united all faithful people throughout the world and made them One big and happy family of peace loving worshipers according to His promise {Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3} so that we are globally speaking the same language {Zephaniah 3:9} and today if anyone worshiper is talking about his God before he makes three to four comments even you despite all your self deception will say:
"You are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, i have some of your people in my village"
You know this person is not related to anyone in your village o! smiley

Ukraine is at war with Russia and there are lots of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ukraine.

Jehovah's Witnesses have a significant presence in Ukraine. They have been active in the country for over a century and obtained legal registration on February 28, 1991, shortly before Ukraine became an independent nation. As of recent data, Ukraine has approximately 102,972 ministers who teach the Bible across 1,164 congregations, resulting in a ratio of one Jehovah's Witness per 377 residents.
MaxInDHouse(m): 7:56am On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:

Ukraine is at war with Russia and there are lots of Jehovah's Witnesses in Ukraine.

Jehovah's Witnesses have a significant presence in Ukraine. They have been active in the country for over a century and obtained legal registration on February 28, 1991, shortly before Ukraine became an independent nation. As of recent data, Ukraine has approximately 102,972 ministers who teach the Bible across 1,164 congregations, resulting in a ratio of one Jehovah's Witness per 377 residents.

The highlighted has answered you!

So one JW have 377 persons to convince over peaceful cohabitation which means if half of Ukraine are JWs there will be no wars at all.
Ọmọ do you know why Vladimir Putin banned Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia?
Well it's because we are psychologically disarming people not to hate their neighbours simply because someone wish to retain his position as ruler over them!

delkuf(m): 9:28am On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:


Brother Max, I like you a lot and I see your zeal but it sad to let you know you are a victim of a vicious religious indoctrinations. Not just you but millions of others like you.

I asked a simple question and you find it very hard to provide the relevance of religion and your God in 2025.
this is funny.......
sonmvayina(m): 11:00am On Feb 25
StillDtruth:


See son of Satan, see how you prove you are mad permanently and evil in pretending you do not know what an argument is?

And see your madness, you are here not respecting other people's opinions yet you stupidly complain about it.

If you want your opinions respected keep it to yourself. That is what sane people do. But clearly you are Mad








Go and see a psychiatrist...I will pay for it..
sonmvayina(m): 11:09am On Feb 25
I use "freedom of choice" in my own arguments. I never bothered myself with free will.
We have freedom of choice. But knowledge has also thought me that Every action or inaction has consequences.
So I just educate myself, to have the wisdom to guide my choices...
StillDtruth: 6:40pm On Feb 25
sonmvayina:


Go and see a psychiatrist...I will pay for it..

The mad drug addict has returned.
Nnamdipapa(m): 6:58pm On Feb 25
sonmvayina:
I use "freedom of choice" in my own arguments. I never bothered myself with free will.
We have freedom of choice. But knowledge has also thought me that Every action or inaction has consequences.
So I just educate myself, to have the wisdom to guide my choices...

Well, the topic is about freewill, meaning you inhibited and absolute freedom to choose. Subtle threats like being thrown into a lake of fire if if you make a certain choice does not sound like freewill to me.
So it is safe to argue we do not have a freewill as per the Christian God.
StillDtruth: 7:19pm On Feb 25
MaxInDHouse:

Your parents are MAD!

With all these it's clear that you are Mad and like all atheists you will burn in hellfire
Nnamdipapa(m): 8:09pm On Feb 25
MaxInDHouse:

Your parents are MAD!

Max, do not descend to the levels of these people, and never let them get to you. I have noticed your interactions on NL for years and I see emotional maturity and the way you carry yourself, I have yet to see in the average Pentecostal Christian.

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MaxInDHouse(m): 8:48pm On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:

Max, do not descend to the levels of these people, and never let them get to you. I have noticed your interactions on NL for years and I see emotional maturity and the way you carry yourself, I have yet to see in the average Pentecostal Christian.

The mad boy will come quoting me and while i try to reason with him the next thing is calling me names so i told him not to quote me again but the idiot start saying he wants to rebuke his father. undecided
Steep(m): 9:21pm On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:
We always hear our fellow Christian folks talk about free will as it relates to God, does the concept of free will truly exist?

Ok, here is my scenario. an armed robber comes into your home, points a loaded gun at your head and demands you hand over all the money you have on you, at that point, do you have a free will if you eventually hand over your cash to the robber?

Now with God of the Bible, it is either you believe or you burn in eternity forever. Where is the free will?

What I can see is a similarity between the free will when confronted with the barrel of the gun. Give your money or get blasted by bullets, give me like
your life or roast in hell eternally.

Both are very similar and free will does not exist in both scenarios.

What do you think.
This is a wrong scenario. The right scenario is a very sick man at the point of death being given a choice by a doctor to be healed or he die. If accepts the treatment by the doctor he will be healed and restored and he will be grateful to the doctor.
God is not threatening us to accept him or he throw us into hell but rather our sin which has already done a lot of damage to us (just take a look at the mess of the world today), our sin is what will lead us to hell ( No sin can live with God). God is only offering us a hope of redemption from sin, if we accept him he will save us from sin and we will be eternally grateful he did.
If a doctor tells a sick man that the only way he could be treated is by operation else he will die, Is he threatening the patient or telling the plain truth?

When Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life he was telling us the plain truth. Jesus is the only cure to our sickness, if we reject him our sickness will doom us forever.

1 Like

Nnamdipapa(m): 9:39pm On Feb 25
Steep:
This is a wrong scenario. The right scenario is a very sick man at the point of death being given a choice by a doctor to be healed or he die. If accepts the treatment by the doctor he will be healed and restored and he will be grateful to the doctor.
God is not threatening us to accept him or he throw is into hell but rather our sin which has already done a lot of damage to us (just take a look at the mess of the world today), our sin is what will lead us to hell ( No sin can live with God). God is only offering us a hope of redemption from sin, if we accept him he will save us from sin and we will be eternally grateful he did.
If a doctor tells a sick man that the only way he could be treated is by operation else he will die, Is he threatening the patient or telling the plain truth?

When Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life he was telling us the plain truth. Jesus is the only cure to our sickness, if we reject him our sickness will doom us forever.

I love your analogy but you are wrong and I will explain why.
The doctor is not responsible for the sickness and the death, they are factors beyond the control of the doctor or the patient.

If the patient fails to accept treatment, they would die which will not be the fault of the doctor. I will repeat for emphasis " THE DOCTOR DID NOT CREATE SICKNESS OR DEATH".

Now, let's come to the God of the Bibe, if you refuse to accept Christ, he has threatened to throw you into a lake of fire " WHICH HE SPECIFICALLY PREPARED" for that purpose.

Steve Job, the founder of Apple, had a chance to be alive had he accepted the cancer treatments at the onset of his cancer, he refused which lead to his death. The doctor did not prepare his death and never responsible in any way regardless of the choices of Job.

I can show countless verses of the scripture where the Bible God threatened hell for the rejection of Jesus no matter how you try to explain it away, it is right there in the Bible so freewill is dead on arrival.
Gabrielshow24: 10:09pm On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:


I love your analogy but you are wrong and I will explain why.
The doctor is not responsible for the sickness and the death, they are factors beyond the control of the doctor or the patient.

If the patient fails to accept treatment, they would die which will not be the fault of the doctor. I will repeat for emphasis " THE DOCTOR DID NOT CREATE SICKNESS OR DEATH".

Now, let's come to the God of the Bibe, if you refuse to accept Christ, he has threatened to throw you into a lake of fire " WHICH HE SPECIFICALLY PREPARED" for that purpose.

Steve Job, the founder of Apple, had a chance to be alive had he accepted the cancer treatments at the onset of his cancer, he refused which lead to his death. The doctor did not prepare his death and never responsible in any way regardless of the choices of Job.

I can show countless verses of the scripture where the Bible God threatened hell for the rejection of Jesus no matter how you try to explain it away, it is right there in the Bible so freewill is dead on arrival.
Well, you are trying to eat your cake and have it.

All what you posit is just from you exercising your own free will but you failed to accommodate God's own free will, imagine asg someone for a military post, it's a consequence of his/her free will to man his post.

If he leaves, he will be court-martialed not only has he endangered his own live but also the lives of others which depend on him.

It's now the free will of his superior to either forgive or perform judgement on him!!!

What the bible says is every being has free will but only one being is absolute and that absolute being has free will also.

So if you like use your own free will and commit heinous crimes, you will answer to the absolute one!!!
Nnamdipapa(m): 10:35pm On Feb 25
Gabrielshow24:

Well, you are trying to eat your cake and have it.

All what you posit is just from you exercising your own free will but you failed to accommodate God's own free will, imagine asg someone for a military post, it's a consequence of his/her free will to man his post.

If he leaves, he will be court-martialed not only has he endangered his own live but also the lives of others which depend on him.

It's now the free will of his superior to either forgive or perform judgement on him!!!

What the bible says is every being has free will but only one being is absolute and that absolute being has free will also.

So if you like use your own free will and commit heinous crimes, you will answer to the absolute one!!!

Thanks for your contribution.

The core issue with your analogy is that it assumes free will exists in a meaningful way while also implying that there is only one acceptable choice—submission to God under the threat of punishment. If true free will existed, there would be no coercion in the decision-making process.

Let me make it clear that free will means having the ability to make choices without coercion. However, if rejecting Christ inevitably leads to eternal damnation, then the choice is not truly free—it is made under duress. This is like telling someone, “You are free to choose between two doors, but if you pick the wrong one, you will be tortured forever.” That is not free will; that is coercion disguised as choice.

Your analogy of a soldier abandoning his post does not apply to the concept of salvation. A soldier freely enlists knowing the rules and consequences of his duty. But in the case of Christianity, people are "born into" a system where the default consequence for not believing in Christ is eternal suffering. This means they never truly had a neutral starting point to make a choice.

Additionally, in the military, a court-martial involves a fair trial, and punishments vary depending on the offense. But in your theological framework, the punishment (hell) is absolute and eternal for all unbelievers, regardless of circumstances. That is not comparable to human justice or free will—it is divine authoritarianism.

You argue that because God is the absolute being, He has free will over creation. However, this does not justify stripping humans of true free will. If God’s justice operates in such a way that rejecting Christ results in unavoidable damnation, then humans are essentially created to be forced into submission or face infinite suffering. That is not free will; that is divine determinism.

If God’s justice means sending people to eternal hell for simply failing to believe, then He is not a being of unconditional love. Love, by definition, does not impose infinite suffering as a response to finite mistakes or disbelief. Even human parents, who are imperfect, do not punish their children forever for disobedience. How, then, can an all-loving God do so?

Finally, If God truly granted free will, the consequences of rejecting Christ would not be eternal torture, but rather a fair and just alternative. The very fact that the "choice" leads to either heaven or eternal hell suggests it was never a real choice to begin with—only an ultimatum. That is not the definition of free will, but of forced compliance.

Thus, your argument does not defend free will—it only justifies a system where belief is enforced under threat, which contradicts the very concept of a loving and just God.
Steep(m): 10:37pm On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:


I love your analogy but you are wrong and I will explain why.
The doctor is not responsible for the sickness and the death, they are factors beyond the control of the doctor or the patient.

If the patient fails to accept treatment, they would die which will not be the fault of the doctor. I will repeat for emphasis " THE DOCTOR DID NOT CREATE SICKNESS OR DEATH".

Now, let's come to the God of the Bibe, if you refuse to accept Christ, he has threatened to throw you into a lake of fire " WHICH HE SPECIFICALLY PREPARED" for that purpose.

Steve Job, the founder of Apple, had a chance to be alive had he accepted the cancer treatments at the onset of his cancer, he refused which lead to his death. The doctor did not prepare his death and never responsible in any way regardless of the choices of Job.

I can show countless verses of the scripture where the Bible God threatened hell for the rejection of Jesus no matter how you try to explain it away, it is right there in the Bible so freewill is dead on arrival.
Though I used the medical scenario but that is just one dimension.
God never created sin. Death is the just judgment of God upon sin.
Here is another analogy, (justice)

If you commit a crime and you are brought before a judge who will condem you justly for your crime but somebody showed up to pay the fine for you but you rejected do you beginning to blame the judge or the person that offers to pay the fine?

Here is another (Love)
If a man ask a woman to marry him and she refuses him but chose an abusive man, though he would have being a loving husband to her but because he love her he would let her make her decision and respect it.

Yet here is another (rescue)
If man is drowning and somebody threw a life jacket at him but he instead rejected the life jacket thinking he could swim but end up drowning, who should we blame.

Here is another (Debt)

Supposing you are owning a huge some of money, but the person you owed decided to forgive you the debt and set you free but you said no! You don't need his help. When you fail to pay and your name is finally ed as a debtor and you financial status is ruined, who will you blame.

Here is another! (Light vs darkness)
Supposing you were offered a room well lit and furnished but you rejected it for a dark and terrible room. Who would you blame when you are suffering in that room.

Our sins demands we be punished and that punishment is death ( eternal separation from God) but God offers to pay the penalty and offers us forgiveness and reconciliation. If we reject his offer we will justly bear our punishment.

Hell is a place of separation from God. Hell is terrible because of separation from God

God eventually abandons those who don't want him for all of eternity.
Gabrielshow24: 10:45pm On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:


Thanks for your contribution.

The core issue with your analogy is that it assumes free will exists in a meaningful way while also implying that there is only one acceptable choice—submission to God under the threat of punishment. If true free will existed, there would be no coercion in the decision-making process.

Let me make it clear that free will means having the ability to make choices without coercion. However, if rejecting Christ inevitably leads to eternal damnation, then the choice is not truly free—it is made under duress. This is like telling someone, “You are free to choose between two doors, but if you pick the wrong one, you will be tortured forever.” That is not free will; that is coercion disguised as choice.

Your analogy of a soldier abandoning his post does not apply to the concept of salvation. A soldier freely enlists knowing the rules and consequences of his duty. But in the case of Christianity, people are "born into" a system where the default consequence for not believing in Christ is eternal suffering. This means they never truly had a neutral starting point to make a choice.

Additionally, in the military, a court-martial involves a fair trial, and punishments vary depending on the offense. But in your theological framework, the punishment (hell) is absolute and eternal for all unbelievers, regardless of circumstances. That is not comparable to human justice or free will—it is divine authoritarianism.

You argue that because God is the absolute being, He has free will over creation. However, this does not justify stripping humans of true free will. If God’s justice operates in such a way that rejecting Christ results in unavoidable damnation, then humans are essentially created to be forced into submission or face infinite suffering. That is not free will; that is divine determinism.

If God’s justice means sending people to eternal hell for simply failing to believe, then He is not a being of unconditional love. Love, by definition, does not impose infinite suffering as a response to finite mistakes or disbelief. Even human parents, who are imperfect, do not punish their children forever for disobedience. How, then, can an all-loving God do so?

Finally, If God truly granted free will, the consequences of rejecting Christ would not be eternal torture, but rather a fair and just alternative. The very fact that the "choice" leads to either heaven or eternal hell suggests it was never a real choice to begin with—only an ultimatum. That is not the definition of free will, but of forced compliance.

Thus, your argument does not defend free will—it only justifies a system where belief is enforced under threat, which contradicts the very concept of a loving and just God.
Like you said "loving and just God" 👀

Irrespective of whether there are two options or outcomes, the choice is still yours to make!!!

It's not a forced compliance, is it a bad thing for a coach to tell his team if we don't win we get relegated?

After all he is just stating the fact!!!

The eternal fact of hell doesn't affect your free will, after all you can ignore it as fictitious.

That's why there are atheists!!!
They chose not believe, no one forced them, some came to the conclusion through circumstances, some critical reasoning, others lack of perceived substantial evidence etc...

The outcome is predetermined, no one disputes that but you CHOOSE your outcome!!!

That's free will!!!
You didn't choose your parents, did you? That's a predetermined overhead for you!!!

But you can choose to or not continue their blood line!!!
Nnamdipapa(m): 10:46pm On Feb 25
Steep:
Though I used the medical scenario but that is just one dimension.
God never created sin. Death is the just judgment of God upon sin.
Here is another analogy, (justice)

If you commit a crime and you are brought before a judge who will condem you justly for your crime but somebody showed up to pay the fine for you but you rejected do you beginning to blame the judge or the person that offers to pay the fine?

Here is another (Love)
If a man ask a woman to marry him and she refuses him but chose an abusive man, though he would have being a loving husband to her but because he love her he would let her make her decision and respect it.

Yet here is another (rescue)
If man is drowning and somebody threw a life jacket at him but he instead rejected the life jacket thinking he could swim but end up drowning, who should we blame.

Here is another (Debt)

Supposing you are owning a huge some of money, but the person you owed decided to forgive you the debt and set you free but you said no! You don't need his help. When you fail to pay and your name is finally ed as a debtor and you financial status is ruined, who will you blame.

Here is another! (Light vs darkness)
Supposing you were offered a room well lit and furnished but you rejected it for a dark and terrible room. Who would you blame when you are suffering in that room.

Our sins demands we be punished and that punishment is death ( eternal separation from God) but God offers to pay the penalty and offers us forgiveness and reconciliation. If we reject his offer we will justly bear our punishment.

Hell is a place of separation from God. He'll is terrible because of separation.
On the cross Jesus experience a temporary separation from the Father as a man he fear came on him and he cried why God has forsake him.
God eventually abandons those who don't want him for all eternity.

This one is very interesting and I will attempt to address the points raised by you.

Starting with your first point, a just judge does not impose an infinite punishment (eternal damnation) for a finite crime (a lifetime of disbelief or sin). In human justice systems, punishments are proportionate to the crime. If a judge sentenced someone to eternal torture for stealing, we would call that judge unjust. So why is God just when He punishes people infinitely for a finite lifetime of mistakes or disbelief?

Moreover, if God is all-powerful, He does not need a "payment" to forgive—He could simply forgive out of mercy, as humans are expected to do. The idea that God "must" punish sin contradicts His supposed omnipotence.

Comparing God to a rejected lover fails because in human relationships, rejection does not result in eternal torment. If a woman rejects a man, she does not get sentenced to lifelong suffering; she simply moves on. A loving God would not say, "Love me, or burn forever." That is not love—it is coercion.

If a drowning man rejects a life jacket, he dies naturally. But in this analogy, God is not simply allowing natural consequences—He is actively creating the rules of salvation and punishment. If He designed the system, why make rejection of the "life jacket" (Christ) result in eternal suffering instead of just letting people cease to exist?

A person who rejects debt forgiveness may face financial ruin, but they are not tortured forever. The difference here is that God’s punishment is not just "ruin"—it is eternal suffering. If a person does not believe in Christ, why is the only alternative infinite torment rather than a neutral consequence?

Choosing between light and darkness assumes all people have a clear and equal understanding of the truth. But people are born into different religions, cultures, and beliefs. Why would a just God punish people who never had a real chance to know Him? If He truly desires everyone to be saved, why make the system so ambiguous and dependent on specific religious knowledge?
Saying hell is simply "separation from God" does not remove the problem—it reinforces it. If God is the source of all goodness, then punishing people by removing His presence is deliberately inflicting suffering. A loving God would not say, "You are free to reject me, but if you do, I will make sure you suffer for eternity." That is not free will—it is an ultimatum.

A truly loving and just God would not create a system where the only choices are worship me or suffer eternally. That is not free will; that is divine blackmail. If salvation is truly about love, then rejecting it should not result in infinite suffering—it should simply mean non-existence or a less severe consequence.
MaxInDHouse(m): 10:46pm On Feb 25
@ Nnamdipapa.
Note that the current debate with you is due to the commendation you gave Max one of Jehovah's Witnesses:

Nnamdipapa:

Max, do not descend to the levels of these people, and never let them get to you. I have noticed your interactions on NL for years and I see emotional maturity and the way you carry yourself, I have yet to see in the average Pentecostal Christian.

That post really touched their nerves just as other posts where Max has been commended in the past:

Tayorshd87:

Awesome input 💯
That's true logically

Questionnaires:

MAXINDHOUSE is The Only Reasonable Christian That I've Come Across On This Forum That Creates Discourse And Debates Without Trying To Hurt The Emotions of Others No Matter How They Don't Agree With His Philosophy.

Questionnaires:

You Are One of The Smartest Christians on Nairaland and in Nigeria At Large.

Sojourner2000:

For real... It's hard answering this when I know for sure that the God we are referring to is just an illusion that most humans chose to accept as a reality.
Anyways I wanted to commend you for the hard facts you have been dropping and how you have been tackling responses. I need people like this in real life. Everyone around me is just dumbed down

These are comments from ATHEISTS not to talk of others who are religionists.

So don't think they want to reason with you rather out of spite they are coming against you! undecided
Gabrielshow24: 10:59pm On Feb 25
Nnamdipapa:


This one is very interesting and I will attempt to address the points raised by you.

Starting with your first point, a just judge does not impose an infinite punishment (eternal damnation) for a finite crime (a lifetime of disbelief or sin). In human justice systems, punishments are proportionate to the crime. If a judge sentenced someone to eternal torture for stealing, we would call that judge unjust. So why is God just when He punishes people infinitely for a finite lifetime of mistakes or disbelief?

Moreover, if God is all-powerful, He does not need a "payment" to forgive—He could simply forgive out of mercy, as humans are expected to do. The idea that God "must" punish sin contradicts His supposed omnipotence.

Comparing God to a rejected lover fails because in human relationships, rejection does not result in eternal torment. If a woman rejects a man, she does not get sentenced to lifelong suffering; she simply moves on. A loving God would not say, "Love me, or burn forever." That is not love—it is coercion.

If a drowning man rejects a life jacket, he dies naturally. But in this analogy, God is not simply allowing natural consequences—He is actively creating the rules of salvation and punishment. If He designed the system, why make rejection of the "life jacket" (Christ) result in eternal suffering instead of just letting people cease to exist?

A person who rejects debt forgiveness may face financial ruin, but they are not tortured forever. The difference here is that God’s punishment is not just "ruin"—it is eternal suffering. If a person does not believe in Christ, why is the only alternative infinite torment rather than a neutral consequence?

Choosing between light and darkness assumes all people have a clear and equal understanding of the truth. But people are born into different religions, cultures, and beliefs. Why would a just God punish people who never had a real chance to know Him? If He truly desires everyone to be saved, why make the system so ambiguous and dependent on specific religious knowledge?
Saying hell is simply "separation from God" does not remove the problem—it reinforces it. If God is the source of all goodness, then punishing people by removing His presence is deliberately inflicting suffering. A loving God would not say, "You are free to reject me, but if you do, I will make sure you suffer for eternity." That is not free will—it is an ultimatum.

A truly loving and just God would not create a system where the only choices are worship me or suffer eternally. That is not free will; that is divine blackmail. If salvation is truly about love, then rejecting it should not result in infinite suffering—it should simply mean non-existence or a less severe consequence.
All what you are positing is based on perception - observer effect

When someone enters the event horizon of a black hole, he/she doesn't feel anything spectacular but an external observer will see the object stop even though in fact at some point in time the person has crossed into the horizon!!!

The effect of eternity is based on an observer effect.

We perceive them in that state after all there is no time!!!

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Jesus Christ Is A Reincarnation Of Isaac

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