False dichotomy. Christians, as a general rule, don’t expect to understand why God does what he does.
It should also be noted that we have any number of people in the US military who have been waterboarded as part of their training. If you have any evidence that the experience has significantly changed the religious beliefs of any of these people, that would be an interesting piece of evidence in support of your argument.
He makes the same stupid point that has been done dozens of times on this MB, usually in GD.
I am reacting to the fact that there have been dozens and dozens of attempts to “reason” people out of their religious beliefs on this MB, and none has worked. There is nothing new in this OP and his approach to the subject.
My response is based on empirical evidence and the knowledge that religious belief is almost universally impervious to logic.
I agree with you with one possible exception, that God may condemn a aspect of Himself to eternal damnation but not a created being. Though sending someone to Hell for a shorter stay is within the realm of possibilities.
Any reason to assume that the OP was just talking about the SDMB and not the billions in media that is constantly assaulting every non-christian in the country?
I seem to recall a thread a year or two back where more than a few former religious people did indeed credit the arguments on SDMB for their final push to reason.
A few? And maybe what you are saying is correct, but I can guarantee you that it wasn’t accomplished as a “gotcha” type argument, per this OP.
And I’d be surprised if any of those converts were Evangelical Christians, as noted in the post I was responding to. People who take the Bible (almost) literally, and believe in hell as a place of eternal torment.
I didn’t have to seek. I know the URL off the top of my head. It’s the rest of the poor schmucks who need them that would have to seek. I did my religious duty and saved them the trouble. You should have, too, or Randy may take vengeance upon you and charge you double for your next set, for not sending more buyers his way.
This OP doesn’t claim to have any answers, and there’s a qualitative difference anyway between telling people to believe in magic and telling people to use thir fucking heads.