how beautiful are you on a scale of 1 to me

well i can assure you that if you were made in my image you are prob one hot mama, no matter what you do or do not believe 

Personally, I don't think atheism qualifies you to go to hell---I thinking that it may actually be harder for a person to get into hell than to get into heaven.

Mathew, Chapter 7, verses 12-14

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in there at:

Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

I can imagine an atheist meeting God in heaven and exclaiming, "Wow, you're the guy that I've been looking for all my life but I never knew who you were until just now."


This post was edited by tom jackson at June 30, 2019 12:47 PM MDT

Interesting.
I've always wondered whether, if there was a god, he would bless and accept people who had lived an ordinary and morally good life but without faith.

Mathew, Chapter 10, Verse 32-33

"Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men,
him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 
But whosoever shall deny me before men,
him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

I don't profess to know everything and quite often will admit I know very little
but I think in the context of biblical scripture it is a risky proposition for us
to spend a life denying and not accepting God and shuning any faith
only to expect upon reaching an afterlife to find him willing to accept us.

I couch this response within the scriptures of my Christian faith all the while realizing that there are many different people with varying beliefs.  I wouldn't presume to decide for God what he might or might not do.

I just subscribe to the biblical teaching that its not enough to just "Be Good".  We are not saved by our own works, lest any man should boast.  We are saved by belief.  "...whosoever believes should not parish but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16)  It fails to say whomever does a lot of good.

I hope at least some of this made sense.
I'm not always so sure of myself. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at June 30, 2019 12:34 PM MDT

I agree that "in the context of biblical scripture it is a risky proposition for us
to spend a life denying and not accepting God and shuning any faith
only to expect upon reaching an afterlife to find him willing to accept us."

But I do not see it as a declaratory judgment, more like a warning sign.

Try imagining God (if He exists) to be at least as good as the best human person you know---and then consider (by human standards) His insane generosity toward us humans.

I think the greatest danger in being an atheist is the opportunity cost of not believing in a God (and I believe in the Abrahamic God---He's the most interesting).

The old Baltimore Catechism said our purpose on earth was to know, love, and serve God and then to be happy with Him in heaven.

St Thomas Aquinas was supposedly asked by Christ what he desired.  Aquinas's answer was, "I will have Thyself."  (He knew we were made for God and would not rest until we rested in God.)

So you may not know God, but you can still love what He stands for; and we always serve Him, knowingly or unknowingly.

And like Meatloaf sings, "Two out of three ain't bad."   

Huge Giggles!!!!

LOL!  One would have to giggle.  Who could possibly take that song seriously, or take me seriously for that matter. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at June 28, 2019 5:03 PM MDT

You're right!  Even your name makes me smile!
A great answer for a very happily named person with a great sense of humor!
What can I say?  It all works for me! Yipppee!!
:):)
And yes.  I am this happy on the natch. ;)