>I wonder why you presume I have ulterior motives for wanting you
>to participate in a Christian chat room.  

I'm sorry, did I say you had ulterior motives? I meant only to ask why you
were bothering to invite me to chat when your behavior 
had been -- or so it seemed to me at the time -- rather evasive.

However, you have now partly addressed the issue which you 
were until now quite unwilling even to mention, let alone face 
up to (or so it appeared from here). Thanks. I really was curious 
to know whether or not you were one of the more monstrous 
christians who derive pleasure from thoughts of people hurting 
and eternally imprisoned without hope of parole.


>Regarding hell.  People going to hell is not something I look 
>forward to, and I think you know that.

As it so happens, I am not a mind reader -- so unless and until
you respond to a question, I cannot make any legitimate 
presumptions regarding what your answer to it might be. 

There are others who have expressed delight in the idea of 
nonbelievers being tortured and suffering forever in excruciating 
pain. How am I to know you are not one of them, unless you take 
the time to answer? They share your theology, after all. This is 
why I took the time to ASK, because I do not like to presume. 


>I don't like people murdering other people either.  I don't like 
>people committing adultery either.  I don't even like it too much 
>when people lie.  But you see, I'm not in control of other people 
>and the choices they make.  

All those are choices that hurt people, and I understand why 
you do not like them. Do you think that torturing people in hell 
is different? You just compared your god to a murderer, an
adulturer, and a liar! You make it sound like you worship some
kind of dictatorial monster who condemns others for crimes 
only to commit the ultimate crime of an Infinite Holocaust, 
torturing all those who do not believe the correct religion.

>God gave everyone a choice to believe and have their sins 
>forgiven by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ or not to believe.  

And if they do not believe in such silly make believe, then you 
would approve of TORTURE? 

I mean, really: Do you approve of hell or don't you?



>We have reached an impasse in that I believe and you do not.  

A superficial difference. You don't believe in Santa Claus, and 
I don't believe in any gods. We both fail to believe in hundreds 
of things, and in that we are very much alike.

No, the difference that makes a difference is this:

You seem to approve of torturing anyone who does not believe 
as you do. I think that is barbaric and cruel.


>I have shared with you the truth and that's all I can do.  

If it were really the truth, then you could provide evidence
that a god exists outside imagination. Since all you have
is ancient superstitions and make believe, you are fooling 
yourself with the belief that it is supposedly "the truth."
It is nothing more than your religion, a religion on fire from
the flames of hell.


>I cannot make anyone believe who does not want to.

Why not be honest with yourself, and simply say that you 
cannot present any evidence to support your religious
fairy tales? 

Evidence DOES convince people, even people who do not 
*want* to believe. I don't *want* to believe that a boy threw
two infants off a sixth floor balcony to their deaths, but the
evidence gives me no choice. So you see that the problem 
is not with the person whom you are trying to convince. No.
The problem you are experiencing is simply due to your utter
lack of evidence that your god is anything but make believe,
and a horribly cruel version of make believe at that!


>Peace, love and joy to you and yours,

Until your god tortures most of them in hell, right? 

I don't know how you can sleep at night, unless you just block 
all thoughts of your hellish beliefs from your mind in a refusal 
to face the logical consequences of the cruel dogmatism that 
you falsely call love.

May you one day discover what love really means.

Robert Curry
St. Petersburg, Florida