Hell...O PETER DOT COM

So there's a bit of controversy in "Christian" circles at the moment. And if the dudes advocating universalism are right I would like to place a complaint with hellopeter.com.

My complaint is "why do I get up every day and try live a 'different' life? Why do I go to church? Why do I give up my time, talent, treasure? Why?! if I can get to heaven on the free pass they are handing out?"

If they ARE right then I have no need of a Saviour because punishment may only last 3 days... or punishment may not happen... They support these ideas with saying stuff about the word "eternal" used when describing "eternal damnation/punishment" was the same word Jonah used to describe how long he was in the giant fish... which was 3 days...

So because Jonah said "I was in the fish for an eternity" they use that for one of their "facts" or "truth points" for saying eternal separation from God (hell), might only last 3 days.

The say that God can't be both loving AND condemn someone to hell... Now... I guess you could say that they are kind of right... But ONLY because it is not God who condemns someone to hell... the way you end up in "hell" is by turning your back on God and denying Him... So God doesn't do the condemning, the person's actions do the condemning.

My uneducated (in theology) mind understands Christianity as follows:

1. God was kicking it in the garden with Adam and Eve.
   He had given them pretty much the run of the place with only ONE thing they should avoid eating.


2. They kinda only half listened to God (seems to be standard human practice) and ate from which they were not allowed to partake.


3. Sin entered the world and the need for redemption, salvation and other shins arose.


4. For sin to be removed or for you to attain absolution (shins everywhere...) or be clean of sin there had to be a price paid. In the old testament this was the slaughter of animals etc.


5. John 3:16 - God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus] so that those who believe would not perish [suffer eternal damnation, hell] but have eternal life.

The reason that a price needed to be paid for sin is because God is just and righteous. He detests sin.

Our pastor gave a really good metaphor/example of how this could be described. Say you are working on the plumbing and getting covered in muck and whatever other junk comes out of the pipes. You are stinky and stuff. You go up to your significant other and say "give us a hug then"... said significant other will tell you to clean off before she will have anything to do with you. The same way God feels about us when we get "dirty" with sin.

Now... if we don't really have to worry about going to hell...or that hell might only last 3 days... then we have no reason to clean off... we can just roll around in the mud and stay dirty. And points 3,4,5 in my little list don't really count... Then Jesus came to earth for nothing... and the old testament was written for fun because it basically sets the scene for Jesus to arrive and helps show us WHY we need Jesus.

ERROR...ERROR...CANNOT COMPUTE.

I cannot believe that God would send His Son to earth to suffer and die for world's sin for fun.

This universalism theology basically says anything goes and everyone can go to Heaven... which in a way is true... everyone DOES have the potential to spend eternity with God... but they need to choose it.