That people judge others for not agreeing with them is not commendable. Personally I love it when people do some critical thinking, that's better than blindly accepting things. That goes for Christians as well as non believers. I think that God would possibly have been happier with Adam and Eve if they had voiced some reservations towards what he commanded them to do, rather then blindly or blatantly following someone else's opinion. God is not averse towards going into discussion about his viewpoint, as for example in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
Thank you; I really appreciate this.
But, I understand why many Christians want to push the all or nothing perspective, that there is only one way of seeing things. Simply because the continuous message in scripture is that God also takes the all or nothing approach.
Sure, I can see that message in Scripture too. I also see people outside the Jewish faith being commended by Jesus, even though they don't follow God's laws, aka the Mosaic Law, which Jesus endorsed. I see Rehab in the Hall of Faith, even though it is not explicitly stated that she accepted all the Isrealits customs when she was spared. If you want to talk "all-or-nothing," what of "I will draw ALL men to Myself?"
That's because only he can give and maintain life. By definition that makes everything totally dependent upon him. So to understand his perspective on things must be vital to us, we can't afford to be liberal about it.
Well, if you take the eternal hell approach to what Jesus says, this all makes total since. However, if you begin wondering if it's just a hyperbole, then it's not so clear.
I believe that Christianity has the best road to God. I do not know if it is the ONLY road. But I find it hard to believe that God wouldn't give people a second chance to get it right. The people in hell got the Gospel preached to them when Jesus died, right? Isn't that like a "second chance?" Why weren't David, Abraham, and others in hell as well, if as well as those in hell, they had never heard the Gospel? You could say because they looked to the coming Messiah, but they "got it right" the first time around by believing in the one true God. So they didn't need a second chance, like these who never heard the Gospel. How come these who never heard the Gospel up until Jesus' day gets a chance to accept it after death, but those living today don't? There's no difference from them and those living in areas where they never hear of Jesus.
Also, unconditional Love (if you want to say God has that) and eternal damnation are just not logically compatible. If love has no conditions, then one couldn't do/not do ANYTHING to separate (eternally) themselves from that love. Another thing is that the doctrine is Jesus carried the sin of the world (or of solely the elect, depending on your doctrine), in His suffering. ALL sin. Yet, we say that if someone doesn't accept Him, they get ETERNAL suffering for ONLY their sins. What Jesus suffered is horrible, and very humbling, but even that doesn't come close to be equated with ETERNAL suffering, eternal fire - when His suffering was only what, 12 hours long?
That's why we are fortunate to have this forum. And not only that of course, we have God who said, "He that comes to me I will in no way disappoint!"
Ok, let's take this literally, since you're making a case for that. Why then, does some fall away from the faith, when He NEVER disappoints? And even Scripture can make a case against this literal perspective, is those that came to him, yet stopped walking with Him upon His preaching on the Bread of Heaven. They "came to Him," yet were disappointed, and followed Him no more.
All I'm saying is that there are logical reasons to question how the Church interprets the Scriptures. And the whole all-or-nothing perspective of Scripture - EVEN that could be debatable, as I have shown above.
God bless brother.