"Giving up Hell for a Year: How it could revolutionize our relationships"

[Htom Sirveaux]

What do I mean exactly? I want to invite readers to contemplate giving up hell for a year. For one year of your life, I’m suggesting that you become a practical universalist (not a theological universalist). Live as though hell doesn’t exist. I dare you. This might transform your posture toward others in beautiful ways.

If every Christian gave up hell for a year, our relationships with nonChristians would be revolutionized. With less reason for agenda, these friendships would become mutually beneficial. We’d laugh. We’d cry. We’d play. We’d serve. We’d be authentic friends.

And here’s the ultimate authenticity test: If we knew that a nonChristian friend would never accept Christ in this life, would we still invest our lives into their flourishing? If not, then we are still allowing hell to dictate how we relate to others.

Without hell–all we have to offer people is heaven. And not some “high apple pie in the sky,” but the reality of God’s love colliding into our world as we become known for hope and healing rather than fear and manipulation. And who knows, it’s possible that some of our new friends will be curious about our faith–as we would be toward their belief system. But engaging with God would no longer be premised on rhetorical coercion, but would be the natural result of them seeing the radical, justice seeking, enemy loving, character transforming, upside-down kingdom of God flowing through our lives.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thepangeablog/2015/01/27/giving-up-hell-for-a-year/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thepangeablog+%28Blog+-+The+Pangea+Blog%29

[Cartoonist]

1. Trying hard not to barf

What a load of happy happy happy.

[Lordquinton]

7. I thought it would be something thought provoking

but it turns out it's just telling people to take a different approach to proselytizing, you know, what people are regularly told to not do around these parts.

[Promethean]

2. I have known many christians

where hell is literally all of their theology or at least all you can get them to talk about with their theology. It is part of everything they say or do. I spent a month with one who would snap at every little thing I did saying how it is of the devil or would lead me to hell because of some reason. The experience lead to me actually reading the bible since I was convinced christianity couldn't be as bad as this person made it out to be. Turns out it was actually worse, I found so many tales of unethical and outright evil people being exalted I not only understood why this person was so hostile but was actually amazed they weren't worse.

[Htom Sirveaux]

3. Have you also met others who weren't like that?

If so, how do you think that happens, that different people understand and live their beliefs so differently?

[Promethean]

8. Of course I have.

One thing people often fail to do is realize that people aren't as clueless as they often appear. Do you really think my anti-theism is some knee jerk to some bad experiences or even a single experience? I have examined the effect of religion in every circumstance it has come up and I have had the opportunity. I have been to churches, I have been to pagan festivals, I have spoken with muslims, I have spoken with hebrews, I have read tons of sacred scriptures and I have read tons of historical accounts and hypothesis'.

I don't even have such an insulting opinion of members of this board who never actually respond to the points atheists try to make here. I think they just hate us and don't respect us enough to have an honest discussion with us. This last is also not a knee jerk reaction to a single conversation. It is my conclusion after reading many conversations here.

[brooklynite]

4. If you believe in Hell today, I don't see how you abruptly stop...

Yes, you can pretend you don't believe in hell, or act like it, but you'll do so knowing you still do and will be influenced by whatever you believe the necessary steps are to avoid it.

[Htom Sirveaux]

5. I think this is partially influenced by Ryan Bell's "Year without God"

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/yearwithoutgod/about/

[brooklynite]

6. But the reality is that Ryan Bell (by that time) basically didn't believe in God...

...so living without God was pretty easy.

[edhopper]

9. I thought the percent of Christians

who believe in Hell are a very, very tiny minority.
So most Christians really believe in the whole Iron Age concept?

[Warren Stupidity]

10. Majority of Americans Surveyed Believe Heaven and Hell Exist, the Devil and Angels Are Real and God

is Not Responsible for Recent U.S. Tragedies.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/majority-of-americans-surveyed-believe-heaven-and-hell-exist-the-devil-and-angels-are-real-and-god-is-not-responsible-for-recent-us-tragedies-209383941.html

But probably just a small minority of christians , or "true christians" anyway. Or they just say that but they really believe something else. Or some other bullshit.