To avoid putting up another extremely long post, I’d like to make general point in reply to your post as a whole, then address some specifics.
In general, your post appears to be a summary of your discontentment with your life, seeing nothing but pessimistic views and focusing only on the negative aspects. In fact, from the tone of your post it would seem that you are angry with God. Whereas I’m extremely thankful for the life I have lived and for those who have crossed my path. I have not achieved greatness nor renown. But I have been loved by many and, in returned, loved many. I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination but I have all that I could want and far more than I deserve. I am privileged to be part of a large ‘loving family’ that neither judges nor condemns me but supports and assists me whenever I fall which, sadly, is quite often. This ‘loving family’ is centred around a mutual love for One who gave everything for me. Though you claim to have ‘been a Christian’, it appears that you, sadly, did not experience this same acceptance and support. Regardless of whether it be your pessimistic outlook and experience or my thankful blessed journey, both are personal experiences which really have nothing to do with a ‘
Science and Religion’ forum and possibly better suited to another. As personal experiences, nothing from your negativity will change that which I have experienced. And, visa versa, nothing of mine appears to challenge yours. All I have to offer then is the confidence that God will provide everything needed to show His love for you but it will be up to you to accept it. Again, He will not force you nor go against your free-will choice. My prayer for you will be that you will have an openness of heart and mind to truly consider the offer before finally rejecting it.
Now to some specifics -
Still small wrote:
Tell me, DI, do wish your parents had decided not to have children? (If your answer is seriously “yes�, I’d rather continue this discussion in a PM)
It's certainly possible that my life could have turned out in a way where I wish that had been true.
Just by PURE ACCIDENT, I was very fortunate to have had a fairly nice life. Not nearly as nice as many other people, but certainly not as bad as many others as well. So we can't really go by whether or not I have enjoyed my life, because
because having a good life was PURE ACCIDENT for me. And it certainly isn't a life that my parents could have guaranteed. (Emphasis added)
These statements give me the impression that you are fatalist, having no choice in what happens to you, having no freedom to choose which path in life you wish to follow. ‘Pure luck’ has nothing to do with it unless it was pure luck as to which choice you made at various points in your life. The path of life has many forks and crossroads. Where you end up is dependent upon which choices you have made. If you are not happy with the results of your decisions, you only have yourself to blame. Where you are now is the result of past decisions, where you go from here will depend upon your future decisions.
Also, you seem to be totally obvious to the fact that when I chose not to have children I was STILL a Christian! The fact that my children might end up in this God's HELL, was a part of my decision. Why should I take part in creating "souls" by having children who might end up being cast into HELL by God?
In fact, let's go back to your claim that your children are happen to have lived. But what if after they die they all go to HELL? Then what?
And yes, I'm quite sure that you are confident that none of your children are going to hell. But isn't that kind of confidence a bit presumptuous?
Yes, I am confident that my children will not be in hell. I have guided and instructed them on the way to avoid it. But to actually do so was their decision and theirs alone.
According to Jesus only FEW will make it into eternal life. If that's the case then why in the world would you be so confident that your children are going to be among those FEW?
The particular verse I believe you are referring to is Matthew 7:14  “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.� This passage is not a limiting passage. There is no restriction on the number to enter Heaven. It is just that few will choose that narrow (strait) gate. Another verse says quite clearly - John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.�
That “whosoever� is not restrictive. It is only conditional by the path or choice made, to believe or not believe. Not doing good deeds or going to church or any other “works� but just believing that what He has done is sufficient. Couldn’t get any easier.
Yet, Christianity seems to be entirely focused on the idea that all humans are totally focused on extreme egotism and greed.
I think this may be a slight exaggeration on your part, possibly due to your thought processes spurred by anger.
I would have chosen to cut the poison tree down and burn it so that no one would ever be tempted to eat from it.
That's what I do if a poison plant is growing in my yard or garden.
The neither the tree nor its fruit were poison. It was the resulting decisions that were ‘poisonous’.
Therefore I should be sent straight to heaven with no questions asked. Never mind ancient stories about what Adam and Eve might have done. I'm not responsible for any choices they might have made. Christianity is an ignorant religion. It amazes me how many people will fall for a story that they are somehow responsible for choices that some idiots made some 4 or 6 thousands years ago. (Emphasis added)
You are correct, you should not and will not be held responsible for the choice of Adam and Eve. The only choices to which you will be held accountable are your own.
Shouldn't the real question be, "What would YOU have done?"
Exactly, what would I have done? Well, I may not have eaten from that tree but being human, not doubt I would have made a selfish choice at some point. Romans 3:23  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;�. I am no angel, I have made my fair share of stuff ups in my life, hence the reason God knew He’d have to come up with the payment, which He willingly and lovingly provides.
Where did you come up with this absurd idea? It certainly didn't come from me.
Nowhere did I ever suggest that parents should give their children anything they want regardless how they behave. In fact, my position is quite the contrary. I think parents should teach children the value of earning and obtaining everything they want via their own resources.
And what if the child is too lazy to do things for himself or would rather do it his way rather than the right way?
Still small wrote:
This God drowned out the vast majority of sinners on planet earth. And again, it was a totally useless act as according to the Bible mankind is just as bad today as they were at the time of the flood.
No, it’s just God clearly showing mankind, that on their own, regardless of how hard they try, their decisions, their choices will always fall short of God’s standard required for the removal of the separation.
Again, that's not what the story says. These are false apologies made up by apologists over the centuries who have realized that the stories cannot hold true as written, so they pretend that they are stories about something entirely different.
It is no different to a surgeon making a decision to amputate a limb which is gangrenous to enable a person to continue living. Or do you consider that to be ‘absurd’, ‘ignorant’ and ‘barbaric’?
This religion is a false religion created by authoritarian men who demand that you respect the authority of their man-made God. And if you dare to disrespect their garbage religion they will hold that over your head proclaiming that you are disrespecting God himself and refusing to cower down to HIS authority!
Don’t know which church or sect you were apart of when you were supposedly ‘a Christian’ but I answer or bow down to no man nor their rules. I answer to God and God alone. I base my life upon Jesus Christ’s summation of the ten commandment, Mark 12:30-31 “(30) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (31) And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.�
And when I fall short, I ask God to forgive me and give me the strength, will and understanding to continue. How would following these two simple ‘rules’ be bad for society?
Yet Christianity is a false man-made religion that condemns everyone who refuses to support its barbaric ignorance. It's basically a religion of a threat of condemnation that can only be avoided by JOINING and SUPPORTING the religion itself.
The only way to avoid the condemnation of which you speak is by freely accepting what Someone else has done for you. That’s it. End of story. Joining a religion, performing all kinds of rituals, etc, does nothing for avoiding it. Nah nah, zilch, zip. Nor does it state you MUST do these things. In fact, that is probably a clear point against the idea of the Christian faith being man-made. (Faith as opposed to religion - faith is a set of beliefs, religion is a set of rules and, yes, usually man-made. I hold to the Christian faith, not a religion.) Yes, if the Christian faith was man-made, it would, no doubt, contain all sorts of conditions, works to perform and dues to pay. The Christian faith requires nothing more than believing and accepting what Someone else has already done for you.
So don't be telling me that there's a God who gives us everything we need. There's simply no evidence to support that superstitious claim.
Well, that was His original offer but it was rejected by those who wanted to go it alone. But He has promised to restore the original offer for any who want it.
Well, it turned out to be a rather long reply anyway but as stated earlier, we are both relating personal experiences which cannot be nor should be part of a Science forum. Maybe we should just agree to disagree until the ‘final moment’, then we’ll compare notes.
Have a good day!
Still small
