Via Pharyngula's random quotes. Really think about that. You've got a bunch of people who honestly can't think of any reason to be moral beyond fear of punishment or hope of reward from some invisible sky daddy, and you're stuck on a cloud with them for longer than all of human history.Xianity HAD to invent hell. The smarter Jews of the time were beginning to figure out what it would be like to spend eternity with religious fanatics, and the Xians needed to invent someplace worse. They failed.
[Brent Yaciw, 1995]
My mother, during a mini-crisis, suddenly found great relief in the thought that she wouldn't be spending the next illion years hanging around with fire and brimstoners.
2 comments:
I was jess thinkin' o' postin' on one of PZ's insta-quotes as well. Maybe tonight.
You're Mom sounds like a cool woman! Good for her.
Unfortunately, historically speaking, Christians didn't invent Hell. Zarathustra did, though he may have borrowed some component of the idea from the Indians. It comes to the Mediterranean largely through the prophet Mani (cf Augustine) and the Rabbinic tradition of Judaism.
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