Hell In Church...

Well the speaker covered the topic, complete with the famous Jonathan Edwards sermon "sinners in the hands of an angry God", and I wanted to cry, not because the sermon/talk affected me in a positive weay, but because it was everything I don't believe about God and the Bible.

I'm no scholar, or academic, and it frustrates me that I can't put into words what I really feel the bible says on the subject, that's why I quote people like Rob Bell and others, because what they say about it I seem to resonate with, and they speak for me.

I'm really frustrated tonight, and am feeling depressed at the images that were conveyed, and the kind of God that was taught about tonight, a God where His Wrath = Anger, and a God who can cope with not just punishing, but torturing people for eternity. I can't even begin to imagine that, and it flies in the face of everything I read in the Gospels about Jesus, and why he came.

I just don't know why I can't put it into words what I believe, I know more what I don't believe.

I don't believe that God is angry with the whole of humanity until they sign a decision card for Him.

I don't believe that God will torture people for eternity even if they didn't trust Him.

I don't believe that God's Justice demands that he defend His honour in a kind of macho way.

I don't believe that the whole point of God's Wrath is to destroy and annihilate.

I don't believe that the whole point of Jesus coming was just for personal salvation of people from hell.

I don't believe that adhering to Christianity in and of itself is what God is looking for.

I don't believe that all other faiths/religions are direct from the Devil, and have no elements of truth in them.

I don't believe that I have all the answers either.

I'm so depressed.

It seemed like I was the only one who disagreed with what was said about Wrath, and Holiness, and Jesus' work on the cross. I feel so isolated in my beliefs, like I'm a major heretic and everyone thinks I need to be "corrected". I found myself without even realising shaking my head tonight at various points, I hope people didn't notice.

*sigh* I'm off to bed.