Much the same as when a poor shop owner condemns himself to a kneecapping when he refuses to be a fence for the Mafia.

i don't see why i should have to respond to such a statement. no one i care about or who cares about me would say such a thing, so it would be a stranger. if it was face to face i would probably just smile and turn away and ignore the person, unless i was stuck with him/her or was in pissy mood to start with, in which case i would inform that person that there was no such place as hell but there was such a thing as being a rude person who should mind his/her own business.

but i would never ask anyone why a good god sends people to hell, to begin with. i don't just disbelieve in a good god. i disbelieve in any and all gods. i don't see what goodness has to do with it. so i would never receive such an answer anyway.

g

I would laugh in their face and walk away.

Victim blaming is a classic dodge. It's like telling a woman she got herself raped.

One of mine is how do you believe in a 'loving god' who uses infinite punishment for a finite mistake? I also don't think that living for an eternity, how ever that can be defined, sounds very interesting.

I do not dignify their fairy tales with my time. If they choose to believe in such silliness, then that is their choice.

I would say that isn't true because their god is the creator of such a place and the developer of a ridiculous plan that sends people there.

If this god did not want people to go to hell, it would not have created it.
Side note: it was Christianity that perfected the idea of hell. The Jews didn't, and still don't, believe in it.

And, what kind of loving god could even imagine such a horrible place. To punish beings that exist for a wisp of a moment, when compared to eternity, to an existence of eternal punishment, because they did not believe in it or the right things about it, is evil beyond measure.

I would question the person to death. Starting with: "WHY would I do a fool thing like that?" Let's go a couple of rounds.

Their answer: Because you are supposed to OR you just would.
My question: Who says?
Their Answer: God says.
My question: What happens if you don't believe in god any more than you believe in Santa?
Their Answer: God will make you do it.
My question: I thought you said that I would just do it myself. You did say that, right?

Ha ha! So if one can choose to be in heaven or hell, why the dickens do we need God, anyway? Our choice rules! We can just send ourselves to happy land...

Tell them that they are wasting their lives pretending that they believe something that they cannot touch, feel, see or hear.

If a deity cannot prove themselves, why would anybody rationally believe in it?

Im already in hell

Great. I'm fine with that if you are down for a challenge.

You could point out that saying something like that is simply disingenuous, denying the "fact" (according to his/her beliefs) that God does, in fact, damn people to Hell. Devout Christians don't really concern themselves with logic seriously, though, and many seem to not even understand why it is important to try to think critically and honestly. So many people feel, so much more than they think, about many things.

I tell them fine -- that's where all the cool, intellectual, and party people are. Good luck! Your heaven sounds completely boring.

Better to not engage with that question in the first place. Much like any "ethical based question," they will be able to rationalize what they think is "right." So if a loving god sends you to a place of eternal torment, it is your fault. They won't hear why you think hell is b.s., only that you are challenging something they "know" to be true. Even if you engage them in a hypothetical that reflects their god and hell, but you use a different thing to show how silly it is, and they get it, they won't be able to connect that back to their godhead because theirs is all good and all loving and all that and 2 bags of chips. If it is beyond our understanding, then it is our fault for not understanding. Just agree to disagree and not worry about that topic with them if you value the friendship.

Hi B.

I would ask any religious person if they believe in a Loving God. If they say yes, then counter with the question, why did He invent disease which kills innocent men, women and children indiscriminately?

I have three diseases which I really think make the point.

1. Ebola Virus - Nasty virulent disease which makes you bleed everywhere!

2. Zika Virus - Infects mothers-to-be and deforms their unborn children so much they will never learn to walk, talk, or even hold up their tiny heads!

3. Flu Bug - Spread by breathing infected air. Killed over 100 Million people in 1918. It is still with us in many forms and could rear its ugly head at any time.

This is just one reason why I am an Atheist. But it is my most potent argument against a loving god. Gives one something to think about. If there is a Supreme Being, I want nothing to do with it. He/She is a bastard that kills us at random without cause.

Good Luck B.

Allan

I'd laugh more than likely.

I would tell them that the flow of time is an illusion, what was still is and what will be already is. Therefore, eternity is now and we make it heaven or hell. So, live in the moment and make it heaven not hell.

Have a nice day!

"I'll take that chance. The odds of my being wrong about this are so infinitely small that it is worth the risk."

The question you should ask is, "How can a truly loving God create a hell?"

The flawed reasoning behind the "send yourself" answer is that you are sending yourself because of your disobedience. Apparently a biblical command not to mix fabric does not apply here because of cherry picking, but not doing a stern thing that god said is the problem. In the garden god said "do not eat of" and they did eat. Oops! That did it. You're done! Believers all know that a loving god would not send you to hell so they have to invent some way that you did it. Remember that god created mankind with a flaw and wanted to blame them for it from the beginning. All god had to do was change his rules. To make us reliant on him from the start he clung to his perfect plan of getting us all here through incest. This plan was used a second time after Noah's flood. Such is the wisdom of god that we really do need him in order to be clean and pure. This is why he got that teen girl pregnant and sent us Jesus.

Try that one on them and if they say it sounds crazy tell them it sounds that way to you also.

Ask them if they are self exile???

If you judge on a criteria based on Imaginary beings and places, how would one define their sanity as an adult???

biblically speaking there is no hell that is eternal torment or punishment,the original manuscripts refer to just a grave,sheol (hebrew) Hades (greek).so their fears come from doctrine not the bible,besides its their problem not yours my dear.

Hell doesn't exist in the bible, it's a made-up story to make people obedient through fear. Then there's the simple proof that if god made hell and god doesn't exist there can be no hell. And if god is all loving,all merciful, all forgiving then why did he invent hell to punish people for eternity?