I'm a Christian, but also a realist and scientist, so here's some stuff to answer all the arguments that seem to keep getting rehashed here.
Argument: We wouldn't even bother to create a world, that is referred to as a vale-of-tears. Instead, we shurely will send all souls straight to the land, where milk and honey runs. Heaven, so to speak. (posted by smalltalk)
Counter: If you're going to bless everyone, where is the point in creating them, and what is the point of having a heaven anyway???
Also, when programming, I have sometimes used CtrlAltDel to start over, so that I don't have old tags and program snippets hanging around.
You seem to be assuming (I have not done it yet) --> (God would never do it.)
Sure, the argument comes apart when you simplify it, eh?
Argument: The generic one that the Bible is inaccurate compared to the world. Example: Creation.
Counter: A great deal of this was most likely written by people who had firsthand experiences of GOD HIMSELF, and wished to convey His immense power to future generations. To do this, they used pictures. For example, the book of Genesis is supposed to show that God created the universe and that He is the driving force behind the universe. NOT that the universe was created in 6 days, which isn't even an argument due to the line "For God a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day."
Argument: If God loves everyone so much why do people go to hell?
Counter: This should not be needed. It's a moronic argument. However, here goes.
Justice. A mother loves her child, but will still first instruct and then punish him\her in some way if the child e.g. breaks something or kicks the dog.
Argument: If God is so all-powerful and whatever, why does he even let there be a Hell?
Counter: Free will. Follow this carefully.
God made the angels to have free will, some rebelled.
God imprisoned them.
The rebels turned their prison into Hell.
God created humans to have free will.
Some humans choose to disobey God.
They are taking the same choice as the rebel angels, i.e. to go to Hell.
God saw that no one was or is perfect.
God sent Jesus to pay for our sins.
This is where it gets tricky. Jesus will pay for our sins, being sentenced to death for our sins (roughly equivalent to paying someone else's fine), and die, but He has already proved that death has no power over him.
Argument: It's intrinsically unfair that only those who get a chance to hear about God will go to Heaven.
Counter: Matthew 25 specifies that "On the last day of judgement, we will be measured according to our actions, not our words".
Argument: The generic one that "If God is good, he would not allow so much evil."
Counter: I've already mentioned free will. Here comes a good quote:
Remember that Satan is the Father of the Lie. He's not going to send hordes of demons running amok in downtown Manhattan killing folk left and right. He's gonna be so subtle he makes Machiavelli look like some clod with a blood-soaked mace.
There are people who willingly choose to follow Satan, most often out of ignorance. They see that a smaller price is required at first, and later cannot break out. I'm skipping the rest of their (non-) rationale here, but to the point:
Satan has servants and influence in our world.
There's another point I'd like to bring up: Loads of people call in Error As Proof Of God's Nonexistance in the bible, to prove that it must have been written by humans.
Insert sound of Homer Simpson saying
"NO DUHH!" here.
Of course the Bible was written by humans!!!!!!
I can say it this way: It's a subclause of Human Free Will that God will not interfere directly in the world, e.g. by writing Bibles for us. So stop trying to cast doubt on the main points by indicating mistakes in passages written by people trying to color history to their own advantage.
P.S. I suggest you look for Carl Sagan: The Demon-Haunted World at your local library. It has a very good section on logic, reasoning and baloney detection.
