You would have to quote me, wouldn't you Tsu, even though I 'specifically' said that my opinion was my own, and no one else's. I just don't ascribe to the whole idea that 'God/Goddess/Holy Spirit' gets 'pissed off' and punishes people. It just goes completely against the 'all-loving' God image. Either God is all-loving, and doesn't need to stoop to things like 'vengeance' and retribution, or God is vengeful and angry and will 'punish' you for being what you were created to be...human.
That's what I mean by bipolar. It's like just which God are we 'supposed' to worship? Because it simply can't be both. You can't be all-loving and all-caring, and yet vengeful and punishing at the same time. All those things are just simply at odds with each other.
There is a concept of 'sin' that is evident in religions. There are things that you are and
aren't supposed to do, and as a practitioner of your religion your supposed to understand the difference between wrong and right. Yes God does love all his followers and when they practice good morals and follow along with the ethics of their religion. However, we are still humans who have free will and can succumb to 'evil' practices that are frowned upon by God. You don't expect to be able to lie, cheat, and steal and think that God will still love you right? That's why people ask for forgiveness and repentance. That's the point that Tsu is trying to make. You can do bad things and commit sins (it's in human nature after all) but ask for forgiveness and God shall forgive you. But, you can't expect to go commit crimes such as murder (with
intent) and think God will still love you. The concept of good and evil that's been evident for thousand of years. Evil is bad and shall be punished.
That is point of Heaven and Hell. At the end of your lifetime you're judged upon your life and whether you followed the right path. If you are a good human being and are in lines with your religion, then you enter Heaven and gain eternal happiness. If you are sinful during your lifetime and upon the wrong path, then you are going to Hell for eternal damnation. God doesn't claim to love everyone but then punishing them as well. He is fair in letting you live your life the way you want and then in the end after death comes the time of judgment.
Destiny, that quote reminded me about this one joke a priest had told me once.
A scientist went up to God and said "God I don't think we need you watching over us anymore." And God responded "Oh really? Would you like to prove it to me?"
The scientist replied "Okay, how about we make a human?" and God agreed to the challenge.
So God brings up some dirt and starts making the shape of a human and the scientist is about to do the same thing and God turns to him and says "Make your own dirt first."
I'm so telling that to my friends tomorrow XD