Poor Apologetics 3: God is Just

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The Theist's Argument:

Anyone who debates Christianity for very long is going to come across the subject of Hell. One of the most common arguments that you'll hear, from Christians, is that Hell is required in order for God to be just. Because a judge who let off guilty people would be a bad judge, and God isn't a bad judge.

As the merciful, wonderful, creator of the world, God is also "perfectly just;" so therefore he is required to punish evil doers and to reward righteousness.

Or at least that's the claim.


Why They Use This Argument: (What they believe)

That makes sense to Christians because we have people in this life who do bad things, we know that. And there are people who get away with it. That is just an unfortunate truth.

There are people who will do bad things in this life who will never get caught, and will never be punished while they're living for the things that they did.

To the Christian, the idea that God will punish them in the afterlife makes them feel a little bit better.


The Rebuttal:

But, you see... that idea doesn't really mesh with Christian theology. Because, the fact is, you could do horrible, horrible, nasty things in this life, accept Jesus on your deathbed, and just never be punished at all - not in this life or the next.

You can murder someone, you can rape someone, you could steal, all of which are completely forgivable if you just ask God nicely and believe the right story before you die.

Justice demands that the same crimes warrant the same punishment, regardless of who commits them.

Christians aren't punished for anything.
Non-Christians aren't forgiven for anything.

The only sin, the only crime, that can't be forgiven when you're dead - is the crime of not being Christian.

That's it.

If you are a Christian, and you believe in God, and you believe in Jesus, and you're in the right denomination -- whatever YOUR particular requirements happen to be for YOUR particular beliefs, if you meet those it doesn't matter what the Hell else you've done. You're going to be forgiven for everything.

However, if you fail to meet even one of those criteria, you will be held responsible for everything.

Which means the only thing that matters is if you're a Christian. (Replace the word "Christian" with "Muslim" and the argument against Allah being a "just God" is exactly the same.) That is the one, and only, sin that will get you sent to Hell -- Failure to Christian.

When God looks in the book of life it's going to be:

Are you a Christian?
Yes. - Good.
No. - Go to Hell.
Yes. - Good.
No. - Go to Hell.

That's it.

It doesn't matter if your worst crime was jaywalking once when you were twelve, or if you were a serial killer. The punishment is the same, the sentence is the same, because the sin - Not Being Christian - is the same.

The whole idea of "justice" can be thrown completely out the window. What this is, is a membership.

You go to church, you buy your way into the membership. You buy your way into Heaven. If you're not paid up on your dues, then when you die - you get sent to Hell. Just for being a non-member.

So you can stop using the "justice" argument, because justice has absolutely nothing to do with it.

If Christians are forgiven for everything, and non-Christians are not forgiven for anything, then salvation is determined by membership and has nothing to do with justice.

Punishing an innocent person so a guilty one can go free is NOT an example of justice.

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