Aaron Rodgers: How Can Anyone Believe in a God Who Sends People to Hell?

[NeoGreen]

Last edited Fri Jan 24, 2020, 12:41 PM - Edit history (1)

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/01/23/aaron-rodgers-how-can-anyone-believe-in-a-god-who-sends-people-to-hell/

Aaron Rodgers: How Can Anyone Believe in a God Who Sends People to Hell?
By Hemant Mehta, January 23, 2020

If you pay any attention to football, then you know Aaron Rodgers is both an amazing quarterback and intelligent guy. (He was a winner on Celebrity Jeopardy, too.)

About a month ago, he gave an interview to Danica Patrick for her “Pretty Intense” podcast and opened up about his religious skepticism.

He spoke about joining a Christian group when he was younger, even going on memorable missionary trips, but his priorities changed once he got to college. He also learned about other religions, and realized a lot of religious claims are equally absurd.

Then there’s this:

… I don’t know how you can believe in a God who wants to condemn most of the planet, you know, to a fiery hell. Like, what type of loving, sensitive, omnipresent, omnipotent being wants to condemn most of his beautiful creation to a fiery hell at the end of all this?

Fair question. Not an unusual one either. The concept of Hell has created many an atheist and led to countless seminary discussions. But Rodgers’ comments seem to have struck a chord, especially given the religious nature of football.

Restated:

How could you possibly experience the purported bliss of heaven when you are fully aware there are friends and family in hell 'burning' in eternal conscience torment? How much will you have to twist your internal conscientious to ignore that fact and how would that twist of conscience comport with being a good or moral person?

.

[exboyfil]

1. Fits the Republican mind set

Fu--k them. I got mine as they strum their harp.

[pamdb]

2. I'll do you one better

Who actually believes in hell? Or heaven? I mean c’mon.

[NeoGreen]

3. Some people might say...

Last edited Fri Jan 24, 2020, 12:43 PM - Edit history (1)

...something to the effect of, "it's all an aspect of the creator."...or a something-something subjective double-speak that doesn't mean anything at all.

[Major Nikon]

5. Right on que no less

It's almost as if we could write some of the replies ourselves.

[NeoGreen]

6. Yes, and we would be subject to yet another example of a...

...Vacuous Truth.

[guillaumeb]

4. How can anyone believe that Aaron Rodgers can win another Super Bowl ring?

And he makes an unsupportable claim about the Creator, and the Creator's intentions.

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. oh hai

There you are. Doin that thing you do.

[guillaumeb]

8. So you will argue that Rodgers can win another ring?

Good luck. Rodgers is still good, but SF showed how a running game and strong defense can win.

[Act_of_Reparation]

12. Nope.

I'm in Detroit territory. We're on the same page when it comes to Green Bay.

[guillaumeb]

13. I laughed when they lost.

And the Vikings as well.

[AtheistCrusader]

30. Seahawks came within about 3 inches of taking out SF, so... yeah.

[guillaumeb]

34. Lynch was out of football for approximately 18 months.

And it showed.

What was Rodgers' excuse?

[AtheistCrusader]

35. Lynch did great.

Wilson failed to prepare and call a play in time, so we got the delay of game penalty, minus five yards.
Administrative fuckup. That's on the Coach and the QB.

Edit: It was doubly infuriating, because the SAME failure to call a play problem, likely was the proximate cause for our last superbowl loss.

[edhopper]

9. It takes a whole team to win

Rodgers is better than Jimmy G, his team was not better than SF.


As for this so called unsupported claim. It is the same claim that the majority of Christians make, so you can take it up with them.

[guillaumeb]

10. Rodgers led his team, G led his.

And we know which team won. The score aside, it was not even close. You could see the body language and facial expressions on the Green Bay bench in the 3rd quarter.

As to the claim, we have competing, unsupportable claims. Perhaps Rodgers takes his claim on faith.

[edhopper]

11. do you even understand what he was saying

you comments leave doubt.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

17. Vikings fan here. Rodgers has been carrying his bag of trash team on his back for several years.

I was kind of surprised he took the contract extension. He had to know that meant he wouldn't win another ring.

I actually like him more with this interview (I do think he is one of the best QB in the NFL—just wish he wasn't in the central).

[trotsky]

14. Unlike your claims about this "creator," which are completely supported, right?

[guillaumeb]

15. Fee free to cite one instance where I said that they are/were.

If you are interested in dialogue, it would be better if you did not make such unsupported claims. Ironic, is it not?

[trotsky]

16. So Rodgers' claims about your "creator" are just as valid as yours.

Thank you for confirming.

And I know that you are not interested in actual dialog, because all you do is spit in my face when I make an attempt.

[guillaumeb]

18. You made the actual, unsupported claim in #14.

And now you accuse me again of being rude. Wass it rude of you to make your unsupported claim?

[trotsky]

20. You are correct. I claim that you have made specific claims about your creator.

Now defend the claims you've made. For Koresh's sake, don't you ever get tired of humiliating yourself?

[Major Nikon]

19. The examples aren't that hard to find

Pretty much every time he mentions “Creator” it’s in absolute terms.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1218268107

In other words, it’s perfectly OK to make a completely unsupportable claim about what the “Creator” does, but when someone speaks speculatively about what a creator does when they are using it as an example of something they obviously don’t believe in it to begin with, that’s unsupported.

The Doublethink is strong with this one.

[trotsky]

21. Indeed.

"we are created in the image and likeness of the Creator."

A distinct and specific claim which remains to this date wholly unsupported.

But that's OK for guillaumeb to do, because he applies different rules for others than he does for himself.

[Major Nikon]

22. And let's not forget any literal reading of the bible he doesn't like is wrong

Because he understands the original meaning of the totally anonymous authors and to prove it he will scour the googles to find some obscure reference from an irrelevant interweb author that happens to kinda sorta agree with him. Yet any other interpretation readily accepted by billions of adherents to Abrahamic religions over a millennium is just flat wrong because like everyone else they just don't understand. Eventually his claim of 'just stating his opinion' starts to look a lot more like a sermon where any dissent is forbidden.

[trotsky]

23. Well the literal readings he likes aren't literalism, you see.

That's one of his go-to insults whenever someone mentions a bible verse he doesn't like.

[Major Nikon]

24. Almost sounds like that makes him a "decider"

Oh wait, since he likes using that term as a pejorative that can't possibly be correct unless he's a complete hypocrite.

[trotsky]

25. He's a choir of one, I guess.

With an invisible fan club clapping along.

[guillaumeb]

33. Are you unaware of the concept of an opinion piece?

Or must each separate post that any make here be so labelled?

[gibraltar72]

26. As a recovering Evangelical

my respect level went up a bunch for Mr. Rogers.

[FiveGoodMen]

27. My folks had an answer for that

Since we were born such sinful, unacceptable pieces of shit, a GOOD and LOVING god had no choice but to send us to hell.

Burning to death was just too good for us.

[stewrat]

28. The great Universalists Hoseau Ballou, John Murray and others tackled this question

and argued that sin is finite, but Gods love is universal therefore, salvation is universal and that all Sinners will be restored to God. Not sure when they get restored, it might be a while depending on the nature of their sins I guess.

[NeoGreen]

29. Sure...

...they should tell that to the people who are "burning in eternal conscience torment".

But your post doesn't answer the fundamental question that arises from the purported afterlife possibilities, how could you experience 'heavenly bliss' while being aware that some your friends and family are 'experiencing hell'.

What would it say about you, to be able to ignore that level of suffering?

[PJMcK]

31. How about this?

As your soul passes through the Holy Gates and you receive your wings and harp, there's a degaussing device surrounding the Gates. As you fly into Heaven, your memory is erased and you won't remember your friends and family who are no longer with you.

Hey, it makes as much sense as anything else I've heard or read.

By the way, when a soul enters Hell, they're given a pitchfork and an accordion. (Musician joke, sorry.)

[FiveGoodMen]

32. Fansplaining, pure and simple.