Someone once said that: ' Christianity is based on fear i.e the fear of death, of devil, and of hell'. Is Preaching about grisly depictions of the endless horrors and sufferings people(both young and old) would be subjected to if they don't live good Christian life, a way of victimizing people(mainly young people), and luring them to christianity? Is it really true that this is an attempt to whip the flocks into line through threats?...
How can we fear the devil when Jesus Christ has conquered the devil? How can we fear death when Jesus Christ has conquered death? And how can we fear hell, when Jesus Christ has made the way for us(by dieing for our sins)? We being followers of Christ, not having only accepted Him, but also following Him and doing His will, and enforcing(not the harsh way;its in love) His will here on earth(Just as He told us to preach the good news to all nations), thus we are now heirs of God and Joint heirs with Christ, He being the hope of our glory, and thus heaven is our home(therefore, we being assured of eternal life with Christ, how can we fear hell?). Not only that, when Jesus christ was leaving this world, He said to His disciples/followers, that ''..All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth...'' This same power has Christ given unto His followers to conquer all things(Including the devil, death, and hell). Also, it is said by St. Paul in 1Tim 6:12 that ''Fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life..''.
Christains have great benefits like eternal life, and protection, among others, and is it so bad to call others to order, so that they also can be saved and enjoy these things(but not really for the sake of things to be enjoyed, but that their souls may be saved(saved from salvery of sin,tricks of the devil, and hell)(as the soul is the most important part of the body, for after death, the soul lives on, but where?)?. Therefore, personally, I dont think that preaching on these stories of endless torment is victimization, as in one way, this is among the things that touch people's heart(and calls them to order). Would like to remind us that the term 'Christians' started when the Disciples of Jesus were being called so, why?, because they were living a Christ-like life; thus Christianity is not to be taken in the perspective of a religion or a belief, but rather as a way of life(i.e a personal relationship between the creator(God) and the created(Man)(You can refer to 'Knowing God Personally'), remembering that when God wanted to create man,He said that ''Let us create man in our Image and Likeness'',i.e. He wants us to be like Him(this is part of the reason why Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth, to show a perfect example of how God wants us to be.
To christains out there; when you preach, do so in love. The lord has not given us the spirit of fear, dont condemn anyone, rather, enlighten them, and become their life examples, (like St. Paul said that ''we are the epistle(Bible) that people(around us) read'' . Thanks, and feel free to share your thoughts. God bless you.
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