Why the threat of Hell fails to motivate good behavior.

Why the threat of Hell fails to motivate good behavior.

What if I believed with everything in me that a literal Abrahamic Hell existed. I would hope that I would spend as much time studying Abrahamic theology as I have psychology, if not more. I would hope that I would make it a primary focus in my life to walk in the footsteps of a God I serve and be the best demonstration of my theological principles as humanly possible. I would also like to think this would lead me to become the best version of me possible.

An inconvenient reality.

Billions of people believe and have believed in the God of Abraham for thousands of years in the case of Judiasm and Christianity or around 1,400 years in the case of Islam. These billions of people interpret their respective religious texts in as many ways. It is unlikely that any two believers of the Abrahamic God are in complete agreement as to the correct interpretation of theistic texts. This reveals the subjective nature of religion.

We tend to interpret our religions texts in a way that makes sense to us. What many would say is the Holy Spirit moving us, I would say it more likely we are simply going with what feels right and that to connect a spirit with a feeling is a bit of a logical leap. Feelings motivate much evil in this world and simply interpreting our feelings as being a sign from Above does not mean that it is.

So why does the threat of an eternity in Hell not stop or even limit bad behavior? For many reasons. We humans suck at self assessment. Given a chance we tend to overestimate ourselves. Then there is in group out group biases that drive our hypocritical double standards that we are then oblivious to. On top of that is our tendency to trust that which confirms our beliefs over that which refutes. The list goes on and on.

Evil sees itself as not only good, but the victum of the abuse, which is then used as justification to behave in an evil way itself. Evil begets evil as the saying goes. Simply believing that we are good and/or we are on the good side does not mean that we are, even though our ego pulls us that way.

The Bible says we are all sinners or in other words evil. The problem is that we suck at self assessment and tend towards a predictable egocentrically satisfying conclusion. We turn to those like us, our own tribe to soothe us in moments of skepticism. We are told to not expose ourselves to corrupting influence all the while oblivious to the moral and ethical corruption within us and our preferred in group/s.

If there is a Hell I will surely burn in it…. along with most if not all of you. Show me one that says they have sorted themselves out to the point that Heaven is assured and I will point out their hypocrisy, immorality and self delusion.

I do not write this to piss people off, yet neither do I see utility in avoiding such delicate topics. It is important to talk about this stuff with those that we may disagree with as opposed to retreating back to the sanctuary and blissful ignorance of our in group.

 

One reason the threat of hell doesn't motivate good behaviour is because often when people engage in bad behaviour they do it thinking God approves or even demands it.

Very rarely does anybody think themself the bad guy. Even Hitler himself thought he was acting in accordance with God's will. Gott Mit uns on the belt buckles translates to God With Us. Witch burnings, gay bashing, crusades against infidels etc also spring quickly to mind.

Within Christianity, another reason hell doesn't motivate good behaviour is because Jesus is a get out of hell free card. No matter how much you sin, Jesus is your free ticket out of hell, so long as you repent later and accept him as your saviour. So why not sin all you want and just repent later?

 

because if good people go to hell, then God would be an evil person, yet Christians tell us good people go to hell

 

If you define good as God's will then God is good by definition, regardless of how brutal or nasty he may be. That's an easy out eh?

 

also many Christians believe Jesus died for our sins, so if they believe all their sins will be forgiven

 

All is One. Hence Oneness is a law unto itself, and would never condemn it-self to an eternal hell.

The illusion of separation provides the opportunity for brief 'hellish' experiences, but only should we choose such an experience for the purpose of curiosity, exploration, and adventure.

 

You guys are going to hell for this.

 

Hell is running out of coffee. I've been there. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.

 

If Jesus died for my sins, then I should sin all the time and as much as I possibly can, to increase the value of his sacrifice and bring glory to the Lord.

If we don't sin, then Jesus died for nothing. Perish the thought.

 

yep, if Jesus had to pay daddy with his life, then I suppose one would want to make it worth it

of course some say Jesus is daddy, so it gets kinda weird

 

Your premise is false .. as the threat of hell indeed motivates many to good behavoir .. just not all... mostly because folks do not believe the threat.

There is a reason why the leaders of so many societies in the past used religion to control behavior .. "Because Religion was highly successful in controling behavior"

 

If you only do good things because you don't want to go to hell, does that really make you good? Seems like it would just make you selfish.

 

A good point. Often I get asked "can you be good without belief in God", but a better question may be if you can we tell if you are good if you do hold that belief.

 

Religion motivates behavior, whether it is good or bad depends upon one’s POV. When religion is used to do evil, it is perceived as good by those doing the evil. Simply believing one’s theology promotes good in them is not evidence that it does or does not. Without an objective way to discern good from bad we are left to rely upon our emotions and tribe to tell good from bad. Unfortunately emotions often lead to false positives and false negatives and our tribe will simply reinforce our preconceived conclusions. We humans suck at such self assessments. Loyalty to theology is to wear reality skewing rose colored glasses.

 

What tools do you use to tell right from wrong and how do you know your assessments are objective and accurate unhindered by your own personal biases?

 

Good and bad are subjective by their nature.

 

I do think Christianity is illogical, but this isn't why. I'm sure many people think this so your point about behavior stands, but the catch is that the repentance must be sincere. If you think you can do whatever you want and then ask Jesus to forgive you, your worship of Jesus is not sincere because you do not seek to emulate him, only get something from him.

But yes, I think the reason hell doesn't motivate good behavior is because most of us are good because we tend to be. Our bad and destructive tendencies, to the extent they exist, stem from either ignorance (including a lack of insight due to tribalism) or a lack of discipline, but lacking discipline isn't about logic, it's an emotional impulse after insufficient preparation for a problem.

The whole concept of Hell is morally ludicrous. Nobody deserves it. Nobody could be perfect enough to avoid it without worship of Jesus according to Christianity, so all of this is just a scheme to stroke God's ego? Please. This religion cannot be correct.

 

Who told you I knew right from wrong .. and what a steaming pile of existential nonsense

 

Funny how so many 'Gods' demand a sacrifice. They never say, "Create life, cherish life, enjoy life and all the pleasures & treasures it offers!"

 

There's only a couple of things that the threat of hell motivates. There are only two things that I know of that will cause God not to forgive you. That's blasphemy of the holy spirit and denial of God.

Mark 3:29
Matthew 10:33

 

Creating life as in having a child requires sacrifice. You must put that child's needs before your own. Life requires sacrifice.

 

That's not the kind of 'sacrifice' I was referring to.

 

So then you're not referring to Christianity. If you are explain what kind of sacrifice you are talking about and where in the Bible is Jesus requires it.

 

The kind of sacrifice that calls for the killing of a person and/or animal to appease some deity.

Christian doctrine promotes the idea that if Jesus was not brutally executed, no sinner would be eligible for 'heaven/everlasting life'. And Christians seem to have no problem with such a 'sacrifice' as long as they can get into heaven.

 

Does that bother you at all? Should someone experience an eternity of pain for doubting the existence of a supernatural being?