Shouldn't most religious people in theory be excited to die because then they get to experience the afterlife?
Shouldn't most religious people in theory be excited to die because then they get to experience the afterlife?
esp if you're one of the devout ones who think they've been really good
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The good afterlife is only available to them if they have been "good people" while alive, and dying early is not being a "good person". Also, after their death, they supposedly get "judged", and everybody is going to worry about the X number of "sins" that they did during their life that might end them up in hell.
That's not true even for all of Christianity, let alone all religions...
For example orthodox Christians believe everyone goes to heaven, and that we are all bathed in unconditional love from God. Hell is finding yourself unworthy of that love because of how you lived.
Orthodox Christians believe that everyone has sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, that the punishment for sin is death, Jesus is the only way to The Father and the way or forgiveness of sins. It's not everyone. If everyone went to heaven that would mean sin would go unpunished.
Punishment is a part of catholic dogma, and makes no sense if you think of God as absolutely good and loving.
If we have allowed our hearts to be purified, then God’s presence will be healing, joyful, and life-giving. If we refuse God’s healing embrace, then His love will burn like fire, “for our God is a consuming fire” (Deut 4:24, 9:3, Isa 33:14, Heb 12:23)
Everyone is sinful and deserves hell. Forgiveness is through Jesus.
You don't see any cognitive dissonance with that statement coming from an absolutely good and loving being?
He does love, which is why He died for us.
Absolutely good and Absolutely just.
Not absolutely loving. Source: Bible
"I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated." Malachi 1
Here's an alternative translation of those verses from NLT:
I loved your ancestor Jacob, but I rejected his brother, Esau
But I don't know any Hebrew and only a few words of ancient Greek, so can't comment on how accurate it is.
Besides that, the perception of God is vastly different between the testaments:
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9
1 John 4
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
Matthew 5:43-45