{"id":349,"date":"2008-07-18T05:39:53","date_gmt":"2008-07-18T05:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/conversationswithgod\/2008\/07\/does-god-punish-us-if-so-why.html"},"modified":"2008-07-18T05:39:53","modified_gmt":"2008-07-18T05:39:53","slug":"does-god-punish-us-if-so-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2008\/07\/does-god-punish-us-if-so-why.html","title":{"rendered":"Does God punish us? If so, why?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Since I’m a Muslim I should comment here. If you read the Koran, God definitely wants something from us and that is…” Thus begins a contribution on this blog to our continuing dialogue on What God Wants…
\nThis commentary, from a person posting as JenSuf, continues…
\nWhat God wants from us is to know him\/her better and to treat each with love and fairness. The reason that we should know God better is because it’s hard wired in our souls and minds to do so. The reasons for treating each other with kindness should be obvious.
\nDo non-muslims go to heaven? Absolutely! Says so in 2:62. However, plain as this verse is, radical Muslims have argued that it really means non-Muslims are going to Hell. No, really! I used to be Orthodox and quarreled with them. Now I’m a Sufi.
\nWell, my friend, that is the point that I, Neale, have been trying to make here, now isn’t it…
\nAll I have been saying is that our radical ideas about God are tearing us apart, and depicting a God who does not, in reality, exist.<\/em>
\nJenSuf continues…
\nWhat does it take to be a Muslim? Believe that there is a single God\/Creator without peer and Muhammad (PBUH) was one of his many messengers. Neale, you’re also a Muslim, my friend.
\nOh, how I would love to believe that, my friend. How I would love to believe that I am a Muslim and a Jew, a Christian and a Buddhist, a Mormon and a Ba’ha’ii, in the eyes of those who hold those faiths as their own. I already know I am in the eyes of God, but if all humankind could be that in the eyes of persons of the world’s faith traditions – that is, if we could all be seen as members of each other’s religions – most of our wars of religion would be over…<\/em>
\nJenSuf continues…
\nI’ve read “What God Wants” and though it is quite noble and had wonderful logic, there was one troubling point. You assume that all humans have a basically good nature and are motivated from that place. That is a wonderful, very noble thought. But, there are very bad people out there who would take advantage of the idealistic, good people and hurt them, without any remorse.
\nThe Sociopath has no conscious and thinks only of themselves, and the world is full of them. This is where the punishment theology is very useful. Is it a threat? Oh, yeah it is.
\nConsider though. If God is good and if God exists, would God be indifferent to human suffering? Would God care if the innocent are abused? The threat of punishment is not that bad a thing. You are right that to use it for separation theology is wrong. We’re all Brothers and Sisters of the same family.
\nI believe, as all Sufis do, that Hell is not permanent and will be emptied and Heaven filled. We all get there eventually. All of us. See you there!
\nWith Love, JenSuf
\nThank you for your commentary, JenSuf. I do not believe that there is any use at all for what you call “punishment theology.” And I do not believe that God’s theology IS “punishment based”. I believe in “correction theology,” or what you might call “growth theology.” I believe that Growth is the Process of Life Itself (some would call this, simply, Evolution), and I believe that there IS a process in place by which the soul grows…but I do not believe that this process has anything to do with “punishment.”
\nThis leads us to an interesting question JenSur. I have read your comments upon with interest. I have explored them closely. So let me ask you a question. Do you believe that Growth is possible without Punishment? What say you, JenSur?
\nOr how about you others who believe in God’s Punishment as a theology? How about you fundamentalist Christians? Do you believe that Growth is possible without Punishment? And what do you think God wants for us – punishment, or growth? Suffering, or evolution? Contraction or expansion?
\nJust wondering. JenSur? What do you think? Let’s explore. Let’s not let the dialogue drop here.
\nAll of you. Jump in. We’ve only just begun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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