Love God…. or Else??? Really??

#LoveGodOrElse Mo Thomas refers to the threat of hell as eternal conscious torture for not returning God’s love is a manipulative, fear-based behavior modification scheme that is currently passed off as mainstream Christianity’s underlying motivation for salvation. He goes on to state, “God’s love may be preached often from the pulpit, but the steady undercurrent is the torture that we’ll avoid by choosing Him.It’s a counterfeit, abusive love if the God who wants a deep relationship with people is the Same One who creates and sustains a horror chamber of endless unthinkable suffering for anyone who doesn’t respond to His love. It can’t EVER produce authentic intimacy, and it won’t EVER allow a person to experience true freedom. “

Why??

Because this view of “hell” paints God’s CHARACTER as one who oversees most of humanity throughout history suffering in horrific agony with no hope of repentance, restoration, or relief…while He sustains them in existence for the sole purpose of watching them be mercilessly tortured. And those fortunate favored few who choose Him get to enjoy the experience of having friends and family members in excruciating torment – FOREVER – while they themselves bask peacefully in blissful existence. I say “No Thank You” to the deity across many religions that says “Love me back, or suffer endlessly!!” This isn’t because I simply don’t like what scripture teaches, and am dismissing it – it’s because my soul, and every soul, craves True Love, and this model falls hopelessly, infinitely short in calling it forth. From a natural, psychological perspective… genuine love under this model is simply impossible, and our deepest soul knows it. But somehow when we assign the term “God,” our brains play a compassion-draining psychological game to allow us to believe that deep, abiding intimacy is possible with the Potential Eternal Torturer of you, your family and your friends. There are other, faithful ways to interpret scriptures regarding this, as many more are discovering, and as I discovered after years of study, along with a few amazing experiences with… Abba.We have to rethink our understanding of the Gospel in light of the revelation that Christ gave us regarding His Abba Father – the Good News for ALL people, not Good News IF and only IF – and consider carefully the eternal portrait of God that our message is painting. After all, it’s THIS God that we’re sharing with people, And it’s THIS Godthat we’re asking people to follow. “God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.””Love will never invoke fear. Perfect love expels fear, particularly the fear of punishment. The one who fears punishment has not been completed through love.”

Selah.