[Christian Engineer Mass]

"In my view, a good religion is one in which its practitioners understand that a person cannot force another to honestly and wholeheartedly embrace any particular belief system. True faith can only be achieved of one's own free will, devoid of coercion, bribery or any other illicit act.

Secondly, no good religion systemically endeavors to punish people for not embracing it. If one truly believes that one's faith is the only means by which one may enter into the kingdom of God, such a person would necessarily pity a non-believer, and one does not punish those for whom one has sympathy.

Lastly, no practitioner of a good religion would seek to openly demean, degrade or defame the good religion embraced by another, even though one may strongly disagree with the latter's method of worship."

The first point is true according to biblical principles.

The rest is simply creating a god to suit yourself.

He openly claims to not "know the motives or methods of our creator", and yet proceeds to define the intents and purposes of that creator as a feelgood worldview that he chooses to ordain.

It's the oldest religion in the book. It's put-your-idol-on-the-shelf-&-call-it-god religion.

[Buggman]

Thank you, I was thinking of posting a reply myself, but you've done a far better and more succinct job than I would've.

Shalom

[DARCPRYNCE]

“The rest is simply creating a god to suit yourself.”

Nonsense. I wasn’t talking about God, I was talking about religions and the people who embrace them. Do you believe a religion is good which has, as a built-in mechanism, a means for punishing all non-members of the faith?

Secondly, explain to me the goodness inherent in demeaning, degrading or defaming other religions that neither do nor wish harm to you or your faith?

Again, these things have absolutely nothing to do with what God may or may not think, since I have stated clearly that I do not claim to know God’s mind. My points pertain to the behavior of PEOPLE and their religious organizations.

[Vanders9]

This all sounds very reasonable, but that is the problem. When will people realise that one cannot be neutral about spiritual things? If I believe my viewpoint of God to be true, how can I possibly admit that a different viewpoint has validity without undermining my own belief? I mean, I’m perfectly prepared to admit that ones attitude to people who have strayed off the path in one way or another should be respectful, but I dont see any virtue in sugaring the pill by refusing to tell them that they are wrong.

[Bellflower]

It's the oldest religion in the book. It's put-your-idol-on-the-shelf-&-call-it-god religion.

And not have any responsibility towards worship nor commitment to God which is actually rather insipid.