Seriously. If there wasn't a threat of eternal damnation for those who reject Jesus then Christianity wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is today.
Take it from an ex-Christian, the Christian religion is built on fear mongering principles and is systematically designed to instill that fear into those that don't believe in it, so that the unbeliever will be coerced into thinking twice about what happens next after death as that dreadful panic sets in him about possibly ending up burning for eternity. All because Christianity takes a gamble on the "unknown" meaning "the next."
And so the question will be forced upon you which is "do you as an unbeliever want to take a gamble on the unknown and possibly be wrong about what comes next?" So you might as well play it safe and "be a Christian." Yes, this is the psychologicall tactic Christianity will play on you and is designed to do so. But I suspect Islam is constructed very similarly to do the same as well. It's just that Christianity has more followers still and perhaps because it does a much better job at doing that to people.
Oh my god, you really hit the nail on the head with your OP, Only Reason. What you said in your OP is a perfect description of what Christianity was like for me during the 30 years I was a Christian and also for the years before I became a Christian too. I've talked about what the fearmongering tactics of Christianity were like for me and the emotionally devastating impact they had on my life in some of my posts. I remember fearing the wrath of God to the point of making myself physically sick. I lived in constant fear of God striking me down dead at any moment. I was afraid of God's wrath; I was afraid of disobeying God; and I felt a deep shame and guilt for sinning against God. I was constantly afraid of losing my salvation if I sinned against God and then I died without repenting, and I truly feared going to hell even though I accepted Jesus as my lord and savior (
Matthew 7:21–23). There was absolutely no peace and joy in my life that was promised in the Bible to the followers of Jesus. To be honest, being a Christian was an absolute nightmare for me, and I never want to be a Christian again. It took me a very long time to finally break free from Christianity and deprogram myself from all the indoctrination that I had been subjected to while I was a Christian. It was very difficult for me to detox from my faith.
I can recall most of the conflicting sermons I heard in church that varied from "God loves you and he sent his son to die for you" to "If you don't obey God's commands, then you'll suffer God's wrath and he'll cast you into hell." I remember thinking, "How can the same pastor tell me God loves me when he also tells me that if I don't obey God, he'll cast me into hell?" I'd also think, "If God loves me like the pastor says he does, then why won't he answer my prayers and stop my mom and older brother from hitting me?" or "Why won't God save me from being abused at home and bullied in school if he loves me so much?" Well, I eventually got to the breaking point when I was a teenager, and I stopped praying to God because I finally realized that there was really no point in praying to him. I finally accepted the fact that God (like my extended family, all of my neighbors, my school teachers, the pastor and congregation at church) wasn't going to save me, and I had to figure out how to save myself from the abuse and bullying if I was going to survive. Well, I found the courage within myself to confront my abusers shortly after I turned 18. I saved myself from the abuse and bullying I suffered.
Long story short, I've disavowed my belief in God and my Christian faith, and I've let go of all the fearmongering tactics of Christianity. It was very difficult for me because I had believed in God and had been a Christian for the majority of my life, but I can honestly say that it was the best decision that I've ever made for my emotional well-being. It was, without a doubt, the best decision that I've ever made for myself. It took some time for me to let go of my faith in God and heal, but forsaking my faith turned my life around for the better. I have peace and joy in my heart, and I feel content with my life. That's something that I never felt during the 30 years I was a Christian and during the years before when I sincerely believed in God and prayed to him, asking him to save me from being abused.
