Why do some professionals in the sciences reject religion?

[Alexiev]

When all the scientists are in hell they can develop weapons to tip the balance of the war between heaven and hell in Satan's favor. Uh oh!

It can't just be me that thinks the idea of hell for people who just believe the wrong thing seems incredibly perverse.

One famous Catholic priest (I forget his name) said, "Because it is church dogma, I believe in he'll. But I don't think anyone is in it."

[Flannel Jesus]

When all the scientists are in hell they can develop weapons to tip the balance of the war between heaven and hell in Satan's favor. Uh oh!

It can't just be me that thinks the idea of hell for people who just believe the wrong thing seems incredibly perverse.

One famous Catholic priest (I forget his name) said, "Because it is church dogma, I believe in he'll. But I don't think anyone is in it."

I like that. Was it pope Francis perhaps? https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news ... l-as-empty

[Alexiev]

It can't just be me that thinks the idea of hell for people who just believe the wrong thing seems incredibly perverse.

One famous Catholic priest (I forget his name) said, "Because it is church dogma, I believe in he'll. But I don't think anyone is in it."

I like that. Was it pope Francis perhaps? https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news ... l-as-empty

I read it un a book of anecdotes I have at home, but I'm not at home now snd AI is merely guessing..

[BigMike]

It can't just be me that thinks the idea of hell for people who just believe the wrong thing seems incredibly perverse.

One famous Catholic priest (I forget his name) said, "Because it is church dogma, I believe in he'll. But I don't think anyone is in it."

I like that. Was it pope Francis perhaps? https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news ... l-as-empty

So the pope may be in disagreement with his God and his holy scripture? That’s interesting. If hell is a core part of church dogma, rooted in scripture and centuries of tradition, but even the pope hopes it’s empty—or implies it might not be real in the way it’s been preached—that’s a pretty huge crack in the theological foundation.

It’s almost like even the highest religious authorities are starting to feel the tension between ancient doctrine and modern moral intuition. If eternal torment sounds "perverse" to the average person today, maybe that’s not a failure of modern empathy—but a sign that the doctrine itself is out of sync with any reasonable understanding of justice or compassion.

[Flannel Jesus]

One famous Catholic priest (I forget his name) said, "Because it is church dogma, I believe in he'll. But I don't think anyone is in it."

I like that. Was it pope Francis perhaps? https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news ... l-as-empty

So the pope may be in disagreement with his God and his holy scripture? That’s interesting. If hell is a core part of church dogma, rooted in scripture and centuries of tradition, but even the pope hopes it’s empty—or implies it might not be real in the way it’s been preached—that’s a pretty huge crack in the theological foundation.

It’s almost like even the highest religious authorities are starting to feel the tension between ancient doctrine and modern moral intuition. If eternal torment sounds "perverse" to the average person today, maybe that’s not a failure of modern empathy—but a sign that the doctrine itself is out of sync with any reasonable understanding of justice or compassion.

Many people will excuse stuff in the bible with statements like "it was a product of its time!" Well, okay then, maybe the common christian idea of hell was also a product of its time...

[godelian]

So the pope may be in disagreement with his God and his holy scripture?

No. As long as you believe in the fake divinity of some dead hominid and his single mother, you are essentially in agreement. Besides that, don't look for logic, because there isn't any.

[BigMike]

I like that. Was it pope Francis perhaps? https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news ... l-as-empty

So the pope may be in disagreement with his God and his holy scripture? That’s interesting. If hell is a core part of church dogma, rooted in scripture and centuries of tradition, but even the pope hopes it’s empty—or implies it might not be real in the way it’s been preached—that’s a pretty huge crack in the theological foundation.

It’s almost like even the highest religious authorities are starting to feel the tension between ancient doctrine and modern moral intuition. If eternal torment sounds "perverse" to the average person today, maybe that’s not a failure of modern empathy—but a sign that the doctrine itself is out of sync with any reasonable understanding of justice or compassion.

Many people will excuse stuff in the bible with statements like "it was a product of its time!" Well, okay then, maybe the common christian idea of hell was also a product of its time...

So... the scripture isn't God's words? What? Just written by mere early Bronze Age humans with limited knowledge, tribal biases, and a lot of fear about the unknown? That’s quite a downgrade from “divinely inspired truth.”

If we're now saying parts of the Bible—like hell—were just "products of their time," then what exactly makes any of it timeless or sacred? You can't claim divine perfection while also making historical excuses for the uncomfortable parts. Either it’s the unchanging word of an all-knowing God, or it’s an evolving set of human ideas trying (and often failing) to make sense of the world.

It’s wild how people will twist themselves into theological knots just to keep believing something that modern morality already instinctively rejects. Maybe it's not that we've become too soft for hell—maybe we’ve just outgrown the need to control people with fear.

[godelian]

It’s wild how people will twist themselves into theological knots just to keep believing something that modern morality already instinctively rejects.

There are two kinds of people. There are (1) the ones who believe a claim because they have verified the justification, and there are (2) the ones who believe a claim because of who said it.

Group (2) was born to get ripped off. So, if you don't rip them off, then someone else will. That is why you have to get there before a Christian Church gets there first, and bamboozles them first. That would be a disaster because in that case there won't be anything left for you to extract. Their pockets will be empty already.

[Flannel Jesus]

If we're now saying parts of the Bible—like hell—were just "products of their time," then what exactly makes any of it timeless or sacred?

I own a book, haven't ready it yet, called Heaven and Hell by Bart Ehrman. Not having read it, I have a vague idea of the arguments he makes in the book, and I'm pretty sure a huge portion of it is dedicated to arguing that many modern Christian understandings of Hell actually are not rooted in Biblical text, and even the parts that are are rooted in misunderstandings and misinterpretations of that text.

So perhaps the correct understanding of Christianity is far less barbaric and unkind than a lot of Christians would have you believe...

[BigMike]

If we're now saying parts of the Bible—like hell—were just "products of their time," then what exactly makes any of it timeless or sacred?

I own a book, haven't ready it yet, called Heaven and Hell by Bart Ehrman. Not having read it, I have a vague idea of the arguments he makes in the book, and I'm pretty sure a huge portion of it is dedicated to arguing that many modern Christian understandings of Hell actually are not rooted in Biblical text, and even the parts that are are rooted in misunderstandings and misinterpretations of that text.

So perhaps the correct understanding of Christianity is far less barbaric and unkind than a lot of Christians would have you believe...

That’s a fascinating take—and if true, it opens up a whole other can of worms. Because if modern Christians have misunderstood or misinterpreted core concepts like hell for centuries… then what exactly have they been preaching all this time? Fire and brimstone sermons, moral panic, guilt-based obedience—all possibly based on mistranslations or mythological baggage?

And if the “correct” version of Christianity is actually more kind and humane, then why did it take over 2,000 years, a printing press, modern linguistics, and Bart Ehrman to point that out?

It just reinforces the idea that this wasn’t divine revelation—it was human storytelling, evolving through error, fear, and politics. Strip away the misinterpretations and what’s left? A confused, inconsistent patchwork written by people who barely understood the cosmos, let alone the human brain. And now AI can write a more coherent ethics manual in a weekend. Strange times.

[Flannel Jesus]

if modern Christians have misunderstood or misinterpreted core concepts like hell for centuries… then what exactly have they been preaching all this time? Fire and brimstone sermons, moral panic, guilt-based obedience—all possibly based on mistranslations or mythological baggage?

Gandhi said “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Boy do I feel that.

[BigMike]

if modern Christians have misunderstood or misinterpreted core concepts like hell for centuries… then what exactly have they been preaching all this time? Fire and brimstone sermons, moral panic, guilt-based obedience—all possibly based on mistranslations or mythological baggage?

Gandhi said “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Boy do I feel that.

Gandhi may have liked Christ, but I dismiss the whole idea of immaterial spirits doing anything at all—Christ included. It breaks with the conservation laws of physics. Energy doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, and it doesn’t just “choose” to think or act without a physical substrate. No "soul," no "spirit," no "divine essence" has ever been observed, measured, or demonstrated to do anything—not once—in all of scientific history.

So whether Christians act like Christ or not is kind of beside the point. The entire framework rests on supernatural assumptions that defy the most basic principles of reality. And if your belief system violates the conservation of energy and momentum? Yeah, it’s not just unscientific—it’s fiction.

[Flannel Jesus]

So whether Christians act like Christ or not is kind of beside the point.

Not to me. I don't really care all that much if someone wants to believe in walking on water or blue gods with 8 arms or unicorns, but if that belief comes with cruelty baked in, fuck that.

[Impenitent]

any imitator of Christ without stigmata lacks sincerity...

-Imp

[Alexiev]

So... the scripture isn't God's words? What? Just written by mere early Bronze Age humans with limited knowledge, tribal biases, and a lot of fear about the unknown?

In other words (with the exception of Bronze Age) written by people exactly like BigMike.

By the way, Hell in the Bible is (on my limited understanding) a separation from God. Hell as a place of torment is a Medieval notion, stemming in part from Dante.