Let’s cut the crap about the concept of being saved (that heaven is only for true believers), and use some common sense:

1. A God that punishes for incorrect thought is not very loving. If a human did that we would call him or her “evil.”
2. It has human fingerprints all over it.
3. It abrogates personal responsibility.
4. Conditional love is not love.
5. It’s God playing favorites.
6. What about loving your enemy? Or does that only apply to humans?
7. What about turning the other cheek?
8. God must have a really, really big ego and be pretty vengeful if only the “right” believers are allowed into the country club.
9. It requires us to throw common sense out the window and believe in something ridiculous under the threat of punishment. Isn’t that what “evil” dictators do?
10. Condemning someone for wrong thought is really not the Christian thing to do. Or is it?

Let’s cut the crap and get rid of the fear. We can trust ourselves, and believe in a God much bigger than that. A God that doesn’t cause us to shrink through fear, but rather a God that encourages us to grow, evolve and become the best and highest versions of ourselves.

Timothy Velner is a husband, father, attorney and author living in Minneapolis. You can follow his daily blog – a series of discussions between the worry-self and the present-self at – thespiritualgym.me