My argument is that I am not yet cynical enough to believe that the only way to prevent rape is to threaten people with an eternity of agony beyond all comprehension.

My intention is not to get into theological debate as this is not the place for such issue, but I think you view the issue from a particular perspective that I once viewed it from. The doctrine of hell came about from the Greek view of Hades. This view was transplanted into a biblical view of hell during the dark ages by the church. It was not the original doctrine of hell. Jude 1:7 is very clear of the example of eternal fire, the translation is to burn up and be no more for eternity it cites Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of entities that underwent judgment by eternal fire, the symbolism of eternal fire is that the product is eternal not that anything placed in eternal fire burns for eternity. The book is very clear on the punishment for sin being death, not eternal torment in which the most rebellious angle is exalted with a commission to rule said eternal torment.

The reason I bring this up is not because I think that you need to believe what many think is a fairy tale. But because the very book documents such human nature and it may help your view of why some people need the book, yet may never even open it.

It documents that people will use the book and pervert it to their own devices. It also offers the wisdom that we should read what is in the book for ourselves and not let the actions and words of those that profess to be examples of the book be our brokers. There was a time when I absolutely loathed Christians due to the doctrine of hell. I thought that they worshiped a sick deity that never revealed himself and then punished people sadistically for their lack of belief in his lack of revelation.

My logical error was that I was relying on their misinterpretation to be my interpretation of what was actually in the book, I was relying on those very people to be my authority on what was in the book. Only afterwards did I come to realize that many of them are guilty of the same thing, they never read the book they just parrot what they here. I was asked by someone I respect a great deal, to read the book and it was after I did that I realize that the a part of the new testament is about those people, they parallel the Pharisees, it was then that I realized that most the people that claim to be of the book, have no idea what the book even says. So much so that they will accept that their god is a sociopath that will burn people forever, when the actual text is very clear on the laws and the justice laid out for them.

For every person calling their terminal illness "part of god's plan" as a way to deal with the stress of mortality, there's just as many people abusing each other and denying rights as part of "god's plan" too.

Again the book has very little to do with this, this is the word of those that claim to be ambassadors of the book. The old testament is an account of Jewish history and laws with divinity mixed in while the new testament is almost entirely a self help book about internal reflection, humility and forgiveness.

I guess my point is you can't listen to religious people about what is in their book most pervert it to their aims, or just flat out take others words for gospel and never confirm it and then parrot it as fact. Some of the writers of the books even have the foresight to explain such human nature.

Islam is the same, there is little justification in the book for their actions yet entire nations are lead to hold jihad in reverence because they are guilty of letting someone else read the book for them and tell them what it says. I used to have little tolerance for religion due to it's practitioners, so much so that I could have committed the same atrocities against them that they commit in the name of their books that they do not understand. Reading the text I actually came to see that a) there is a lot of wisdom in the books. b) that I now properly see the issue as complex human nature where I once had the simple convenient scape goat of religion and c) they are actually beautiful texts written by people that for the most part wanted to better humanity.

After reading the book I came to realize that Christ was actually a really awesome guy, he preached love and if everyone where to use him as a model the word would actually be a really awesome place. Whether or not he was divine or crazy is actually irrelevant to the fact that he was actually a great guy who really loved people and asked people to love and help one another. I was amazed to find that he was actually nothing like the people that profess to serve in his name. The story of Christ is about the redemption of men and forgiveness of all. Whether it is a fairy-tail or not, I think it is a beautiful and inspiring text that has a lot of value to the segment of society that actually take the time to read it. It is sad that so few people actually do.