The HyperTexts

Dear God: Things Children Say About God, the Bible, Religion and Love



Dear God, I bet it's very hard for you to love all the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it.—Nancy
Dear God, My brother told me how babies are born but it just doesn't sound right. What do you say?—Marsha
Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I asked for was a puppy. You can look it up.—Joyce
Dear God, I read the bible. What does "beget" mean? Nobody will tell me.—Love, Alison
Dear God, Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There's nothing good there now.—Amanda
Dear God, My Grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go?—Love, Dennis
Dear God, In bible times, did they really talk that fancy?—Jennifer
Dear God, Is Reverend Coe a friend of yours, or do you just know him through the business?—Donny
Dear God, Is it true my father won't get in Heaven if he uses his golf words in the house?—Anita
Dear God, I'm doing the best I can. Really!!!! Is it true you'll send me to hell forever when I grow up?—Mikey

If you're concerned about innocent children being terrorized by the debilitating fear that they'll live in danger of an "eternal hell" when they grow up, please read No Hell in the Bible. This article explains that "hell" was never discussed in the entire Old Testament, where suffering after death was never mentioned as even a possible punishment to Adam, Eve, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, or a long line of Hebrew prophets. So according to the Bible "hell" clearly did not preexist. But neither is there any verse in the Bible in which God, Jesus or any prophet or apostle ever mentioned the creation or purpose of "hell." So according to the Bible "hell" did not preexist and was never created. As the article explains, the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades clearly mean "the grave," not "hell." All punishments mentioned in the Bible were temporal (of life on this planet). To condemn someone to Sheol or Hades was to condemn them to death in this life, not "hell" in the afterlife. Even conservative Bible scholars agree, as the word "hell" no longer appears anywhere in the Old Testament of the the Holman Christian Standard Version (HCSB) published and sold by the famously literal Southern Baptist Convention. Nor does the word "hell" appear anywhere in the new NABRE translation published by the Roman Catholic Church. So why are innocent children being terrorized with an "eternal hell" that most of the books of the Bible never even discussed, and that was only mentioned by name by one major writer of the Bible (since the gospels of Matthew and Mark obviously derive from the same original text and the three "hell" verses in each are clearly duplications)? If there is a "hell" how is it possible that the greatest prophets and apostles of the Bible never even mentioned such a place?



Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel wouldn't kill each other if they each had their own rooms. That works with me and my brother.—Larry
Dear God, If you watch in Church on Sunday I'll show you my new shoes.—Barbara
Dear God, Please send Dennis Clark to a different summer camp this year.—Peter
Dear God, How did you know you were God? Who told you?—Charlene
Dear God, How come you did all those miracles in the old days and don't do any now?—Billy
Dear Mr. God, I wish you wouldn't make it so easy for people to come apart. I had to have three stitches and a shot.—Janet
Dear God, Did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident?—Norma
Dear God, Do you draw the lines around the countries? If you don't, who does?—Nathan
Dear God, It is great the way you always get the stars in the right place. Why can't you do that with the moon?—Jeff

If you're interested in "things mysterious," you may be interested in these other Mysterious Ways pages:

Kids on Love: What the Real Experts Have to Say
Kids Say the Damnedest Things, Usually in Church
SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME
Christian Mothers and the Cult of Hell: What Are They Doing to Their Own Children?
A Direct Experience with Universal Love
Two Tales of the Night Sky
Genie-Angels
Darkness
Michael, Wonderful and Glorious
The Poisonous Tomato
Of Mother Teresa, Angels and the Poorest of the Poor
Thy Will Be Done (Iron Lung)
Did Jesus Walk on the Water?
Mysterious Ways Index
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