Originally posted by dottewell
Because you like ludicrously extreme punishment?
No. Because I prefer a religion that has an opportunity to escape the punishment! The standards of the other two are just as high but the whole point of Christianity is that a Christian is not ultimately subjected to the punishment the law requires.
There's no doubt that any absolute law is tough. I must say, though, that any argument about it being 'ludicrous' and 'extreme' depends very much on having a 21st century perspective.
I live in a country that was founded by people who were banished halfway around the world for stealing a loaf of bread or a handkerchief, and that was only around 200 years ago. The late 18th century would have considered us a bunch of wusses.
The way things seem to be going, the late 21st century will ALSO consider us a bunch of wusses.
I freely confess, I am one of those wusses. I am against the death penalty in human courts. But I fail to see why God, who is a perfect judge, shouldn't be able to dish out considerably harsher sentences than your average, fallible judge and jury who are capable of wrongful convictions.
To return to your original post: you appear to be denying the correctness of the 'conviction' by saying that you can defend yourself as a 'good person'.
You're welcome to try that defence. But if Satan in his role as prosecutor looked deep into your life and unearthed evidence that you thought was gone and buried, how long do you think that claim would stand up?
I'd be willing to bet that by the end of the cross-examination you'd be wanting the ground to swallow you up. I'm pretty sure I would, and I'm also pretty sure that every single person who knows me would describe me as a 'good person'. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I regard myself as a 'good person' by worldly standards, but I know perfectly well that there is a lot of dirt hidden away.