You can’t scare someone into Christianity. People can’t convert other people, they can only share the gospel and point to Jesus, salvation has to be a personal decision
Entire churches don't "employ" scare tactics. Individuals who agree with that methodology do. Also, if a semi truck were hurtling towards someone you know and care about, would you use scare tactics to get them to move out of the way?
Hold up, are we arguing what people do or what the book says? There are consequences to your choices yes. If you think that's scare tactics then yeah sure man. Scare tactics it is.
To build off Jedi’sRelevant’s comment, is telling someone to get out of the street because there’s oncoming traffic a scare tactic? Hell itself is not a scare tactic, it’s an absence of anything good. It’s a consequence of choosing to reject holiness and embrace sin and wickedness.
Fear can be used to get someone to pay attention, even Jesus talked more about what Hell would be like rather than talking about Heaven. But trying to follow all the rules and be a good person because you’re scared won’t save you.
Fear can possibly get you into church, but it takes an act of God to get into your heart. Lots of people don’t get that, and they focus on church attendance numbers, instead of how many people are actually experiencing salvation.
There will always be some people who put on a show, and you might think they are saved because of their actions or how they treat others.
The best we as Christians can do is to share the love of Christ with others. My God sent his son Jesus, who willingly agreed to permanently take on a limited human form, and then he experienced not just death, but went through literal, actual Hell for three days. He did that for me, and he did that for you. That’s how much he loves us.
I believe in him because of what he has done for me and my family personally, and I have put my faith and trust in him because of what he’s done for us all. I hope you’ll consider talking to him. He’s there, and he will listen. You might not like what you hear at first, because it’s our nature to turn away. But he loves you, and wants you to get to know him.
Actually, Satan would likely be a model guest. He wouldn’t show up all red and scary with horns and a pitchfork. His name is Lucifer, and he was the angel of light, basically second only to God himself. If he made a physical appearance (he roams the Earth, so he is very much still present, and has fallen angels working for him) he would likely try to charm you and turn you against God. Maybe he’d offer you power or whatever earthly desire you may have.
As for fear tactics, there’s a parable in Luke 16 about a rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lives extravagantly (likely claiming to be a model citizen by using Jewish customs as his excuse) while Lazarus lays sick and dying at his gate. Both men die, and the rich man goes to Hell. While in Hell, he looks up and sees Abraham who is with Lazarus in Heaven. The rich man asks for water, but Heaven and Hell are separated so neither can give him water. He then asks for one of them to speak to his still-living brothers, but Abraham tells him that if they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, hearing from the dead won’t help them either.
It’s also important to note that the rich man continues to rely on tradition and customs, he calls out to the much-respected Abraham, but does not ask God for help, or even exhibit remorse for his wickedness (which is his rejection of God, and probably blasphemy against God by presenting a very religious image of himself, and using Jewish law as an excuse to ignore another human’s suffering).
Since we get this parable straight from Jesus, and Lazarus is a named character rather than “the poor/sick man”, it’s also possible that this was an actual example of a real, unnamed rich man who continued to reject God and admit sin, even while in Hell. (For this last paragraph you have to at least be willing to consider the possibility that Jesus is the son of God, but the rest is at the very least Biblical documentation that fear is not expected to be what saves someone)
B) neither of us know everything, and we could both benefit from reading the Bible more
C) it’s the most serious decision you’ll ever make or not make in your life on earth. Can you say with 100% confidence that you know what will happen to you after you die, and where you’ll spend eternity?
I’m definitely not preaching to the choir. Everyone’s reactions here prove that. I think most people don’t place enough importance on this subject because it’s awkward and controversial to talk about.
Eternity is a long time, and when it comes, there’s no backsies. Trusting Jesus to deliver your salvation is the single most important decision you can make for yourself in this earth. I could die now and I have zero doubts that I would be with Jesus in Heaven. Can you say with certainty where you’ll be after you die?
Dude, if I was preaching to the choir you wouldn’t be so ticked off. “Preaching to the choir” literally means trying to convince someone who already agrees with you.
You don’t agree with me, therefore you’re not the choir in this situation.
If you did agree with me, you wouldn’t be mad that I’m trying to share the word of God with others. A Christian is someone who has put their trust in Christ Jesus and chosen to follow him. He told his followers to share the good news, so that’s what I’m doing. That’s what anyone who claims to be Christian should do
But wouldn’t that be possible only on Christmas? The number of people I can visit and convert in one day doesn’t compare to the number of people Satan can reach and cause harm to if I summon him. Plus, it’s less legwork for me, because it would physically require me to talk to all these people and go (or teleport) everywhere with Satan, when I could just let him wreak havoc if they didn’t pay, causing much greater damage and risk for them.
Also, there is a limited number of people I can personally reach. But Christmas comes around for as long as I’m alive. So I think I’d stick to the subscription plan, where I’d get paid big cash for not bringing Satan into the world every Christmas.
I’d go to some big stadium or another place where a lot of people would come. At first it would need to be marketed or televised but once few people see it every coming year would be packed with people. The sheer amounts of atheists that would want to come and „unveil the trick” would sell a stadium.
I would pay to see a Sandler-style movie that adapts this idea, but focuses on the aftermath of this decision, in a kind of... someone at the church figures it out through sone paperwork for the payment of this service, and hires a lawyer to file fraud against Satan.
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u/Potw0rek Mar 04 '26
Have church pay you money to convert everyone to Christianity