There is nothing wrong with the carrot and the stick analogy in many situations. "If you work productively, you will be rewarded." Carrot. "If you lead a life of crime, you'll eventually wind up in jail." Stick.

But religion should be a matter of choice, not of coercion. And the carrot and stick is counterproductive in that context.

For example, who is the better person, someone who does good works because he genuinely feels it's the right thing to do and because he wants to, or the person who does good works, not because he cares for others in the least, but because he's afraid if he doesn't, he'll go to hell?

The outward results may be the same, but the motivation of the two people is far different. One out of love for others (deemed to be a Christian value) and the other out of fear of the consequences.

Who, then, would God judge to be the better person?

Which, within some religious denominations or churches, is the issue. Some of them use the Heaven or Hell issue for reasons of secular power, such as getting their congregations to beggar themselves by making lavish contributions to the church, or voting a particular way the church favors.

=======

Back in the days, the Church was "selling indulgences." Offering the very large carrot of being able to buy one's way into heaven—with the implied stick of hell if one doesn't, hovering in the background. The wealthy could buy their way into heaven by making a lavish contribution to the Church. The popes where still trying to pay off the mortgage on St. Peter's and Michelangelo had to be paid for decorating the Sistine Chapel. The Church needed money. So they set up a turnstile and charged for getting into heaven.

The idea that the wealthy could bribe their way into heaven, and that the Church was selling this idea to obtain funds was one of several things the Church was up to that really got up Martin Luther's nose.

He did a bit of raging and storming.

Hence, the birth of Protestantism (i.e. protesting against this scam the Church was peddling). The carrot and the stick of Heaven and Hell to manipulate people for secular purposes (such as fund raising).

God, Who is the Ultimate Judge, Luther maintained, doesn't work that way. He sees into every heart and judges that way.

Don Firth