I haven't read all the posts here, so forgive me if I'm merely repeating what others have already said. I accept that there may be a heaven and a hell, although it's obvious they must exist on a different plane as we now know so much about the physical Universe and its limits. What has always troubled me is how one qualifies for entry into heaven. Having been an academic all my life, accustomed to exams and qualifications, it appears one must be 'judged' as fit, by God. (Rather like the Attestation of Fitness I has to gain for entry to Edinburgh Uni!) Now, having studied Moral Philosophy as an extra subject there, I became totally sceptical of the concepts of 'praise', 'blame' 'punishment' and 'reward'. Should a person be rewarded with entry to heaven simply because they've been 'good'? Maybe they had a genetically-determined personality which happily led them to behave well? Maybe they had a stable and good home with all the attendant advantages? Did a 'bad' chap draw the short straw genetically, a sort of closet psychopath? Was he/she abused as a child and turned into a consummate sinner? Does free will really exist? Most prisoners (I've worked with many of them) have had horrendous starts in life and a large proportion are mentally ill too. Why should they go to Hell because of that? Does God 'take into consideration' the disadvantages/lucky breaks before His judgement is made? And what, pray, is the Pass Rate? What are the odds that I'll get in? Seen from this angle, the whole thing becomes ridiculous. I just hope I can 're-sit'the entry exam, as I'll surely fail!

What an excellent, questioning post. What a pity that far more believers than you, fed for so long the tale of their all-seeing, all-mercifiul God, are so willing to accept without demur what comes from the pulpit instead of asking awkward questions. Of all the beings that ever existed, God is surely yer man for answering awkward questions. But he doesn't, does he. He leaves his acolytes in a state of permanent quandary. The spin put on that is that he "moves in mysterious ways". You must have a leap of faith (and, bejaysus, how hard it is to leap back!). I could suggest even more awkward questions that you could put to your Almighty. Why did he callously let evolution take place? Evolution involves the death of 99%+ of offspring, selection by disease, famine, conflict and vicious, uncaring competition. If you are here at all you are one of the lucky 0.000001% of organisms that ever tried their hand. Yet you too will end your life in fear, misery and death. Even now you're scared of dying! Your God, being all powerful, did not need to play his hand that way at all. But he did. The only paltry excuse I've heard for this tyrant is that he cast us all out because a woman bit into one of his apples!