I'll contend that without protection all of your 'good works' can't happen.
wat
I'm gonna argue that 'eternal damnation' is Biblical and not a figment of some priest's imagination.
Point me to the verses. And nothing from Revelation, because that's a political allegory.
Fact is, the concept of an immortal soul is a Greek (pagan) one. The Jews didn't believe in it; the resurrection was bodily and the "soul" was not separate from the body. That's why doctrines like "annihilationism" are much more compatible with what the Jews, and hence Jesus, probably believed in, than eternal hell.
And the straw-man about the self-justifying priest is a little low for you, Jude.
I may not have a specific priest in mind, but the history of the church since Constantine is a history of people comfortable with their worldly lives but wanting a ticket to heaven, making up rationalizations for why Jesus didn't really mean what he said, so that you can live a wealthy and comfortable life and still feel like a good Christian. In the process, of course, true Christianity was all but obliterated. And the idea that faith, not "works" is what saves you is one of those, because it means you can live however you want, ignoring the needy, hating and killing people, placing earthly authorities over the authority of God, and yet still be a "Christian."
Remember, I'm speaking as an agnostic here. This is a pretty objective spot to be speaking from; I contend that the fact that I don't need to try to justify my life by Jesus' standards gives me a clearer insight into what he was saying.
I can give God my devotion and prayers and America my life.
I think we already went over this...of course you can. It's just the opposite of what Jesus was talking about.
Additionally, when compared to the efforts of a country, individual 'good works' aren't much. Feeding a poor man doesn't compare to sanitation or protection from hostile powers.
The thing is, you're never going to have an earthly government devoted to helping the poor or feeding the hungry or - especially - comforting the prisoners and loving its enemies. And the evils brought about by putting power in the state is inevitably greater than any good that could be brought about.
The alternative, of course, is for Christians to withdraw their faith from the powers of the world and just start living like Jesus as much as possible. Jesus could have brought about "greater good" by leading the Jews to a military victory over the Romans and assuming the throne of Israel, but he didn't. Instead he went around healing a few people and telling people how to live. Why did he do the one instead of the other?
The argument, of course, goes that Jesus teachings are impractical. From a secular viewpoint, absolutely. But it's pretty tough to insist you believe in Jesus and then turn around and say that his way is useless in "the real world." It's meant to change the real world from the bottom up, and if more people actually practiced it, the "Real world" would be a very different place.
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