Would he, if he exists and there's an afterlife send me to hell for not recognizing his existence? I'd say I'd be better off in hell to be with such a petty God.
Hear hear!
For the record, let me clear up a misconception on this issue. Roman Catholicism, in particular, does not teach that salvation is based upon acceptance of God and recognition of the divinity of Christ. This is a common mistake made by nonbelievers, who lack essential knowledge of the faith, but love a sound bite.
It is taught that our salvation is through Christ, but acknowledges that there are many, who for whatever reason are not believers, but will share eternal life. This is a doctrine I learned when I was young.
By the way, another misconception, to which there was an allusion within the thread, is that believers in God lack the education, intellect and sophistication of nonbelievers. I think you'll find that a proportional share of atheists and theists rode the short bus.
