I was raised Catholic mostly, semi Protestant. Never really fit in with either. Libertarian-ish bordering on anarchist. I'm sure that's how I found your blog, but I can't remember specifically.

As for faith, I'm not sure where I stand right now. I'm having a hard time with faith because I don't actually see anyone that lives like Christ said His disciples would live, and I'm in the buckle of the Bible belt. Everyone I encounter on the Internet claiming to be Christian focuses all their time tearing other people down, and threatening people with torture, something I don't see Jesus doing in the Bible. I also don't see any evidence of the Apostles threatening people with torture if they don't convert in the New Testament.

It's a problem, because if people are claiming to be Christian, but they don't act like it, then by Jesus' own standard they aren't. It doesn't matter if they said some magic words, even if they meant it. Where is that in the Bible, anyway?

If there aren't any real followers of Jesus, and I can't find them, then how can a person know there is anything there? Jesus taught a lot of things in His life, almost none of which are ever talked about in churches, blogged about on Christian blogs, or discussed in Christian forums.

I also think that there is a misplaced emphasis on God as angry, vengeful, and wrathful. Jesus didn't talk about God like that. The main metaphor He used was God as a Father, but when you point out to "Christians" that a father would never act the way they say God does they just explain it away like it's of no import. Like you just did. How is the metaphor meaningful at all? In what way is God like a father if He intends to torture most of humanity for eternity? How does that square with the father in the parable of the prodigal son?

I think it doesn't at all. I think that the God who tortures is not a good God, and not worthy of praise. If that's God, then I think there is no God at all, and Jesus was just some crazy preacher who managed to pull off one of history's greatest tricks.

You really should look into what the bible teaches about the immortality of the soul. You say it's obvious, but it's NOT in the Bible. There are a couple of verses in Revelation, which everyone knows is not literal because the whole thing is a retelling of a prophetic vision, and you have a parable Jesus told, which is at least arguably not literal. The vast majority of scripture teaches the exact opposite, hundreds of times.

Just two: John 3:16, Romans 6:23. Both clearly say that eternal life is a gift of God, and both indicate not everyone receives the gift.