though i'm not a Xtian anymore i still attend church (not religiously) and i have a certain amount of respect for the faith (largely b/c some of the ppl i hold dearest are xtians).

i was serious - if churches wanna get to the heart of what the Bible says Jesus was all about they'd focus on love for God and other ppl. i'm pretty sure Jesus' point there was that when one keeps one's eye on loving God and loving others it becomes easier to avoid sin. like, if we love God we'll want to make Him happy (ain't that love?). we know that He prizes our obedience and so we'd seek to obey b/c we want to please him and not just or primarily b/c we fear his retribution. similarly if we love others we'll avoid doing them wrong b/c we don't want to cause them hurt, not b/c we fear God's retribution.

though Jesus did talk about God's punishment most of what he had to say wasn't about that, and indeed when he was asked about the most important commandment he answered - love. he didn't say anything there about punishment. he didn't even mention sin. he also didn't attempt to inspire fear. so, again, i think if churches really wanna get to the heart of Jesus' message they'd focus on love.