or hell etc. These are simple people living in remote areas of Africa, Asia, the middle East, Australia , many of them can't read and have never heard of the Bible. NO ONE has told them that they need to accept someone named Jesus in order to have eternal life in heaven.
My question is, are they damned anyway? They haven't made a choice NOT to accept Jesus, because they've never heard of him. Are they STILL going to hell? And if so, why?
Please note, this is a simple religious question. It is not a criticism or condemnation of any religion or cultural belief system. Religious scholars ask this type of question all the time in order to better understand all religions as well as their own particular one.
2006-06-24 05:00:34 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Who could possibly believe in a God who would condemn the unknowing to eternal damnation because they never had a chance to serve him? That's not my definition of a God. That's a dictator. That's a madman. Nope, the Christian God is a loving God who would take into account a person's background. All those unknowings are safe for eternity.
2006-06-24 05:08:01 · answer #1 · answered by CarolO 7 · 5⤊ 3⤋
God does have a way of dealing with all the people who have ever lived and yet have never had a chance at salvation.
As it is written: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father" (I Cor 15:22-24)
Christ was the first to be resurrected; the saints (Christians in this age) will be the next to be resurrected at the second coming of Christ; and then after the "thousand years" everyone else will have their turn.
"And I saw the dead, the small and the great, stand before God. And the books [of the Bible] were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." (Revelation 20:12, MKJV)
"...your teachers shall not be removed into a corner any more, but your eyes shall see your teachers." (Isaiah 30:20)
That's what the resurrection of the dead is all about. It is at that time that God and his saints will teach all those people who did not have an opportunity before to know the truth of God and Christ.
This will occure at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ and his saints on the earth:
"...the witness[es] of Jesus,... lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were ended....And whenever the thousand years are ended,...And I saw the dead, the small and the great, standing before God. And books were opened. And another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and Hades gave up the dead in them. And they were each judged according to their works." (Rev 20:4...13)
2006-06-24 13:01:29 · answer #2 · answered by BC 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This question assumes that Jesus taught about a life after death. He did not. He was a Jew and there was at that time no concept of afterlife. His teaching was about a "Kingdom of God" on this earth. He talked about "eternal life", a life that lasts beyond our mortality. A life that carries on because of what we did FOR one another and how we served each other. Our lives will continue in the effect that we have on the world around us. It was only after Paul/Saul wrote with his background in the Greek and Roman teachings that we introduce a life after death.
Having said that, I also see where Jesus taught that the Father figure of God is a loving, caring, forgiving God. He loves all of his creation>>"NO MATTER WHAT". We are forgiven of our sin every day, we are saved not by works, not by words, not by anything we can do, say, or believe. We are saved by Grace. The totality of understanding that is 'way beyong our understanding, but that's the way it is. Saying the words "I believe in Jesus" doesn't save you, being a child of God already has.
2006-06-24 12:21:04 · answer #3 · answered by carlyak 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, it is not a damnation, someone could refuse to go to church, refuse the bible, and rufuse every single religious thing thrown at them and make it into heaven.
At least in my eyes, the afterlife is based on how well you live, if you're a kind sould who helps others out, even if it takes something out of you, who leads a good lifestyle those are the people going to heaven. And people who don't know anything, who just live on primal instinct i'm sure will be brought up as well, god doesn't condemn us for something we had no control over.
EDIT
as for athiests, it depends on how they act, are you going to condemn every single sinto in the world, because to you thats an athiest. If an athiest leads a good live they shall be rewarded, its not ignorance, just their beliefs. Now if an athiest were to take it to the extreme, destroy belief, and work against them as the oposite then it is another story
2006-06-24 12:07:11 · answer #4 · answered by warior916 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am Mormon and this is the very reason we do temple work for the deceased. We do as much family history as we can...we believe God wants every person who ever lived on this earth to be able to either accept or reject the gospel. They have to have a chance. (I know people who have traced their family lines all the way back to Adam.) We believe when you die, you go to either spirit prison or paradise (awaiting the millenium and final judgement) depending on your life here. There we believe spirits are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ (by those who were righteous) and they can have the chance to accept it there or not. If they rejected it on earth, though, they can accept it after life but cannot attain the highest degree of glory, the Celestial Kingdom.
2006-06-24 16:08:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've heard some religious people claim that all people on earth will have the chance at 'salvation', but even then I knew it was BS. It may even be quoted in the bible somewhere.
If it's true that the people who have never heard of it go to heaven, that's the dumbest thing I've heard of. It would be unfair to the people who are 'put to the test'. That's like passing a class of kids who were absent for the test, but making the students who were there take it.
2006-06-24 12:05:22 · answer #6 · answered by merlin_steele 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Whoever doesnt not repent of his sins and believe in Jesus Christ as their personal saviour is condemned and will go to hell.It is believed that there is a second coming of Jesus Christ.This will not take place unless all the people in the world get to know the gospel and about Jesus Christ who died for their sins.Those who die without knowing Jesus have know choice but hell,but maybe the punishment will be less.
2006-06-24 12:17:20 · answer #7 · answered by simply 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Personally, I don't believe that if you've never heard of Jesus, studied his teaching, or accepted him as your Savior, that you go to hell. There are many different ways to be a good person and live your life in a moral way, and that's basically a lot of what Jesus was asking us to do.
2006-06-24 12:07:30 · answer #8 · answered by Christine 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The premise is incorrect. You assume that damnation is a given. Whether or not a person has heard of God, or Jesus, or Christianity, does not preclude them from the love of the saviour. Jesus says, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand". I interpret this statement to mean that heaven is available to all, right now. God loves even those who do know of Him, but do not love Him.
2006-06-24 12:15:50 · answer #9 · answered by dgtlfotogi 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ultumately it is up to God. Natural man, who has never heard the Gospel,had rules to follow also. However, his are different because he has never heard the Gospel and doesn't have access to the Bible and is not educated. I believe that if he follows the rule of nature he will go to Heaven. Do not Murder,Do not Steal those types of things are his judgement bar. Again it really is not up to us humands, only God can judge.
2006-06-24 12:10:01 · answer #10 · answered by eyezontheskyz 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Bible says that Jesus will return "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:8).
There is no reward for ignorance. That is why we need to proclaim the gospel (no matter how much the atheists on this list don't like it).
2006-06-24 12:07:09 · answer #11 · answered by flyersbiblepreacher 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋