a man is born and raised in a peacefull village. one day he is kidnapped and forced to walk over 200 miles to the coast. many of his relatives die along the way. he is chained up and put on a smelly boat and cast out to sea. he watches many others get sick and die while at sea. those bodies are tossed in the ocean like yesterday's trash. after many weeks at sea he is "sold" and forced to work on a plantation. while fed an unhealthy diet, he gets beaten if he doesn't work hard enough. his master tries to convert him to a religion that tells him that he must work extra hard because his slavemaster is a christian. as a result of this he rejects christianity. does he burn in hell forever and ever and ever and ever, etc. amen?
please don't say "only God knows" c'mon. EARN those points!
2006-07-30 16:17:40 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
He absolutely does NOT burn in hell. Although I do not believe in hell, if I did, I would think that anyone involved in the slave trade would have to be there right now. If there really IS a "Lake of Fire", and if anyone deserves to be there, it would be slavers & slave owners, not the victims of their greed. I would certainly reject the beliefs of those who enslaved me, and anyone who thinks slaves who rejected Christianity are going to hell are going there themselves, IMHO.
2006-07-30 16:26:34 · answer #1 · answered by Bartmooby 6 · 11⤊ 9⤋
well I would say if you believe god is Christian then it would depend on the weight of the mans heart and soul. What he felt inside himself and what he did with his life. This is a good example of rejecting something based on someone else. If the truth comes to a person they out to be able to see it as the truth, to feel it and know it in their heart and soles as the truth... regardless of another persons actions, beliefs, convictions and so on. Just because the slave owner confessed to being christian he obviously didn't live a christian life so he is not a christian. To live the life is to receive the blessings.
The heart of Christianity would say to this slave to forgive those that trespassed against him and to move forward from that day... to let go and go forward for he cannot change the past and what happened, happened as dreadful as it is, to wallow in it and not forgive will simply stop him from moving forward with his life and creating something different..
If you are christian I suggest you READ the stories in it, if you really want to know what Christianity is all about I offer the same answer.... Many of these stories are meant to convey a multitude of answers that will only become apparent when they have been investigated with serious intent and thought...
Good luck to you...
2006-07-30 16:30:09 · answer #2 · answered by mallicoatdd 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question.
If he rejects God then yes.
I believe that God reveals himself to all people. It does not matter if you are a evangelized by Christians or not. God holds you accountable for your relationship with him. I would think, and this is taking a risk here, but if that man had responded to God in the years before being taken he would recognize the truth of the Gospel of Christ and dispite his master would become a Christian. In your example I would say that it sounds likely that his man would be punished by God. But understand, it's not because of the abusive slave master, rather because he rejected God prior to being taken.
There is a great book you should read called "Eternity In Their Hearts". Wonderful book, it talks about God's revelation of himself in non-Hebrew/Christian cultures. Check it out. I actually met this man, very insightful and a wonderful man of God.
2006-07-30 16:40:30 · answer #3 · answered by edaily777 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, lets say all that happened. Let me continue the story, if that's alright.
That man had descendants. They get to live in a free country where the only thing between them and their peace with God is their stubborn, rebellious, pride. (Just like anyone, anywhere)
Had that man not been brought here, his descendants would have quite possibly contracted AIDS by now. Most likely would be poor and uneducated and living with very little hope.
Am I glad my ancestors had the fortitude to survive their crossing? Yes I am. And I'm grateful to God as well. Think about it.
2006-07-30 16:27:33 · answer #4 · answered by nancy jo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The truth is that really only God does know, so how can I answer in a different way? Jesus will judge each individual soul. How can I honestly tell you whether or not this person's heart was pure enough to enter heaven? I don't know his heart, and neither do you?
Did he have a good understanding of Christ's message of salvation? If not, then he is not responsible to live by it. Jesus said he is the good shepherd, and his sheep know his voice. We can only speculate.
2006-07-30 16:25:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The slave masters were the WORST examples of what Christianity is, so to deny the slave master's religion is a very logical choice.
No, the man would not be sent to hell for rejecting this most perverted representation of Christianity.
2006-07-30 16:40:36 · answer #6 · answered by Dolores G. Llamas 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say that this man's fate is exactly what he believed in when he was forced aboard the ship. Anyone under such duress and abuse can "emulate" whatever is forced on them just to survive, which I am sure many did. But you can't force someone to change what is in their heart, because that is where the core of your belief is held.
2006-07-30 16:43:03 · answer #7 · answered by lilbitadevil 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rejecting Jesus Christ is the Biblical basis for being hell-bound.
Rejecting a false Christianity is an all-together different issue.
2006-07-30 16:28:26 · answer #8 · answered by Bob L 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible says that if you reject Christ you are doomed.
Period.
Mat 7:26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Mat 7:27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!"
Joh 3:18 Anyone who believes in Him is not judged, but anyone who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.
2006-07-30 18:22:11 · answer #9 · answered by steve 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well personaly he should of course seek salvation in one way or another. If he is personally please with himself (not nessicarily his life) he will seek salvation. What this salvation is can be anyone's guess. Maybe it is an enternity of his best fantasy, seated at the right hand of god, or a new and better life on a distant planet. If his soul is pure, i feel he should seek what he desires.
2006-07-30 16:34:05 · answer #10 · answered by BenJamin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"they'll" tell you he'll burn in hell. why? he had the oppotunity to accept jesus into his heart and forgive him for all his sins. since he didn't have the wits to engage in another form of slavery, he'll burn along with all the rest of us for not being "smart" enough to accpet jesus. Sure that little expedition he went through was all a part of "gods great plan"
2006-07-30 16:22:59 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋