Christianity makes so much sense to me except the part about those who do not believe in Jesus are going to hell. I can not imagine Ghandi going to hell. These kind of statements seem so out of character of an all loving God/Jesus, who showed so much compassion for sinners. How do you reconcile that?
2006-09-01 13:46:46 · 25 answers · asked by James L 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Ah, the "good vs bad" question.
Christianity never said "be good", ET said that.
The focal point of Christianity is salvation. It's a spiritual law.
You are born with a body and a soul (loosely defined as "breath life") but you have no spirit. This is the Great Mystery and the master plan of God from Adam's Fall to the resurrection of Christ Jesus and revealed to Paul. That being born again would give you spirit and therefor make you a joint-heir with Christ.
So ... "good people" don't even fit into the equation of the spiritual law. It's all about salvation.
Hope this helped!
2006-09-01 13:49:57 · answer #1 · answered by wrathofkublakhan 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Well, Jesus said 'I am The Way, The Truth and The Light'. The thing is that everyone was condemned, can you believe it? We were all doomed to eternal torment. Jesus came to rescue us, He didn't come to condemn. We were condemned already. Imagine: 20 people are almost drowning, then somebody comes with a boat to save them. 2 accepted and lived. The other 18 didn't, so they died. The boat owner didn't come to make them drown if they didn't take his help, because they were already going to die, he came to rescue the ones who recognized they were miserable and accepted the help. God would like all human being to be His children, He said that, forgive me for not remembering in which part of the Scriptures. He also said that who receives much, will be asked much, so everyone will be charged according to what thay were given. God is justice itself, so He'll never commit injustice to anyone! He sees the heart of people, not just the outside as we do. That makes all the difference. So if Ghandi was saved, or anyone who died (even if it was a very religious person), God only knows. Some people can live a lie that lasts a lifetime, but God seeks the true worshippers, and that means those ones who love Him with all their love and understanding.
I hope I have helped you somehow. May God bless you!
2006-09-01 21:23:26 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
On a scale of behaviors with the most dispicible and deviant at the bottom and the most generous and self sacrificing at the top, at what point along that list would you say it would be that it is good enough on its own merit and not in need of a Jesus hanging on a cross and questionably without merit and in need of the Blood of Jesus to cover?
What you are questioning here is whether or not anyone can accept the punishment for sin by doing Good. Jesus took the punishment for sin. If you think it was you that sin offended then it should be you that vonlunteered to take His place right? But being man how then would you atone for my sins? By doing good? I don't think so. Its not about who does good. Its about God being offended by the sin of man and taking the penalty that the one giving the offense deserved. Ghandi made his choice. But then again we don't know but that maybe Ghandi's heart was right with God and God used him in the way He did. My question to you would be what have you done today to express gratitude to God for what He did for you? And have you told anyone about Christ? Or is He just an interesting idea to use as a subject for difficult questions @Yahoo answers?
2006-09-01 21:10:42 · answer #3 · answered by messenger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my thoughts... If you are a real christian you will understand what the scripture says.. You see Christians , muslims, jews and other religion claims the same thing. i.e " no other god but their god alone. Jesus for Christians, Allah for muslims and so fort... Religions merely call their God with different names but I think they are one the same. Regarding the sriptures, people have different ways of understanding what was written... does the scriptures means objectively or literary??? If you will really evalute religions ther is not right or wrong religion. The important thing is you can differentiate what is right and what is not. Know if hurts some one or help someone. In the end it all boils down on how you as a person understand the perspective of the only life we have. After all the one thing we want in life is to live with it fully , harmoniously and with peace.
2006-09-02 04:33:07 · answer #4 · answered by akito 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It isn't about being good or bad. Through Adam's sin we were seperated from God. No one was meant to go to Hell, Hell was reserved for the devil and his angels. B/C we are seperated from God, God provided away to be reconnected, Jesus was that sacrifice, the key to get us into Heaven. If we accept the key, we can open the door, if we don't accept it, that's our choice, but we can't enter Heaven b/c we are not pure. God cannot look upon sin. Therefore, the only place we can go is to a place void of God, which is Hell. God showed ultimate compassion by sacrificing his son and saying ANYONE who accepts my gift can come in..... it's all up to us.
2006-09-01 21:12:25 · answer #5 · answered by ???? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God looks at the heart of a man. I know what the word says about accepting truth but I do know that there are many who do not know. In one of C.S. Lewis's 'Chronicles' books, there is a man who is part of a muslim type religion, he is very good and a seeker of truth. When his time comes and he 'meets his maker' he recognizes and realizes the truth- he says but I have not known you and Aslan tells him, all you have done, you have done unto me.
In the Bible, Paul came across a people that had a monument to 'the unknown God' they had never been taught and did not have understanding about the one true God, but God has written His word on each of our hearts and I believe that even those that have not had the priveledge of hearing the truth, they will recognize it when they see it. It is the difference between having a teachable heart and a rebellious heart.
If when Ghandi died, he stood in the precense of God and laid down all of his own misconceptions and had a heart to receive truth, thenI believe he would have been accepted by God. Otherwise, if there was any rebellion, self exaltation, prideful holding on to his own beliefs and desires then it would not matter how much good he did here- there is no place for rebellion in the kingdom of God.
Even the strongest , most knowledgeable and prayerful Christian on this planet is going to have to stand before God in humility, laying down their own misconceptions and pride and receive the truth.
It all goes back to , salvation is not something that can be earned, there is nothing you can do to earn it, a whole lifetime of good does not cover up a rebellious or prideful heart. only God can judge the motivations of the heart and a heart htat is teachable and desires truth- not truth of their own imagination or whatever "truth" makes them comfortable, tickles their ear or gives them warm fuzzies, but the ultimate truth of the one true God- He is merciful and has provided His salvation for all.
I cannot speak for God but I know that He is not a liar, I know that He is merciful and righteous and He tempers justice with mercy. He has made a way and unfortunately, not all will take that way- but it is open and God can do more in the blink of an eye than we can do in a whole lifetime.
For Him I truly believe it is about the condition of the heart!
A heart that refuses to believe or consider or seek truth and seek God outside of their own fleshly desires is a rebellious and defiant heart .
2006-09-01 21:07:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sin entered the world in the garden of Eden. God had to have a plan B to redeem mankind. Jesus Christ, his son.
Their were two trees in Eden.
Tree of Life: Spiritual, that leads to righteousness. This tree will be in heaven.
Tree of knowledge: temporal, won't be in heaven. Which opened Adam and Eve's knowledge of good and evil.
Eve listened to satan and ate from the tree of knowledge. Sin entered the world and therefore we became sinful. The only way of salvation through his son, Jesus Christ.
Why would God put Jesus, his son, through all that suffering if "All roads lead to heaven?"
Why would Jesus go to the cross and be brutally beaten if "All roads lead to heaven?"
Gandhi and the Dali Lama believed the way to God is through intellect. Which is secular and not spiritual. Yes, they were good men, but our righteousness is like filthy rags to God. There is none that is righteous, no not one.
Please read "23 Minutes in Hell" by Bill Weise. God showed him hell because a lot of people don't believe in hell. He has scripture from the bible to back up everything he saw and experienced in hell.
God doesn't want anyone to go there, it was made for the devil and his fallen angels. Lucifer had 1/3 of the angels in heaven follow him and rebell against God. He is the father of all lies and is out to steal, kill and destroy. He hates mankind and wants everyone to suffer like he will for eternity. Misery loves company.
2006-09-01 21:40:06 · answer #7 · answered by darlndanna 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are referring to religion. Religion is mans interpretation of God. I have thought about this too. God is nothing but a God of love. He loves everyone so much. Your right, Ghandi lived a good life. The thing I have a problem with is when people elevate themselves to being a god. I think that if you accept that your not perfect and want to find a higher purpose to life, that God is going to appreciate it. Who really knows what is going to happen in the end, except God.
2006-09-01 20:54:35 · answer #8 · answered by A* 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is totally out of character.
The mercy of God endures for ever.
Where do the unsaved dead go?
They are dead just like the saved dead.
You make the teachings of Christ of no effect by your man-made traditions.
One man-made tradition is "good people go to heaven when they die and bad people go to hell when they die."
Isn't it time we transcended the fables of childhood?
No one has gone to heaven except the Son of man (John 3:13).
And hell?
Request the booklet:
Hell Is A Lie!
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Where are they?
In their graves!
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29).
The King James "damnation" is from lthe Greek word "krisis", meaning "contesting".
The "contesting" takes place in a second physical life after the 1000 years. The vast majority of mankind is not being called now.
Some of the ones who are "contesting" in the future will still not repent. And they will cease to exist. The words "you only live twice" will be only too true for them.
2006-09-01 20:51:07 · answer #9 · answered by onelm0 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No one can say who goes to heaven or hell. As the bible tells us, Jesus is the judge, and He'll judge by our hearts. By the time of judgment, all will know, and all will choose, and I'm betting on meeting Ghandi in heaven.
2006-09-01 21:32:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋