I'm not trying to agitate Christians with this question. I'm really just curious. If you beleive that you can't be saved unless you accept Chirst, what about someone who lives in a very isolated place and never even heard of Christ? Does ignorance provide impunity?
2006-09-09 15:02:32 · 31 answers · asked by Subconsciousless 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
An Inuit hunter asked the local missionary priest:
"If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?"
"No," said the priest, "not if you did not know."
"Then why," asked the Inuit earnestly, "did you tell me?"
~ Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
2006-09-09 15:11:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is a very good no a great question. The biblical answer is during the 1000 years reign of Christ on this earth everyone will hear the truth and get a chance to believe or not. The time period I am talking about is when Jesus Christ comes back as king of kings and lord of lords. God is a fair judge and He will not condemn someone before he/she has had a chance to hear the truth.
2006-09-09 15:26:51 · answer #2 · answered by peewee5001 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think this is a really good question...and i wish i had an answer for you. I do believe that everyone knows the difference between good and bad..that's why we have a conscience. I had a friend who took a missions trip to Romania to tell people about Jesus Christ who had never heard about Him before. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who have no idea. I suppose only God could answer that...but you make a good point.
2006-09-09 15:09:34 · answer #3 · answered by I♥him 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As per your reasoning against the Christians, billions of people would have been unjustly condemned in the last 2000 years? There were people who had no chance to hear about Christ; people who heard but didn't care; people who cared but diddn't accept; people who accepted but didn't live the life; people who lived the life but felt arrogant about their faith; and there are special people like you without falling into any categories mentioned above...So what is the use the advent of Christ?
I think that only God knows who deserves to receive His acceptance and who does not. He is the only Creator, Sustainer, Savior.
From time immemorial, through His Messengers, the One True God constantly reminds man about his noble mission as a rational being, and he should wisely use his reason with God's guidance to work for the benefit of his whole species; he who obeys God will realize little by little that the divine direction of the One True God would be far better than the blind imitation based on limited and erronous human imaginations.
So, let each man think and make responsible choice for himself. Then each man will know what is his final answer in the Presence of God.
As for the choice of accepting or not accepting God, I feel that the following reasoning of Pascal is also suggestive:
God exists and you act accordingly...................... win!
God exists and you do not act accordingly.........you LOSE!!!!
God does not exist but you act as if he did... .....who cares???
God does not exist but you act as if he did not...who cares???
Pascal
2006-09-09 21:52:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I went to a whole summer camp that adressed this very question.
The answer is that there is no such person. Even if someone's never heard the gospel of Jesus, he is still held accountable before God. We hear that 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth shows forth his handiwork' in the Bible. What this means is everyone can see the manifestations of God in the world. They can conclude that some great being of infinate power must have set it all in motion, and they can beleive on him. Having no further light, I don't think God would not hold them accountable for anything else, so long as they beleived on him.
Another point is that every man is given a consience. So everyone knows when they are doing something wrong even without being told. We see this because in the Bible, even before the ten commandments were given, people felt guilty for commiting sins which had not yet been officialy forbidden.
All that to say that everyone, everywhere has sinned in their lives. One sin, in and of itself, is enough to send us to hell. We were created for the sheer purpose of glorifying God, and we fail to do that when we sin. So we deserve hell after the first sin. No matter how small it is, and no matter how many good works we do afterwerds, we still deserve eternal damnation.
So yes, God would still condem those who did not officialy hear the gospel. He gave them more than a fair chance by revealing himself to them in nature. Those who hear the gospel get more than more than a fair chance- we're unbeleivably blessed to have heard of God in as clear and direct a way as we have.
Good question, though- it stumped me good and hard!
2006-09-09 15:17:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sin is a disease that spares no one. A provision for the cure has been made through Jesus. Anyone preventing anyone else from receiving that cure is condemned - anyone having the cure and failing to share it - will be condemned.
Its that simple..., mankind passes the sin nature on, just as surely as one person can pass on a genetic disorder. Its a shame, but thats the way it is. Saying its unfair does not change the reality. God sent Jesus to save people from the death that sin brings - THIS is the fairness of it all..., the cure to sin is free and you don't have to pay off black market dealers, don't have to pay high dollars for a doctor or sergeon... and no, no high dollars to this fancy pants $$ Preachers you see on Tv. Catch my drift?
2006-09-09 15:18:54 · answer #6 · answered by Victor ious 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they were never, ever, EVER exposed to Christianity, we are taught (in the Catechism) that the person would then be judged solely on his life and experiences. Was he a good man? Did he do what is right by the "universal law" of "love they neighbor"? Did he steal, rape, murder, etc.? These are not hard to avoid.
The best thing I can say here is that GOD is the judge, not you or me. We don't need to worry about such an occurance, because God has it under control. Amen!
2006-09-09 15:06:06 · answer #7 · answered by Jay 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The people who have never heard the Word of God, and was given the message. They do go to hell. That is why Jesus gave the great commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Ignorance is not an excuse for anyone. He has even shown them through His creation that He exist. They can still seek Him.
2006-09-09 15:20:02 · answer #8 · answered by salvation 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most believe that that person would automatically go to Heaven, because people who have not heard the Word cannot be judged for not accepting Christ.
2006-09-09 15:08:16 · answer #9 · answered by I'm Still Here 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There was a Mayan Indian King who worshiped the sun.One day the clouds covered the sun up.He concluded that the sun could not be God.God has a way to reach every soul .My God is a just and loving God who willing gave His Son for us all.I am sure that such a God would be able to discern fairly and justly with someone so unfortunate . But as for you and I who know Him He will expect some more.
2006-09-09 15:14:38 · answer #10 · answered by don_steele54 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The European colonial powers have gone to every part of the world in their quest to spread Christianity/Catholicism, and many Christian/Catholic missionaries go around the world to spread their religion under the guise of charity. This is one of the logically false things about Christianity/Catholicism, it says in John 3:18 that only believers in Jesus as son of God will have a chance to go to heaven, so that means that all the people who are righteous than most Christians/Catholics will go to hell or not be resurrected, this is one of the main reasons why many Atheists strongly attack Christianity, and one of the main reasons why many Christians turn to other religions.
2006-09-09 15:12:47 · answer #11 · answered by S0C1AL1ST 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋