Background to question......
I was talking to a work mate and found out he was quite religious and attends church weekly as a christian. I was asking if he believed if you are a non- believer that do you go to hell? He said yes. So it got me thinking... if you believe this too (if your christian or any other religion)..... surely even if you dont believe in God your whole life when you die you will realise that he does exist when your are confronted by hell or God himself and will immediately believe so therefore be transported straight to heaven?
So isnt the concept of going to hell, if you are a non believer, a paradox because if you are sent to hell you will realise that God did exist therefore negating the reason you are there?
2006-11-20 22:27:36 · 37 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
OK reading your replies i see that it seems after death its too late... but why then can god not forgive you for not believing during your living days? Is he that cruel to not give you the forgiveness and just let you in to the pearly gates? BTW ppl this is all a curiosity as iam non religious myself.
2006-11-20 22:43:43 · update #1
Why the thumbs down ppl? Im not imposing my views on you lot just asking a question to see what you think! How very sad and small minded of some of you or is it fundamentalist christians getting annoyed cos ive challenged them?
2006-11-21 02:12:26 · update #2
What does any of it matter??!! The only thing you are confronted with when you die are creepie crawlies or fire (the one in the crem that it is, not the fire of hell)!!
2006-11-20 23:58:11 · answer #1 · answered by Coco 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If your mate rejects God he will go to Hell .Get this clear God is a good person to believe otherwise is an insult to him.Only a mean person would send you to jail for a crime you did not commit.We Christians do not believe that all Non-Christians are going to Hell ,but you cannot go there unless Jesus says so.It is entirely up to Jesus.
I don't know why people are thumbing you down but it's a good question you asked.
2006-11-20 22:44:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Too late when you die. You have the choice to make a decision for or against the lord when you are alive. Death is the P.O.N.R. or
point of no return. Even Hitler had the opportunity to repent before he died and he may have. No sin is too big for God to forgive on the spot.
So if you make a choice for God now, you will find out if Adolf is in Heaven or not.
2006-11-20 22:38:40 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
More than belief in the existence of God is required for a person to go to heaven. They also must have died without any unrepented sins. You don't get a chance to repent after death so those who did not believe in life will not go to heaven.
2006-11-20 22:32:19 · answer #4 · answered by monkeymanelvis 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Because if He let you through when you died that would defeat the object of faith. You do not get to heaven by saying God exists, you get to heaven by accepting Jesus, and following the ways that he taught.
Also revelations talks about the last days, everybody gets a second chance to come to Christ
2006-11-21 00:01:35 · answer #5 · answered by Resolution 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that we have the option of accepting or rejecting God in this life. Assuming that a person has had the opportunity of being taught of God, and of free choice decides not to follow him, I think that they then forfeit the chance of eternal life with him in heaven.
I have read a few replies that refer to '' deeds'' as a way to heaven. Not so ! It clearly states in the Bible that Heaven cannot be earned. That there is absolutely nothing that we could do on our own to deserve it. He sent his son to die for our sins . Gotta run.
2006-11-20 23:00:47 · answer #6 · answered by rock d 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yo Dave.
Got some good replies there! Shall have fun with this question answer thing!!!! Found some more mistakes with that mod leaflet by the way. Will handbag as much as I can for your return!! Have a good one.
Neil (work mate in question)
2006-11-21 07:39:43 · answer #7 · answered by Neil555 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God is loving, merciful and just. All these must be fulfilled. Because of God's justice, for every sin there must be a punishment. God's love means He wants all people to live, to obtain eternal life and be with Him for ever. God's mercy means that He Himself, as Jesus Christ, took the punishment for our sins. He Himself died on behalf of every person that has ever lived or will ever live. God's justice means that all those that accept Jesus' sacrifice are given a share of His righteousness.
So, God's justice, that all sin must be punished, is fulfilled in Christ (God) taking on that punishment Himself.
God's mercy is fulfilled in that every person can have their sins forgiven, if they so choose, and if they remain loyal to God. But there can be no forgiveness without repentance (when Jesus forgave He said "Go, and sin no more.")
God's love is fulfilled in that, by His own sacrifice, He has given Mankind a way to be with Him forever.
2006-11-21 02:48:49 · answer #8 · answered by waycyber 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That belief is 100% BS! It is nothing more than a smear campaign set by organized religion to authorize the rape, torture and killing of "non-believers" since the best way to control a mob is to let it kill something.
If, like they say, God is all forgiving then surely it will forgive your lack of belief during life.
Christians will tell you "Yeah but Jesus said he was the only way into heaven so I have to smash the unbeliever's head like a rotten cabbage" This is bogus....let's say it is true..NO WHERE does it say "Jesus's Way" is to wear a name tag that says "Hi my Name is Bob and I am a Christian"..it is to follow the teaching of Jesus which is love, tolerance, charity and decency....all of which, in my own private experience, agnostics+atheists have exponentially more of than so called Christians
2006-11-20 23:56:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The whole concept of hell was created when Christianity absorbed pegan and other folklore religions. The Catholic church turned them into negative entities, and this is where we get satan and the demons etc.
I dont believe in God or religion, including hell. It was created to control people through fear and keep people filling the pews (plus the donations tray they pass around). Like many of the less thought out sections of religious teachings it contradicts itself under close scrutiny.
I always feel it's slightly unfair though if I'm right and there is no God just oblivion, I'll never have the opportunity to gloat. But if I'm wrong I'll have eternity to languish in my misery.
2006-11-20 22:37:41 · answer #10 · answered by Birdie2006 5 · 3⤊ 3⤋
The point is, we believers think you have to have faith before you die in order for yu to go to heaven. Believing after your death is just too late because you have spent your whole life not believing. God judges you by what you do during your life, not after death.
2006-11-20 22:34:21 · answer #11 · answered by rinah 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋