Aren't the Abrahamic religions just selfish?

Question

It's all about getting into heaven. Everything revolves around that fact. You do good only so you can get into heaven. You pray to god only so you can get into heaven. You attend a sermon so that you will get into heaven. Aren't these religions breeders of selfishness?

Answer 1

Actually, according to The Holy Bible, it doesn't speak of trying to "get into Heaven" at all. That's part of the New Testament.

The first chapter of Genesis 1:28: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

Also, the Bible says the Earth is to be "filled" with Perfect, Peaceful men, (Ps. 72:7) "In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth."

Matthew 6:10 "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

Also, the Bible says the Earth will never be destroyed or depopulated, (Ecclesiatstes 1:4) "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever."

And, yes, most of the Abrahamic faiths are selfish though, requiring others to act on your behalf. But the fact is, most of them have it wrong. Only the Jews don't believe they are trying to "enter Heaven."

Answer 2

Those things you listed are "works", or "good deeds". It doesn't matter how much good you do, how often you pray, how many sermons you hear, etc. It doesn't matter how many times you've been through the Bible, what matters is how many times the Bible has been through you.

We only get into heaven by grace. The Greek word used for grace also meant "gift". You cannot earn or deserve gifts. And this gift from God is available to everyone, be it a Hitler or a Buddha. No good works can get us into heaven, because that is in itself self-righteousness. You see to think, "I went to church 500 times" is to say, "I am a good person, God must be impressed by me, he'll surely let me in heaven" but that thinking, in God's view, IS selfishness.

The opposite of selfishness is humility, and what can be more humble than leaving the security of heaven and feeling human pain and ultimately death? Christ is about sacrifice, and that is the opposite of selfishness, so Christianity is the best system mankind has ever known or will ever know.

Answer 3

I suppose that you could say that people's self-interest is served when following these religions, but one gets into heaven by serving others and showing love for God's children, so it's not really a selfish at the expense of others -- everyone is helped. And, by the way, I really can't think of any religion that doesn't promise some sort of better life later, not just the Abrahamic ones.

Answer 4

I want to get into heaven too ... you don't want to live all of eternity in the firery gates of hell do u ?? I don't think it's selfish cause you are not taking anything away from anyone. You're actually improving your lifestyle by praying and trying to be a good person all together :-)

Answer 5

Your logic is strange. Since when is taking simple measures to assure your own survival considered selfish?

If you are sitting at a table full of food, with people all around able to feed themselves, is it selfish to prepare a plate and eat?

If you have a bed, is it selfish to sleep in it?

If you have lungs, is it selfish to breath?

If your house is on fire, and you are the only person in it, is it selfish to escape?

Does a truely humble person have to starve to death, or die of exhaustion, or suffocate, or burn to death, just to prove they are not selfish? No. Then it is not selfish to assure your eternal survival either.

In the Christian religion, we are expected to love people as God has loved us. We are also expected to love ourselves. This is not selfish, it is healthy.

Answer 6

No, because you have to make God happy in order to get into heaven. So actually, it's all about him.

Answer 7

WOW! itsn't pretending that there is not a God selfish,

not having to answer to anybody
not having to serve anyone
not having to follow any rules
not being crutinized for your beliefs
everyhting you do is good b/c you have

Who is the real selfish person???????????????

Answer 8

Here are your transparent suppositions:
1 - To want to continue your physical life is selfish.
2 - To want to live spiritually after your physical death is selfish.

Obvious conclusion:
To be unselfish, one must sacrifice his/her physical life.

To demonstrate one's unselfishness, your logic leads one to the conclusion that giving up physical and spiritual life is the only path to unselfishness.

There is obviously something wrong with your suppositions.

Answer 9

christians aren't self - we're adorable. jews are ok too. but muslims think thiers is the only right way. they will execute one of thier own for converting to christianity, a fellow abrahamic western religion.

Answer 10

From a Bible attitude, you may flow to hell for the same reason a guy or woman would finally end up in reformatory - if he's in command of breaking the regulation. could you exclude a economic corporation robber from reformatory purely through fact he's form and compassionate and does somewhat some community volunteer paintings? reformatory is for the in charge for the crimes you have dedicated, and "good" issues do not outweigh or stability the crime! the significant factor is to get carry of an undeserved and unmerited pardon from the choose by using confessing your guilt, and falling on the choose's mercy, and opting to in no way dedicate your particular crime (sin) back. the right thank you to tell in case you have broken God's ethical regulation is to easily ask your ethical experience and your memory. in case you have ever carried out ANY factor that has violated your individual ethical experience, or made you sense undesirable or ashamed or in charge, then you definitely've broken God's regulation, era. this is for this very reason that i'm a Christian - through fact i be attentive to I even have morally failed, and that i comprehend i choose God's mercy, forgiveness, grace and love. i choose God's pardon, and the sole thank you to get this is thru Jesus Christ. He stated "i'm the way". of direction, you may desire to persist with Jesus, through fact he's the sole one which is conscious the risk-free passage to heaven. (Sin destroyed the passage to heaven, and Jesus overcame sin.) So, you have 2 paths to decide on from - you may persist with Jesus and make it good to heaven, or you may persist with the path of sin, and finally end up in - uh - the "different" place. yet you may't blame God, you may't blame others. the burden of duty rests fullyyt on your individual shoulder which direction you decide directly to take. you stands out as the almost definitely effective guy or woman who ever lived, yet once you're in charge, you're in charge, and purely a pardon from God can do away with the stain of guilt out of your heart. God needs you in heaven. He got here to earth and grew to grow to be Jesus Christ, the Son of God purely so which you're turning out to be a wager to flow to heaven. in case you reject His grant, it is your individual fault! you have your international-view all tangled up like a pretzel. you're incorrect approximately what you think of Christians choose; and because your premise is faulty, your end is, likewise, incorrect.