2007-06-10 06:48:31 · 30 answers · asked by bluenose 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
There is nothing we could ever do that would make us worthy through simple acts. Hopwever, God deems us worthy because HE LOVES US. God gives us the gift of His kingdom, but we must choose to be part of His kingdom. That means accepting Christ as your Saviour and King.
2007-06-10 06:56:53 · answer #1 · answered by Knight-of-God 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The answer to this question is perplexing, and varies greatly depending on the first principles, or axioms, you derive it from.
Briefly, however, there are at least three possible ways to answer this:
1) The devout, fundamentalist, Christian answer: God created the world in a certain way--it is the way it is, and there is hell for all sinners. After Jesus, it became possible for sinners to effectively repent, and through accepting Jesus, gain their way into heaven. However, those who don't repent the right way are simply out of luck.
2) The cynical atheist would probably respond that the whole concept of eternal hellfire was created as a mechanism for the Catholic church to wield political power over the masses. By giving them a) something to look forward to(heaven if they're good), and b) something to fear(hell if they're bad/transgress the church's teachings), it was possible to keep very poor, very miserable wretches working hard and not revolting all through the dark ages and beyond.
3) A sort of middle path might say that belief in God(i.e. a very specific kind of belief in a very specific kind of God) might be _a_ path to heaven, but that the Universe is big enough that more than one path is possible. Further, one could argue that because human intelligence is limited, any comprehension of God is necessarily flawed, and so there can't even conceivably be a person who truly 'knows' God. From this perspective, it is meaningless to decree that one has 'true faith,' and that anyone who doesn't share their beliefs is irretrievably wrong. In other words, there could be enough room in heaven for good people of all beliefs, and the exclusivity principle some religions(primarily sects of christianity) teach takes a good idea(i.e. a possible path to becoming close to God) too far.
2007-06-10 13:59:36 · answer #2 · answered by Adam M 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
God is ill defined. Whose god, and what kingdom? There are many gods in the world, and many religions. Some gods have no men in their kingdom. For example there is a Hindu temple of rats, where rats are sacred and fed. They roam freely in the temple. The god of that temple presumably has rats in the kingdom.
You statement assumes that there is only one god. The God of hell is supposedly the devil. The god of hell would bar such a man from his kingdom!
2007-06-10 14:09:55 · answer #3 · answered by James 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's clear in the Bible (and many wish it were otherwise but we aren't God) that access to the father (and therefore heaven) is through belief in Jesus. Only Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and God is Holy which means he can't let anyone 'un-holy' into heaven. Whether we go to heaven or not is our own choice based on our decision to follow Jesus or to reject Him, although of course in the end, who goes to heaven is up to god, and no human has the right to say whether or not any particular person has gone there or not.
2007-06-11 12:15:04 · answer #4 · answered by good tree 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good Question!
I like to think the Creator offers only mercy to all. Nothing less.
Think about it for a moment, what would your own child have to do before you would not forgive him for his mistakes? What about people in the out back who never got wind of our stories of hell, do they get punished for not being sworn into a religion? Question everything you are spoon fed, then let your logic circuits kick in before you decide what to defend. The love of right doing might appeal to you instead of the fear of wrong doing. Maybe God offers a time out chair, but a hot seat? Never! Fear has been bred into us for centuries! Don't settle for it. I like to think the kingdom of Heaven is within us, meaning at any time, right here and now we can taste bliss. Pure, unfiltered, unconditional love can be experienced and extended by each of us once we rid ourselves of fear and hate. A line from a Traffic song,
And Heaven is in your mind.........
2007-06-10 14:37:11 · answer #5 · answered by Valerie C 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The answer is simple. The love of God means obeying his commandments.
Thus for God to abolish war, crime, poverty on earth this must be the prime motivator in people's hearts -- to obey even if is personally unprofitable.
Not only that, but God loves his earthly children, he expects those that have been created MIGIBS made in God's image to reflect his love, to return it. If they cannot understand that he exists they have failed that test -- mentally deficient in God's eyes.
Even evolution teaches that survival of the fittest -- God does too. Every one needs to be an eagle, have eyes of faith like an eagle and search for God with their whole hearts.
2007-06-10 18:43:35 · answer #6 · answered by Fuzzy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Kingdom is within
2007-06-10 13:57:16 · answer #7 · answered by Don W 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When Jesus died, he took the punishment for the sins of the world, and I don't actually believe any more that you have to say a prayer that you believe in him to get to heaven. It means everyone goes. But there MIGHT be an opt-OUT clause, that people who are bad and/ or deliberately say they don't want God in their life will not go to heaven.
2007-06-10 14:06:00 · answer #8 · answered by Norah B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe in God and like to believe that I am a good kind person, and I'm not really bothered about entering a fictional place either!
2007-06-10 14:09:13 · answer #9 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that a good person who doesn't believe in god should have a better chance of getting in because he was good for his love of man kind rather than because he was afraid of not getting into heaven.
2007-06-10 14:01:09 · answer #10 · answered by nick g 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋