I heard about a kid who was beaten senseless on the street, then stripped naked and robbed of all his possessions, then thrown in the lake to die. I can't believe that an all-loving God would send this poor young man to hell, if he wasn't a Christian.
I'm a believing Christian by the way, it's just this has been nagging at me.
2007-10-01 09:25:22 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Point 1: God is Just.
If you are going to choose a life without God, and while on Earth hate him, and want nothing to do with him. (Jesus), then why would he force you to for eternity?
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Point 2: Self Appointed God.
Most people live their lives as though they were God. They choose eternity with themselves, and not with God.
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Point 3: Understanding of Good and Evil
Jesus said that the children are his. If a child is to young to choose God or self, or if a person is not mentally capable they have salvation.
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Point 4: People Limiting God
Some people limit God's power. He is fully capable of talking to a pigmy in Africa and sharing his name and his characteristics with him. He uses people to reach people, but if that were not possible, he is capable of reaching people anyway. The Bible is clear that he builds us knowing and pondering it, remember Abraham was a pagan before God spoke to him.
2007-10-01 09:46:32 · answer #1 · answered by Adopted 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm a Christian as well, just FYI....
In Luke 10 you find Jesus' answer to this question. The criteria for having a good afterlife would be (1) Love God and (2) Love others as yourself. What does it mean to "love God?" Matthew 25 says that it means to do unto the least of these. So I would argue that it doesn't matter in the least whether someone confesses with their mouth or believes in their thoughts that Christianity is true. It matters whether they are incommunion with that which is beyond all our names for it - God, trinity, heaven, love, etc.
Also, the Jewish conception of the afterlife was at the time of the New Testament much different from the Greek one. Hebrews originally had no belief that the soul and the body were separate (thus Paul needs to talk about a bodily resurrection when he talks to Jews but drops it like a bad habit when talking to Greeks). Most of the time, when Hell is mentioned in the NT the word is Gahenna, which refers to a place more like purgatory, which means everyone will eventually go to "heaven," though they might not be able to "enter" straight away. Who knows.
First and foremost we know God is Love. It would not be loving to make man ignorant and give us natures pointing us toward Hell and then roast us for all time for doing exactly what we were set out to do. This is a paradox because Christians are still thinking it through and learning about God. But I think it's always safe to say that we don't really know much but we've experienced the fact that we're in good hands.
2007-10-01 09:36:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have a tendency to go off on tangents, so I'll try to keep this as short and sweet as possible ;) I don't think God damns you to hell just for being a non-believer and I'll tell you why. In the Bible, it even says that the House of God has many "roofs". Ergo, the word of God comes in many acceptable forms, and not stricly Christianity or any other specific religion. And besides, whatever religion you practice and whatever your holy book or rede, even if it is the word of God, it was written by the hands of men. All religion is flawed because we ourselves are flawed. So that's my opinion (and really, opinions are what it always comes down to) and many will disagree, just as others will agree. Also, keep in mind that different people understand scriptures in differing ways. How I interpret things will obviously differ with others. But this is why we have so many people analyzing these texts, even in this day and age :) I hope I've answered your question, but just in case I went overboard with my personal opinions, I'll state it simply: Whoever truly desires forgiveness will be given it. That doesn't mean you won't have a price to pay, but in matters of damnation, I don't personally feel it has so much to do with your religion, as it does with who you are as a person. Hope that helps!
2016-05-18 03:26:44 · answer #3 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No matter what you believe, religious or not, most of the people on this planet think that you are going to hell. You can't try to please everyone's God, and a truly loving God would know that. This is why I don't worry about hell. I am really sorry for that poor kid, though.
2007-10-01 09:32:00 · answer #4 · answered by Kris G 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yep. Anybody who's heard the gospel and didn't accept it is doomed to hell for eternity, no matter if they were a good person or not. While murders and rapists will be rampant in heaven, because they believe. Gang members should be well represented too.
2007-10-01 09:30:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you need to find a church to attend in order to ask these questions.
Left alone with the bible, people can draw some crazy conclusions if they pull words out of context.
The bible was meant to be studied in community with other people to debate these types of issues. I, for one, do not think that God would condemn this person if he led an otherwise good life by helping others.
Faith and religion are two very different things. Try not to confuse them.
Christians, Jews and Muslims can all trace their religions back to the same God. They just have different means of getting to the same destination.
2007-10-01 09:30:50 · answer #6 · answered by samans442 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
If this "poor young man" does not believe in Christ as his Lord and Saviour, then yes, he will go to hell. It is not a matter of what he did or did not do, it is a matter of sin. And Christ is the only way to be cleansed of our sins.
2007-10-01 09:33:29 · answer #7 · answered by James W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Decide for yourself. Ruminate on this: do you think that anyone could do something so horrible that it would warrant an eternity of pain and torment? Do you think someone should suffer because they don't acknowledge a distant deity who has no direct effect on one's life?
If you answered yes to one or both, enjoy your life as a sheep.
2007-10-01 09:35:21 · answer #8 · answered by damlovash 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't we wait in Limbo?
I wouldn't like to think of any "child" of God's going to hell.
It states in the bible somewhere that you go heaven at the ages of innocence.
But i just asked my husband this the other day.
Children, even 16y/o don't honestly know right from wrong.
They know it's bad, yes, and not to do it, but they can't fully comprehend their actions - can they?
Is this the young boy that was stoned while in the lake?
He was drowning and the kids kept stoning him?
My nan told me about this today, how sick!
I think the kids that did that too him will go to hell.
I'd hate to think of his going.
2007-10-01 09:31:35 · answer #9 · answered by Kat 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think we all get what we want. If we want to find God, then we will. If we want our independence from God, then we will get that.
Heaven isn't the goal. God Himself is the only goal. Heaven is just a place where those who want Him will be with Him.
2007-10-01 09:37:52 · answer #10 · answered by Matthew T 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋