Ok, I've been a bad little boy. Stolen, swore, pleasured myself, insulted, hit, and so on. Been sent to the mental hospital for psychotic episodes (things got stressful or isolation). Sometimes I look at gymnastics, swimming, and water polo (girl's and women). Now, good deeds: gave money to a hospital, YMCA, bums, people who needed it (just asked randomly), presents at Christmas, bought ice cream, help out a girl who has different problems, converting to vegetarianism (won't even eat eggs), praying twice a day (Our father and Hail Mary 14x). What else: I love my mother, argue with my father at times (but in the nicest way). What else: I smile, I don't always think positively, but I do my best. I will avoid killing an animal if it is nessessary (might step on an ant and not know it). I went to a gurdwara and gave money and food for their langar, went to a Hindu temple and gave food there. My life hasn't been all bad nor all good, but I would like to meet the Lord when it's time. Can I?
2007-11-30 11:23:21 · 25 answers · asked by the_post2001 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Here's why these things are done. I pray and I say, Lord, today I looked at some images, or stepped on an ant or whatever. Bhagawan answers: Ok, I forgive you today. Afterwards, because I believe so deeply in Bhagawan, I get these feelings in side of me to go the Y and donate money. I obey accordingly because I know this is the Lord acting through me, so I follow. I went to the langar, I asked the Lord, a long time ago I did something to a Sikh, forgive me, more or less. I guess the Lord does it, next thing I know, I feel in me, go to a gurdwara and give money. I do. Therefore, the deeds are done as I feel that is correct after prayer asking forgiveness for bad and if I feel there is a particular thing I need help in, the Lord makes that happen, if I follow what is in my heart.
2007-11-30 12:00:48 · update #1
*big sigh*
I was a Catholic...turned atheist...who sat down to read the Bible and prove it wrong. God revealed Himself to me, and now I know the truth...so let me share it with you...
Whether we go to hell or heaven is not based on our good deeds versus (or weighed against) our bad deeds. God does not grade on a curve. You need a 100% to go to heaven and avoid hell.
Listen:
James 2:10 clearly states that if you even stumble at one little point, your are guilty of breaking ALL of the law.
You say, "I have been a bad little boy". So, you are *close* to heaven...because you recognize that you are a sinner.
God commands and demands that we be perfect and holy as He is perfect and holy.
But NONE of us are.
As Jesus said, "With man, this is IMPOSSIBLE"
And the Bible directly declares:
"ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"
...and the "wages of sin is death".
According to everything you have posted - here is he verdict:
You are guilty...a sinner...doomed for a well-deserved hell.
HOWEVER, here is the "good news". The word "Gospel" means "good news". Now, what I have honestly told you so far doesn't sound too good, does it? Well...that's because I haven't gotten to the Gospel, yet...
Here is the good news (ie. Gospel): although you are a sinner and the results of sin is death and hell...and you fully deserve to go to hell, God so loved you that He became man - Jesus Christ. Why? To save you. He lived the perfectly life. Jesus was sinless. Jesus was God! So, Jesus did not have to die (remember: the wages of SIN is death). Yet, Jesus willingly laid down His life for you...dying on the cross for you...in your place...paying for your debt...paying for your sins...as a sacrifice for YOUR sins. Are you getting this?
If Jesus died for YOUR sins, then why do you say, "Will I go to hell?" If you believe that Jesus died for YOUR sins...then your sins have been paid for...they have been dealt with...they have been punished...fully. When Jesus completed His great work, He said, "It is finished". Because nothing else had to be done...your sins were paid in full.
So, if you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior (that is, believing at heart level that He died for your sins) and as your Lord (to follow and obey Him), then you will be saved.
As John 3:16 clearly states:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
-John 3:16
Seriously...did you read that?
Did it say, "Whoever has not been a bad little boy"?
Did it say, "Whoever has no stolen?"
Did it say, "Whoever has not sworn?"
Did it say, "Whoever has not masturbated?"
Did it say, "Whoever has not insulted, hit, or so on?"
NO!
It is GOOD NEWS for all...for ANYBODY who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He turns away no one.
It says "Whoever BELIEVES in Him (Jesus Christ), shall not perish, but have eternal life"
We are saved not because our our good deeds. If that were the case, then you and I are both doomed for hell...for a lot of the same reasons!
We are saved because of God's grace. That is: it is a free gift, unmerited, undeserved.
It is not because we are good...it is because God is so good.
It is not for our glory...it is for His glory.
For is God shown to be more loving, merciful, and gracious at saving a sinner...or a righteous person?
Answer: A sinner.
In fact, just to make a point...God saved the worst sinner in the world! (See 1 Timothy 1:15).
So can YOU "meet the Lord when it's time", as you ask?
Absolutely!
But...final answer to your main question:
"Will you go to hell?"
Answer:
I don't know...do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, as your personal Lord and Savior...and depend solely upon His love, mercy, and grace...rather than your good deeds versus your bad deeds? Then yes...you are safe.
...but if you are hoping to earn your way to heaven by being more of a good boy than a bad little boy...then...well, I am sorry to say...you are on your way straight to H-E-double hockey-sticks....
I am hoping for the first...
And I strongly encourage you to read the book of John in the Bible...followed by the book of Romans...read it, study it, meditate on it...and you will be blessed beyond you could ever think, ask, or imagine...
Grace and peace in Christ be with you.
-
2007-11-30 11:42:38 · answer #1 · answered by yachadhoo 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I don't know if you're trying to be humorous or not, but I will answer your question appropriately. Those things you have been doing are nice, but good works will never get you to Heaven. Everyone has done wrong things in their life, but they can still go to Heaven. All you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You have to believe He died on the Cross for your sins, for your soul. He died for you because He loves you. Even if you were the only person on earth He still would have came to die just FOR YOU. You don't have to recite the same prayer over and over again to saints. You pray to God, what ever you feel like saying, whatever is in your heart. You can pray to thank him, to request something, ask for forgiveness, etc. Ask God into your heart now, it will be the best decision of your life. Have a great weekend. God Bless.
2007-11-30 19:49:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Jesus gave his life on the cross and paid a debt that we could not or can not pay. when you accept that you are a sinner and need forgiveness then you will be with the Lord in Heaven when you die. Unless you acknowledge, ask and accept his forgiveness then any thing else you do doesn't count. If it was about doing good deeds then Jesus death on the cross wouldn't matter. It's not about what you or I do it's about what Jesus did.
2007-11-30 19:32:09 · answer #3 · answered by island girl 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋
all you have to do to get to heaven is to believe in Jesus Christ as your personal savior , ask him to come into your life and save you from your sins , ask him to forgive you for all your sins and do your best to be the person God put you here to be . you can not enter into heaven by doing good deeds , we live by faith not by sight . you cant work your way into heaven , Just believe in Jesus and God , believe that God sent Jesus here and He died on the cross to save us from our sins and that he rose on the 3rd day . Jesus is our way to God and to heaven , the Bible tells us that know one can go to the Father but through Him. read John 3:16 , it doesn't take not even 1 hail Mary , all it takes is a true heart felt prayer , no matter where you are you can talk to the heavenly Father. God Bless.
2007-11-30 19:34:21 · answer #4 · answered by lilsis 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
you don;t have to wait until you die to meet God. Simply ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. I sense your question is supposed to be a joke.. but the truth is.. you are here for a reason. God wants you to be in His kingdom. He wants you to live the life He designed for you. If you ask me if you're going to hell-that's not for me to say.. I can tell you that God promises us eternal life through believeing in His son Jesus.
May God Bless you
2007-11-30 19:41:44 · answer #5 · answered by tinker72 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There is ONLY ONE WAY to get to heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." No religion (not even Christianity) will get you there. No amount of good deeds will get you there. You will only get there by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and having a personal relationship with Him. If you would like to know Jesus personally, go to www.needhim.org.
2007-11-30 19:30:21 · answer #6 · answered by avidmark4 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
You aren't going to hell. It sounds like you are leading a great life if you keep it up. However, you shouldn't change the way you act just because of something as minor as religion. It is just another aspect of culture, after all, just like what language you speak or the type of clothes that you wear.
2007-11-30 19:34:39 · answer #7 · answered by Duke Paul-Muad'Dib Atreides 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yes I read somewhere in the religious books that you get a second chance at Hell's Gate if you want to go to heaven or go to Hell.
Now you may won't to know how come. The answer is that the real-estate has increased so much that they are buying up all space available on earth and have sub-dived Hell in the process as there is no room left on the surface and plenty of room in Heaven.
2007-11-30 19:32:36 · answer #8 · answered by Drop short and duck 7 · 1⤊ 5⤋
I Honestley Don't Believe There is a Heaven Or Hell.
I Believe when You Die, You Lay In the ground the rest of eternity until your bones rott.
it just seems the most reasonable.
PPL Will H8 Me 4 This Answer, & Will Give me Thumbs Down, But Oh Well, It's My Opinion & Every1 Has the Right To One! =]
2007-11-30 19:29:28 · answer #9 · answered by ∞Mz.Crazi∞ 3 · 2⤊ 5⤋
“Much confusion and misunderstanding has been caused through the early translators of the Bible persistently rendering the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades and Gehenna by the word hell. The simple transliteration of these words by the translators of the revised editions of the Bible has not sufficed to appreciably clear up this confusion and misconception.”—The Encyclopedia Americana (1942), Vol. XIV, p. 81.
Translators have allowed their personal beliefs to color their work instead of being consistent in their rendering of the original-language words. For example: (1) The King James Version rendered she’ohl′ as “hell,” “the grave,” and “the pit”; hai′des is therein rendered both “hell” and “grave”; ge′en·na is also translated “hell.” (2) Today’s English Version transliterates hai′des as “Hades” and also renders it as “hell” and “the world of the dead.” But besides rendering “hell” from hai′des it uses that same translation for ge′en·na. (3) The Jerusalem Bible transliterates hai′des six times, but in other passages it translates it as “hell” and as “the underworld.” It also translates ge′en·na as “hell,” as it does hai′des in two instances. Thus the exact meanings of the original-language words have been obscured.
What are those words? The Hebrew she’ohl′ and its Greek equivalent hai′des, which refer, not to an individual burial place, but to the common grave of dead mankind; also the Greek ge′en·na, which is used as a symbol of eternal destruction. However, both in Christendom and in many non-Christian religions it is taught that hell is a place inhabited by demons and where the wicked, after death, are punished (and some believe that this is with torment).
The Bible does not teach that there is hell where wicked people are doomed to everlasting torment. Therefore, no, you are not going to hell.
2007-11-30 19:34:16 · answer #10 · answered by RubberSoul_61 4 · 0⤊ 5⤋