I’d never heard that one. Seems like a good argument against missionary work and outreach in general. Don’t tell people, you’ll only complicate things for them getting into heaven. A case of ignorance is bliss?
You know, I’m trying to find the relevant passages, and I’m not sure anymore. I feel certain a professor discussed in a lecture I had (now ages ago) the fate of the Gentiles who had not been exposed to God’s word, but perhaps it was more on the subject of the implications for them than explicit descriptions of their fate. One thing I did find: Romans 1:17-20…
This seems to suggest rather strongly that there is a “naturalistic” character to God’s goodness that must have manifested itself to the Gentiles and compelled them to do good, if they were godly. Because of this, they are held accountable for their actions accordingly.
Also, I remember from the Gospel of John 15:22-24…
Here also the concept is clearly addressed: Those to whom Jesus had never spoken were without the sin of rejecting God. After hearing his word, if they rejected Him, they are God haters, and I think it’s safe to assume they are therefore damned. But without Jesus’ revellation, apparently other standards must be used to judge them.
I take from all this that God must have revealed himself in different ways to different people. To the Jews and Gentiles fortunate enough to hear the Good News in this life, they have the choice in this life to do the right thing. Those who did not may still have a faith of their own through which they can glorify God and be judge by God. I wouldn’t say ignorance is bliss in this case.
As for the stuff about the afterlife, so far I’ve come up empty. I’ll keep looking.
START Start each statement with “QUOTE” and end it with a “/QUOTE” with each in square brackets .
If you have not interacted with a “True Believer” of the flat earth persuasion, you have not lived!
Opportunity and proof are 2 different things once you accept Christ he will begin working in your life and that will be your proof. It’s more of a different feeling that you have “inside” than any type of extraordinary in your face type of proof.
Why shouldn’t God who made us to glorify him not be jealous when we glorify another God as opposed to Him our Creator?
This would be difficult to answer without giving examples of these "cheap revival show/Bible Camp ‘healings’ " but take my word for it many of them are not a temporary placebo effect. One minister/doctor that I know (not one of the famous ones) insists that all the people claiming to be healed be checked by him and/or an independent doctor before the healing can be classified as a real healing.
Come on, do you think God only helps Christians?
None of us deserve to enter Heaven because Sin cannot enter into Heaven and that is why God sent Jesus to die. When Jesus came to Earth He wanted to help us but even he wanted to know if there was another way to do so without having to die on the cross. There was no other way so he chose to make a sacrifice so that we would have the chance to enter Heaven. Without the sacrifice nobody is good enough to enter Heaven. I wonder myself why there had to be a sacrifice and it all goes back to Sin entering the Earth.
Then I hope their God is as merciful as my God.
Sin is something we all do every day and because we are sinful we cannot enter Heaven without God sacrificing his Son. Jesus even asked if there was another way but there wasn’t so he went through the pain to give all humanity an opportunity to enter Heaven.
[Quote]
You think the tsunami some sort of punishment from God? Coame on, dude, you’re brighter than that. I’ve read a lot of your posts. I think think you’re a pretty sharp kid with a good sense of humor. Don’t allow yourself to buy into this kind of poisonous thinking.[\quote]
I’m glad you think I’m a pretty sharp kid…I don’t think the Tsunami is a punishment it’s just another result of the world not being perfect.
Well, I hope God gives you the proof that you are looking for which I have no doubt he will at some point if you open your mind and look.
BTW , Thanks for showing me how to break those quotes up.
You made that up, didn’t you? 
Wait. I don’t understand. If the Muslims are wrong and you’re right, what will happen to them, and how does this make your version of God more merciful than theirs?
How can I accept something if I don’t have proof? The proof needs to come first for me. And it’s not just a question of not having proof, I know for a fact that a lot of the Bible is fiction. I know that an awful lot of the Gospels are fiction. How can I force myself to believe in a book which has proven itself to be false in so many ways?
I also think that a lot of traditional Christian salvation theology is illogocal, immoral and primative in its premises. I think that if it’s true, then God is not good. How can I accept a God who I don’t believe is good?
Why should he care? Why does he need “glory?” What does he get out of that and how does it hurt him to see another god glorified.
More to the point, how is anyone supposed to KNOW that they’re glorifying the wrong god if the correct god refuses to show himself or offer any evidence as to what is true or not true? This just turns salvation into a guessing game. Guess which god out of millions is the correct one and you go to Heaven. Guess wrong and you are tortured forever. You get no hints. I often liken this system to God demanding that humans guess what number he’s thinking of between 1 and infinity.
And when those people are checked it is found that there has been no healing.
This stuff has been studied and scrutinized ad nauseum by skeptics. Not one verifiable case of “miraculous” healing (that is, an example which cannot be explained by either natural or normal physical processes, or by fraud, or by self-delusion) has ever been demonstrated to science.
People can get some temporary relief from pain by psyching themselves into ecstatic religious states but a lot of those folks who get up out wheelchairs and dance around (and those are people who are not paralyzed or anything, paraplegics don’t get out of the chairs) pay a price later by ultimately screwing themselves up worse than they were to begin with. That is what the doctors really see.
Do you think Krishna only helps Hindus?
Assuming you witnessed a real miracle, how could you know which god was responsible?
Sin can’t enter Heaven? I though sin was an act. is it some sort of substance which can be carried around? Or do you mean that sinners can’t enter Heaven? If not, why not? That’s only God’s own rule, is it not? Why can’t he change it?
Is all “sin” equal," by the way? Is a shoplifter the same as a serial killer? Do they deserve the same punishment?
How about this…he can simply decide not to burn people in Hell or exclude them from Heaven. He’s God and these are his rules, so it makes no sense to say that he doesn’t have a choice about things. Of course he does. He’s GOD.
The sacrifice still makes no sense. Why does God need to kill something in order to forgive people for petty sins or for not being able to guess the right number? He can just do that any time he wants, can’t he?
Do you think their God exists?
And for the record, Christianity is pretty unique in the exclusive nature of its slavation theology (and not even all brands of Christianity are exclusive). Most other religions do not stipulate that you must be a member of that religion in order to get the big payoff (Heaven, enlightment, etc.).
That doesn’t answer the question. If you ask me what breathing is and I tell you it’s something we do every day, I haven’t answered your question. What IS “sin?” What does the word mean?
Once again…why not? Who made this ridiculous rule to begin with?
Jesus asked who? Himself? If Jesus IS God then he can just change the rules.
I don’t understand this statement. What do you mean by “perfect” and how does not being perfect cause earthquakes?
Dude, you have no idea. I spent years looking. I have a degree in Religious Studies. I learned Greek so I could read the New Testament in its original language. I spent years on a near obsessive study of early Christian history and historical Jesus. I also studied in depth religions like Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. I tried every way I could think of to have an experience of God. Prayer, meditation (I still practice Zazen), psychedelic drugs, shamanistic drumming, mindless chanting. You name it, I tried it. I won’t say nothing ever happened becaues sometimes it did. I found that i could alter my consciousness and have pleasant experiences. I found that I could find some insights into my own psychology. But I never felt once that God was talking to me.
I also found that the Bible couldn’t stand up as literal history, and often times not as a moral guide but I still love it as literature and I still remember how transfixed I was hearing the stories as a child. As pure stories they are awesome and contain some actual wisdom on occasion. I will never again be able to read them as history, though. I know too much about them.