# So if a man choses the wrong religion, wouldn't that be God's fault. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 4, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862 "2009-01-04T22:51:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/1 "2009-01-04T22:51:31Z")
A hypothetical: Let’s say a young man is trying to decide his direction in life as far as it pertains to religion. He does all the research he can on all the major religions. Now said man decides he wants to go with Judaism. Said man now lives his whole life by the “rules” of Judaism with out fail. Now said man dies and old St. Pete tells the dude: “Sorry man, Catholic was the way to go. Now get your ass down to Hell and burn.” My question is: How the hell was this guy supposed to know Catholic was the way to go? And wouldn’t this be God’s fault for not making things a little more clear? ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/2 "2009-01-04T23:01:04Z")
God works in mysterious ways, everything happens for a reason, man has free will, etc, etc, etc. ---
**Author:** ![smurfslappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@smurfslappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smurfslappa)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/3 "2009-01-04T23:11:58Z")
I’m pretty sure that’s not the way it works. Also, see the guy’s post right above me. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/4 "2009-01-04T23:14:04Z")
There is no wrong religion. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/5 "2009-01-04T23:21:14Z")
If there was a “God”… and HE/SHE/IT actually KNEW of OUR existence, I doubt he/she/it would give a shit if we knew of him/her/it or not. He’s/she’s/it’s probably too preoccupied wondering how the hell he/she/it came to be. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/6 "2009-01-04T23:26:35Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > There is no wrong religion. I’m not sure if this is a whoosh or what. But the Christian bible clearly says if you do not accept Jesus as your saviour than you burn. When I hear “free will”, to me, that basically implies that God is saying: “You can chose my way or the wrong way” Well, it’s kind of hard to chose “his way” if “his way” is hidden behind door number three. ---
**Author:** ![smurfslappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@smurfslappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smurfslappa)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/7 "2009-01-04T23:35:46Z")
It’s how we react in times of controversy that makes us who we are, not what we believe. Given an apocalyptic scenario, how do you think many people will react? Some will spend the time with their families, some will turn to religion or act like jerks. Some people, convinced they have doomed themselves to Hell or Oblivion, will go crazy or try to warn others. If you are convinced of something yet still perform good and selfless acts, that says more about you than anything else. Perhaps this is the test? Will you selfishly seek out your ticket to Heaven, or will you try to help others? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/8 "2009-01-04T23:42:28Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > But the Christian bible clearly says if you do not accept Jesus as your saviour than you burn. That doesn’t make it true. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/9 "2009-01-04T23:54:17Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > So if a man choses the wrong religion, wouldn’t that be God’s fault For what it’s worth, the Calvinist answer, if understand it correctly, is: You betcha. God predestines some people for salvation and some for damnation. It’s not a matter of what you choose, but of whether you’re one of the “elect.” Understandably, a lot of people have a problem with this belief. > [@](#): > > Said man now lives his whole life by the “rules” of Judaism with out fail. Paul spent a lot of the New Testament, especially in the book of Roman, trying to explain why the “rules of Judaism” (aka the Law) were inadequate for salvation, and faith in Christ is necessary. I don’t feel qualified to explain or summarize Paul’s arguments here. > [@](#): > > My question is: How the hell was this guy supposed to know Catholic was the way to go? And wouldn’t this be God’s fault for not making things a little more clear? Different people, even different Catholics, would give you different answers to this question. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/10 "2009-01-05T00:04:11Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > I’m not sure if this is a whoosh or what. But the Christian bible clearly says if you do not accept Jesus as your saviour than you burn. Not the correct reading of the bible according to the Catholic Church, though. (So, St Pete, being a good catholic, would let the OP in, for instance 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/11 "2009-01-05T00:04:44Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > A hypothetical: > > Let’s say a young man is trying to decide his direction in life as far as it pertains to religion. He does all the research he can on all the major religions. > > Now said man decides he wants to go with Judaism. > > Said man now lives his whole life by the “rules” of Judaism with out fail. > > Now said man dies and old St. Pete tells the dude: “Sorry man, Catholic was the way to go. Now get your ass down to Hell and burn.” > > My question is: How the hell was this guy supposed to know Catholic was the way to go? And wouldn’t this be God’s fault for not making things a little more clear? God will make it clear, though it may be on the person’s deathbed such as the thief on the cross. An interesting verse about people of other forms of worship: [QUOTE=Acts 17] 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. [/QUOTE] Since you mentioned Judaism, there are some verses about their salvation: [QUOTE=Romans 11] 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27And this is[f] my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”[g] 28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/12 "2009-01-05T00:04:53Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > But the Christian bible clearly says if you do not accept Jesus as your saviour than you burn. If that is the case, then salvation is not a matter of choosing the right vs the wrong religion, in the sense of checking the correct box on a survey or showing up at the right building on Sunday morning. Rather, it’s a matter of accepting vs rejecting Jesus. And there are at least some things in the Bible, such as Jesus’s teaching about the “sheep and the goats” in Matthew 25, that suggest a person could be accepting or following or serving Jesus without knowing that that is what they are doing. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/13 "2009-01-05T06:39:44Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > That doesn’t make it true. Well, duh, but the OP is pretty clearly arguing against the belief that there _is_ one right religion that you have to believe to achieve “salvation”. And certainly there are at least _some_ religious folk who _do_ believe that. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/14 "2009-01-05T06:43:07Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > There is no wrong religion. There is \*only \*wrong religion. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/15 "2009-01-05T07:33:10Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > That doesn’t make it true. The OP is asking how the problem is resoved from the perspective of those who do believe that specific belief is essential to salvation, though. It’s not a question I’ve ever seen answered adequately. I like to characterize it as God deciding that the only way to be saved is to be able to guess what number he’s thinking of between zero and infinity. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/16 "2009-01-05T07:44:13Z")
My crazy Seventh Day Adventist friend told me that at one moment of everyone’s life they have a flash of truth where they realize it’s all about Jesus. They will know it is the truth in their heart, and then can choose to accept or reject it. Uh huh. ---
**Author:** ![mrpayday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@mrpayday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrpayday)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/17 "2009-01-05T07:59:39Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > God will make it clear, though it may be on the person’s deathbed such as the thief on the cross. An interesting verse about people of other forms of worship: > > Since you mentioned Judaism, there are some verses about their salvation: but god only made it clear to one thief and not the other ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/18 "2009-01-05T12:42:58Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > God will make it clear, though it may be on the person’s deathbed such as the thief on the cross. An interesting verse about people of other forms of worship: > > Since you mentioned Judaism, there are some verses about their salvation: An all knowing being that created a person and knew he would rot in Hell He would be at fault, if knowing this He created him anyway. If a human intentionally makes a product that is faulty the human maker is held responsible, so an all knowing being, knowing the human He created would cause harm to others and still let them be born would be at fault, Just as if Mrs and Mr Hitler knew that their son would cause so much unnecessary suffering knew this ahead of time and still conceived him they would be as guilty as Hitler. If an all knowing Being created an entity such as satan and the other demons you speak of, then God is responsible for the evil as he could have avoided it by not creating such a being, or beings. A good parent doesn’t create a monster that he knows will destroy some, or all of it’s children. Monavis ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/19 "2009-01-05T13:23:55Z")
If I remember my Chronicles of Narnia correctly, there’s some stuff in there about how evil done in Aslan/Jesus’s name goes to Tash/the Devil and good done in Tash/the Devil’s name goes to Aslan/Jesus. Someone who’s more familiar with the works of C.S. Lewis will have to explain the concept more thoroughly. Some Eastern religions approach this question differently, but since your focus seems to be on Christianity, I won’t hijack the thread. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862/20 "2009-01-05T13:36:49Z")
If someone writes a really goofy OP whose fault is it? The OP assumes far too much to lend itself to a real discussion. Right religion /wrong religion = humbug! IMO [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-if-a-man-choses-the-wrong-religion-wouldnt-that-be-gods-fault/479862.md?page=2)