# Through no fault of their own -- do non Christians go to heaven?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-no-fault-of-their-own-do-non-christians-go-to-heaven/39487>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [November 3, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-no-fault-of-their-own-do-non-christians-go-to-heaven/39487 "2000-11-03T00:58:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2000, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-no-fault-of-their-own-do-non-christians-go-to-heaven/39487/41 "2000-11-06T19:50:00Z")

</div>

I have a religious friend who believes that if a person lives a good life yet has never heard of Jesus Christ, then they will go into heaven - BUT if they have heard about Jesus at any time in their life and do not convert to Christianity, they go to Hell. I told her that, according to her worldview, missionaries are sending a lot more people to Hell than to Heaven, by exposing people to the concept of Jesus as the son of God yet not converting most of them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jmullaney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@jmullaney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmullaney)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2000, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-no-fault-of-their-own-do-non-christians-go-to-heaven/39487/42 "2000-11-07T15:27:17Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \*  
> I told her that, according to her worldview, missionaries are sending a lot more people to Hell than to Heaven, by exposing people to the concept of Jesus as the son of God yet not converting most of them.

Well, I guess that is half right. Jesus, Paul, and Peter didn’t get crucified (and alot of their adherents stoned, etc.) for telling people to have a nice day.

But Jesus’s take from Luke 12 was:

> [@](#):
>
> That servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

So, in principle, it isn’t that people who do not know won’t be beaten, it is that they will not be beaten as much. But, at least they are opened to the opportunity not to be beaten at all.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-no-fault-of-their-own-do-non-christians-go-to-heaven/39487/43 "2000-11-11T08:51:39Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> He said this in a Gannet newspaper interview sometime in the past twelve months, but unfortunately, I lost it. I will try to look it up for all of you tomorrow.

Sorry, I haven’t been able to find it. It was actually Parade Magazine (a sunday insert like USA Weekend), I’m almost positive. I DID find a quote from a different article in Parade in which he said he’s a registered Democrat, however. 🙂

PS–I’m curious, **Satan** , was my answer any help to you?

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/through-no-fault-of-their-own-do-non-christians-go-to-heaven/39487.md?page=2)