How do avid Christians explain the existence of other religions? How can you justify believing that everyone who does not ‘take Jesus into their hearts’ will go to hell?
If you believe in god then surely you also believe that god created a vast range of belief systems and religious proclivities. We have also been given the ability to choose freely, drawing both from our ability to reason and our passionate inclinations.
Do you really believe that god wants us all to prescribe to the same religious beliefs? Why would he have wasted his time creating so much diversity?
A Christian friend of mine recently offered the thought that each religion holds a piece of the puzzle. Perhaps if we were able to glean the wisdom inherent in each system our lives would more closely mirror the spirituality that those who are religiously inclined aspire to.
I am interested to find out if there are truly people in the world who believe that I am going to hell because I am not Christian. How can you justify this in the light of overwhelming proof that if god was our creator, then she was a believer in diversity?
Well, obviously, this is not so sure, since millions of people believe otherwise. And not just Christians.
Well, this is the problem; there is no such “proof.” You cannot “prove” anything about God. Religious beliefs are all unproven - the problems start when people believe they’re certain about what God wants.
You’re likely thinking of Psalm 83:18, wherein David said, “That men may know that you, whose name alone is Jehovah, are the most high over all the earth.”
God Himself said, “You tell those people that I AM sent you. I AM, that is who I AM.”
Well according to what I know about Jehovah’s witnesses (which ain’t a whole hell of a lot), you are going to hell.
Don’t they believe that there are only a certain amount of tickets to get into heaven?
I always wondered about this: What’s the point if there are only X number of tickets going to heaven? Chances are, you aren’t going to get a ticket, being that all the martyred plus the saints, plus pretty much everyone Jesus saw, gets first crack at the tickets.
Maybe it’s like Redskin games; their are scalpers outside of heavens gates, giving away tickets for people with the most piety…
Not only there are such people in the world (and much more if you add people who think you’ll go to hell because you’re not muslim, etc…), but there are some of them on this board…
(They’re truly sorry that you’ll be burning forever, though… but you choose to be sent to hell, after all)
I think that that’s the view of Calvinists (limited number of tickets), I wasn’t aware that Jehovah’s witnesses subscribed to it too.
In reply to the OP, to the best of my knowledge, you are going to Hell (I’ll see you there). I guess that the idea is God did give us free will, but the diversity that you mention is a result of this free will, and was not directly created by him.
It has always seemed like a strange idea to me, that your reward in eternal life is a not a result of your morality on earth, rather a question of you accepting Jesus. I mean it seems like a good way to get people to accept your religion, but not very fair.
This is one of those things about JWs that I find funny. Yes, they used to say that only 144,000 righteous JW’s would get into heaven, that’s all. Then a funny thing happened, their membership went beyond 144,000. Got to be a drag on getting new converts, so the Watchtower (JW’s version of the Vatican), got “new light”, this is how JWs refer to a change in their story. The “new light” says that 144,000 “very righteouts” JWs will rule from heaven along with God, but that the number of those going to heaven is “unknowable”.
Some other examples of JWs “new light”, they alloc vaccinations now, they allow organ transplants now, they allow women to wear pants, they now say no one know when the world will end (they have a bunch of “missed” predictions on this one.
BTW, all this “very valuable” knowledge I gained from listening to my mother in law ramble on about her new religion. She has since gotten over her new convert zeal, and now does not talk much religion.
I hesitate to get involved here because no one cares what I have to say anyway. It’s my belief in answer to the OP, that there are so many beliefs and religions because of spiritual deception, not because God created them. Man creates religion. There is a devil and he is going to and fro seeking whom he may devour. His aim is deception. He hates people and desires they share the same end he is going to so thus he deceives by any means available.
I don’t have time as I’m on break, to look up the scriptures on satan and his wiles. Suffice it to say, that there are indeed warnings in scripture about deception. What better way to deceive thatn making things appear to be other than they really are?
All I can tell you about heaven and hell is what the Bible says. It doesn’t matter what we think or say, but what God says about something. And He has revealed the plan of salvation and that one must accept Jesus and trust in His substituionary death on our behalf. God hates sin. Sin has a price, which is death. Jesus paid the price.
I’m not going to say who is and who isn’t going to hell. That’s not up to me. All I will say is what God says and that in order to avoid it, one must trust in Christ. You can draw your conclusions from that.
There has to be a standard to measure truth by and for me that standard is the Holy Bible. Now, granted many don’t interpret some of it the same way, but on the way of salvation I think God has made Himself very clear. Perhaps many will disagree with that but I still believe it’s true.
The Lord has more than one name. Jehovah is one. I AM THAT I AM is another. Yahweh. Jesus, who I believe is and was God in the flesh is called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Lamb of God, Lion of the tribe of Judah, Good Shepherd, Bright and Morning Star, Alpha and Omega.
