"I do have a problem with the thought that someone can be a ruthless murderer but then decide that Jesus is their saviour and will then go to heaven. That just doesn't make sense to me."

But that's what makes the love of God so wonderful....at any point in your life, you can receive Him, turn your back on your old life, and He will forgive you. The point is, He truly wants ALL of us to be in Heaven with Him, which is why He gives us every opportunity, right up until we die.

It's not about what religion you are, what church you attend, which denomination, etc......it's about coming to Jesus and asking Him into your heart and giving Him your cares, sins, weakness, hurts, pain.....

What is you are not Christian?  What if your religion does not believe in Jesus?  What if the Christian interpretation is wrong?  (*gasp*...but, that can't be, could it?)  What if the humans that are interpreting the bible for you are wrong in what it means?  Will that "I now believe in Jesus" save you then?

It is absolutely impossible for me to believe that somebody who claims Jesus as his saviour after he killed 9 people and was "born again" will end up better off than somebody who lives a clean life and follows the 10 commandments and all that mumbo jumbo.

"You weren't baptized as a baby-- so what? If someone tries to use the verse that you must be born of water, they're interpreting it wrong. That verse in the Bible is talking about having to be born of water, as in the water breaking in your mother. So basically you have to be human to inheret salvation... pretty hard, eh? "

Sorry, but that is one of the silliest things I have heard in a long time.  Only humans are "born of water"?  By your interpretation, all mammals go to heaven.  Which, I have been told that dogs don't go to heaven, and since I know dogs that have more "spirit" than a lot of people, I think all of that is...well....wrong....except by your interpretation which would mean that dogs do go to heaven

God and religion do not equal Christianity.  Not all "religious" people believe in Christ.  However, they do all believe in a "God".  Sometimes many Gods.  They all have different names for this God(s).  However, the basic belief is the same- there is a higher power and that is who to pray to.  Why does there have to be more than that?  Why do people have to say who is right or wrong when it is possible that everyone is right and nobody is wrong. As well as you live a clean life and believe in a God, why should it matter past that point? Is God really that fickle?  If God is so powerful, and the only way to salvation is through Jesus, then why wouldn't everyone already know that?  Why would there be different faiths? 

I didn't grow up being told what to think by any church.  I have read the bible, and it reads like a bunch of stories if you don't have somebody "interpreting" it for you. I have also learned about many religions and tried to learn about life in general.  (I think Buddhism is the closest thing to religion that I can believe in, though....maybe Buddhism with a transcendentalist twist....but that is a whole different topic)

And, so far, this is what I believe: The heaven and hell that are spoke about are already here. Here on earth and in your everyday life.  In your life, you experience both.  People go through many lives and deaths during their life.  A baby turns into a toddler (the baby is gone, a toddler took its place), the toddler turns into a child, etc.  Anyone who has had kids can see what I am saying.  You think about that "baby" that you once had who is now your "child".  They are very much different.  Heaven and Hell happen all the time.  Your wedding, the birth of your child, watching your baby take first steps, etc. is heaven.  Somebody dying, a major tragedy, losing your job, a friend moving away, etc. is hell.  You experience it throughout your life.  In the end, the afterlife is how you are remembered.  It is hard for people to believe that the end is the end, but I am pretty sure at this point that the end is really the end and there is nothing "more".  After being put out for operations and knowing what it feels like to lose hours with no knowledge of it, I am pretty sure I know what death feels like- it's nothing.  You didn't even know you existed.  But, *other* people knew you existed, and that is what counts.

If there is a creator of this earth, I believe we are all just a little game to it.  The world was created, and the first game was with dinosaurs.  That didn't work out to be quite as fun as what the creator wanted, so they got wiped out.  Then all the other animals and stuff were stuck on the earth, and it became a fun game.  The creator put everything on earth that we need.  We get a few new diseases thrown at us now and then to keep us on our toes.  This is the trick: everything we need is on this earth (including what will cure our diseases)....but will we find it and use it before we destroy it?  Ah, that is the game indeed.....

In the end, nobody goes to heaven or hell, you just go.  Nada...nothing...lights out.  Scary?  Nah.  But, peoples egos tell them that there must be more since we are more than just "animals".

 

This is exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping for. I am tired of people quoting the bible to have other people say "thanks for the verse" and just eat it all up without question. So many of you just use the circular argument that it is so because the bible says so. Sorry, that just doesn't get me where I need to go. I have read the bible. I have discussed it open mindedly with many. Frankly, if heaven is full of murderers that simply asked for Jesus to take away their sins, I'm not sure I would want to spend eternity there (if it exists).

The belief in God is stronger for me than belief in a specific religion. Like Kharmagrl said, all religions believe in God. Not all believe Jesus is his son though. I just think that Christians take things far too literally, especially considering we are talking 2000 years of interpretations. Maybe if you believed that Jesus existed and he was an incredibly important teacher of how God would like us to live, it would be enough in God's eyes.

I just find it almost arrogant for people to say if you don't do _______ God will send you to Hell. Why does it have to be so black and white? If God loves you, couldn't he take the life experiences he gave you into consideration when deciding your eternal fate?

I'm still searching for answers. I am not accepting the bible as the user's manual for life. I am keeping my eyes and heart open. I believe I will be shown the truth if it is meant to be. I just can't believe that I could be blessed with such a wonderful life here on Earth if I am meant for damnation afterward.

I don't believe I need to be "born again" I am pretty sure I did it right the first time

Sherye, I really enjoyed your take on Heaven and Hell. Thank you.

Thank you Jill,
I hesitate to write to you about religion because you are a good and decent person. I hope that you find what you are looking for. It is easier to talk about God to those whose lives are a mess and they need saving. What you need is something else. I don't know what that is, but I think all of us need to know that we have a purpose and a mission in life that is important, not just for now but for the future. Being a mother is certainly a purpose, but you still want to give your children a desire to know their purpose and to fulfill it.

MadPoet, thanks for the compliments. I am glad I wrote this. I knew I would be under fire of the Christians but I think I have been given good hearted advice for the most part.

I respect all of you that live your lives according to your faith. Your trying to teach me the error of my ways is exactly what you are supposed to do and I appreciate that. I especially appreciate peoples' own thoughts, i.e. not just what the bible says but what it says to them. Maybe I will have more appreciation for my purpose having found it on my own journey rather than having accepted it because that was what I was fed from my family since birth.

All reading this, please know that I am not judging you. I am merely exchanging my thoughts in hopes of better understanding.

As I mentioned on Dan's post about premartial sex.. I think how you live your life dictates whether you're in hell or heaven. As in, right now. Not after you die, but right now.
Live a good life, have a little fun, obey the golden rule..and realise sometimes bad things happen that you had no control over..and life can be a splendid Paradise worthy of saving.

Live a sinful life, never consider anybody else, or think about the consequences of your actions..and you can make your life a living nightmare full of shallow meaninglessness.

Simply put: I feel the commandments and tenents of the religions of God are there to show you how to live your life and have Heaven on Earth. Your reward for being virturous. A guideline to follow to be HAPPY.

I don't know about you but if I sweated every time I used the lord's name in vain or didn't attend church on sunday, I would NOT be happy. I would be in FEAR. I'd be unhappy and quite miserable. Kinda like living under a dictator who might behead you for disobeying one of his screwy laws.
God is awesome, I couldn't think that he/she/it was some tyrant of a dictator forcing me to bow before him or suffer. That would be hell on earth.

JillUser, I'm not preachin..lemme just say this. Believe in something and have faith in it, whatever it is..And you'll be happy and comforted. That's all.

So many of you just use the circular argument that it is so because the bible says so.

But that's what faith is about. It's like it says in Hebrews" "Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." We are sure of our salvation, and certain of our God.

Sorry, I didn't take the time to read all the above responses due to time constraints.  But I wanted to offer a different way of looking at your relationship with God. So I hope I am not repeating something that someone else has said.

Put  yourself in God's shoes for a moment. 

Tell your child that you love him but to have him just keep walking away and not respond to you.
Tell your child that he can have anything he wants if he just believes in your love, but only to have him turn a deaf ear and not respond.

So your child goes on with life, ignoring you and never talking to you or telling you that they love you.  But in their own life they go on and help other people, give to charity but never acknowledging your existance.

How do you pass judgement?  Makes you think doesn't it?  In my opinion God has already passed judgement.  He loves you, He accepts you and welcomes you into the kingdom of heaven.  All you have to do is believe in God and Love Him.  Just as you wish your own children to do to  you or you to your own parents.

It's you(the individual) who accepts or denies God Love.  It's you who choses heaven or hell.  The choice has been given to us to make.  All you have to do is ask Jesus to write your name in the book of life and He will.

God holds his hand out with the greatest present of all.  All you have to do is accept it.

 

"God holds his hand out with the greatest present of all. All you have to do is accept it."

That was very well said, Patrick.

Well, you see... This business about doing something a little "off" or "out of line" and then going to hell for it is old stuff. I mean really old. So old that the fact of the matter is that it has already happened! Depending on your attitude about it, THIS is hell. We're already there! It happend a long time ago, and the really hellish part about it is that most of us simply haven't figured that out yet. Not, THAT's got to be hell, to be there suffering like all get-out and not knowing that it's all said and done and we're already in hell.

So, the cool part about it (if "cool" applies in hell) is that we can get out, ... sort of. All we have to do is realize the truth about hell, that it is kind of like a magic trick. Conjured up. Not quite as real as, well, REAL is, but not quite not real either. You know, a really good trick.

Well, how do you do that?

D

i am frankie and i had the same thing going on ,still i am saerching forr that feeling to be saved en that i am thinking and feeling that Jesus love's me........iff i go to hell its only because i tryed to be a good boy.....and sometime's i think i am already IN hell........
but then again somethimes when love is all around me i think that i am in haeven>>>>>>>>>>>>>i am 34 old ..ill hope i be forgiffen!!!

Oh that typing makes me want to commit suicide and end up in hell..bleh

When I die if it turns out that there really is a God, a Heaven, a Hell, (and all of these are as Christians describe them); then I will be happy to go to Hell.