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In June, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published a controversial survey in which 70 percent of Americans said that they believed religions other than theirs could lead to eternal life.
This threw evangelicals into a tizzy. After all, the Bible makes it clear that heaven is a velvet-roped V.I.P. area reserved for Christians. Jesus said so: “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” But the survey suggested that Americans just weren’t buying that.
The evangelicals complained that people must not have understood the question. The respondents couldn’t actually believe what they were saying, could they?
So in August, Pew asked the question again. (They released the results last week.) Sixty-five percent of respondents said — again — that other religions could lead to eternal life. But this time, to clear up any confusion, Pew asked them to specify which religions. The respondents essentially said all of them.
And they didn’t stop there. Nearly half also thought that atheists could go to heaven — dragged there kicking and screaming, no doubt — and most thought that people with no religious faith also could go.
What on earth does this mean?
One very plausible explanation is that Americans just want good things to come to good people, regardless of their faith. As Alan Segal, a professor of religion at Barnard College told me: “We are a multicultural society, and people expect this American life to continue the same way in heaven.” He explained that in our society, we meet so many good people of different faiths that it’s hard for us to imagine God letting them go to hell. In fact, in the most recent survey, Pew asked people what they thought determined whether a person would achieve eternal life. Nearly as many Christians said you could achieve eternal life by just being a good person as said that you had to believe in Jesus.
Also, many Christians apparently view their didactic text as flexible. According to Pew’s August survey, only 39 percent of Christians believe that the Bible is the literal word of God, and 18 percent think that it’s just a book written by men and not the word of God at all. In fact, on the question in the Pew survey about what it would take to achieve eternal life, only 1 percent of Christians said living life in accordance with the Bible.
Now, there remains the possibility that some of those polled may not have understood the implications of their answers. As John Green, a senior fellow at the Pew Forum, said, “The capacity of ignorance to influence survey outcomes should never be underestimated.” But I don’t think that they are ignorant about this most basic tenet of their faith. I think that they are choosing to ignore it ... for goodness sake.
Source: New York Times
Something I've pondered over my life is, how "Christian" do you have to be to get into Heaven? How much sin can one man make and still be forgiven? Can you not believe, then change your mind and accept the lord as your savior in the end? Was the Bible the work of god, or simply testament by men during that era?
Religion is a tricky subject because of so much that is unknown. None of us were there to be witness to Jesus... all you have is faith. Then you read articles like this were in this case, you have 70% of Christian America who believes even those that are Atheist will get to Heaven. Personally, I believe in God, Jesus, and that I am saved... and I can't allow myself to think differently because this is how I was raised... that, and the fear of the alternative to Heaven for doubting scares the heck out of me.. Do I think you can be saved in the end? From what the Bible tells me, yes. If you accept the lord into your life as your savior and ask for forgiveness, and mean it, you will be saved. At the same time (and by no means am I any kind of expert on the Bible, which is probably one of my worst flaws considering this is my life I'm talking about), I've interpreted the opposite... that if I, you, whomever doesn't learn about Jesus, and have a personal relationship with him, that it's just not good enough.
So are you (provided you're Christian) in the 70% that believe even those that have lived Godless lives will be saved, or are you the other percentage that thinks those people are headed the opposite direction? Elaborate your thoughts. Don't just say I'm headed to hell... explain why!
I think people have to believe in God to go to heaven.
As for how "good of a Christian" they have to be, no one can say.
I do not believe that someone must be in organized religion and go to Church two times a week in order to go to heaven.
There is only one who can judge people.
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There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no more pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
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Re: Athiest in Heaven?
DISCLAIMER: Chances are that this post may offend someone. Most people here are familiar with my posting style by now. If you find me to normally be abrasive or aggravating, and you consider yourself to be a fairly devout Christian, you may not want to continue reading this post.
Something I've pondered over my life is, how "Christian" do you have to be to get into Heaven? How much sin can one man make and still be forgiven? Can you not believe, then change your mind and accept the lord as your savior in the end? Was the Bible the work of god, or simply testament by men during that era?
Religion is a tricky subject because of so much that is unknown.
Unknown? But every single question you just asked is answered in the Bible. According to scripture; the Bible is God's word; there is no maximum amount of sin allotted; despite the tenants the Catholic church has cooked up, there is no degree or level of Christian that one must achieve to get into Heaven.
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None of us were there to be witness to Jesus... all you have is faith.
None of us witnessed King Henry VIII or Napoleon Bonaparte, but is that a reason to question whether faith in history books is sufficient for belief in these men or their accomplishments? I'd wager none of us has witnessed the North pole with our own eyes either, but do we not have the faith that it is still there, based on what we've been told? (seriously, is there anyone here who has been to the North Pole? I'm not playing devil's advocate, I'm trying to make a point.) Faith, as a justification for belief, should not be underestimated. No, it's not deductive reason for proving something to be true, but it's an extremely powerful rhetorical appeal.
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Then you read articles like this were in this case, you have 70% of Christian America who believes even those that are Atheist will get to Heaven.
I'm not trying to be rude, but are you intentionally misrepresenting the article, or did you just misread? The article actually said the exact opposite:
"70 percent of Americans said that they believed religions other than theirs could lead to eternal life."
...with the key word there being religions. Americans are saying they believe that 70 percent of other religious paths, all of which are denounced by atheists, may lead to heaven.
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Personally, I believe in God, Jesus, and that I am saved... and I can't allow myself to think differently because this is how I was raised...
...so is this an admission that you are brainwashed? If you are literally unable to make your own conscious decisions about religion and other existential questions simply because you were raised a certain way, you have been completely voided of self-determination and free will, thus rendering you cognitively handicapped.
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that, and the fear of the alternative to Heaven for doubting scares the heck out of me.
I realize this is your own personal process for coming to your beliefs, but doesn't this type of reasoning *beg the question? You're asserting the basic foundational warrant (that the Bible is true, that there is a God, that there is a Heaven & Hell, etc) as justification for believing the very same conclusion (that you would go to Hell if you doubted any of this). Right there, you're asserting that Hell even exists. I of course realize how powerful and convincing this type of reasoning can be, but can you not see that it is logically unsound?
*It should be noted that a conclusion that begs the question isn't automatically false, but all possibilities should at least be acknowledged.
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Do I think you can be saved in the end? From what the Bible tells me, yes. If you accept the lord into your life as your savior and ask for forgiveness, and mean it, you will be saved. At the same time (and by no means am I any kind of expert on the Bible, which is probably one of my worst flaws considering this is my life I'm talking about), I've interpreted the opposite... that if I, you, whomever doesn't learn about Jesus, and have a personal relationship with him, that it's just not good enough.
How exactly is what you've interpreted the opposite of what the Bible tells you? In all seems to follow, at least chronologically. Paraphrasing (obviously) the Bible says you can be saved if you ask for forgiveness and accept Jesus into your heart. It also says that if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you will not go to Heaven.
I'm not seeing a contradiction there....
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So are you (provided you're Christian) in the 70% that believe even those that have lived Godless lives will be saved, or are you the other percentage that thinks those people are headed the opposite direction? Elaborate your thoughts. Don't just say I'm headed to hell... explain why!
Again, you're invoking this misinterpretation of what the article actually said. The poll said 70% of Americans believe that other religions can lead to heaven. Other religions would also obviously include the two other Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Islam, which would very inaccurately be described as "Godless", seeing as how they follow the same God of Christianity.
Now for my take on the poll numbers: I think they are the result of some very lazy and irresponsible people who conveniently like to label themselves as "Christians". The article itself quotes scripture saying that following Jesus is the only way into Heaven (again, paraphrasing). For these "Christians" to ignore this, or to just be ignorant of the verse, and to say that there are other religions which lead to Heaven shows me that they either do not take their religion seriously, or are wholly uneducated on the most fundamental of biblically sourced Christian beliefs and are therefore unqualified to be answering such a question. One shameful thing I see all too often amongst Christians in this country is their tendencies to leave out or flat out ignore relevant parts of the Bible in favor of what is most convenient for them to believe. It's actually quite unsettling.
Religion does nothing but cause conflict and hate, but, if I had any belief what so ever in any form of christianity it would be quite obvious that if you dont believe in God, then you wouldn't go to heaven, because, in christian beliefs, he created the damn place, so how would an atheist, like my self, have a cat in hells chance of going to "Heaven".
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And when there is no hope,
"I'll smoke some crack, I'll shoot some dope!"
When theres no enemies,
"I sit and stare at my T.V.
and in my ignorance,
I'll be a slave and sycophant!"
Atheists can burn in hell with the murderers and Puerto Ricans for all I care.
Im Atheist, along with probabally most of this board, I dont believe in any religion...wtf has religion ever done for me? nothing.
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And when there is no hope,
"I'll smoke some crack, I'll shoot some dope!"
When theres no enemies,
"I sit and stare at my T.V.
and in my ignorance,
I'll be a slave and sycophant!"
I believe that if there is a heaven, it's the actions you take over the course of your life that dictate whether you get in or not. I don't think that you have to label yourself one way or another to gain admission.
If the words of the New Testament are 100% truthful, the quote listed above ("I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”) does not necessarily mean a person needs to call themselves a "christian" to gain admission to heaven. This is because you can follow the teachings of Christ without labeling yourself a christian.
Jesus's teachings were about living a life full of love, caring, forgiveness, and so on. Everybody can live such a life, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Agnostic, or any other religion. Love and thoughtfulness are not attributes that are exclusive to christians.
My belief is that if we are judged by God, he will take into account our actions more than the label (Christian, Jewish, etc.) we chose.
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It isnt about how WE think we lived our life, good or bad, or if WE call ourselves christians or not. Its simple, Jesus did everything for us. We are all sinners, but he paid the way for us by his blood. All we have to do is take the free gift Jesus gave to us and repent.
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I believe that if there is a heaven, it's the actions you take over the course of your life that dictate whether you get in or not. I don't think that you have to label yourself one way or another to gain admission.
If the words of the New Testament are 100% truthful, the quote listed above ("I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”) does not necessarily mean a person needs to call themselves a "christian" to gain admission to heaven. This is because you can follow the teachings of Christ without labeling yourself a christian.
Jesus's teachings were about living a life full of love, caring, forgiveness, and so on. Everybody can live such a life, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Agnostic, or any other religion. Love and thoughtfulness are not attributes that are exclusive to christians.
My belief is that if we are judged by God, he will take into account our actions more than the label (Christian, Jewish, etc.) we chose.
It is appealing to look at it that way but it is simply not what the Bible says.
Titus 3: 5-7
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
__________________
There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no more pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
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