Thats cool - I respect your beliefs. A common and growing thought with a lot of churches and Pastors I've talked to recently is that the Jewish people are Gods chosen people - They will be in heaven regardless of their belief (or lack of) in Christ. Muslims, are different than most native tribes in that most Muslims know who Christ is and choose not to believe - therefore they are not awarded salvation. That being said - I would never outright tell a Muslim "You're going to hell". That would be incredibly rude and condescending. I would also be uncomfortable in a congregation when a Pastor is aggressively preaching about damnation, sinners, who's going to Hell..etc. I think Churches need to respect other religions and beliefs.
Not really. The thought is that if you've heard of Christ, you Choose to follow him and gain salvation. If you've heard of Christ and reject him, then salvation is not yours. There are many people who've never heard of Christ and have never had the choice to accept or reject him - they are shown God in many other ways and can still choose to follow God - its not their faults they have never heard of Jesus. For this, I point you back up to the following post.
It might be rude but if you truly believe that a Muslim will go to hell for not accepting Jesus shouldn't you do everything in your power to save them whether its rude and condescending or not.
Agreed, I don't remember any stories of Jesus doing this so I think it should be out for Christians. Funny thing about Jesus is the only people he didn't really have time for or put up with were the ones that had it all figured out and wanted everyone else to know it.
BTW the people who know it all are the people who claim that not following their beliefs will land you in hell. Your describing Christians perfectly by your definition Jesus would have no time for you. Is it that hard to grasp?
That's a pretty silly statement. I just gave my opinion of why a Christian might not want to do something that Jesus really didn't do. What he did do was love everyone he could and show them the way. Attacking someones belief system is in no way loving them and they will imediately write you off as any combination of the following, jerk, idiot, a-hole, hypocrite, psyco, loser. So, you just lost the battle and you didn't even get started. After you've been labled with the above do you really think anyone would care what you have to say?
The problem with the religious people that Jesus dealt with is they didn't want anyone to God besides Jews. They were also self righteous. Jesus said he came to seek and to save the lost. He even said he must need to go to Samaria, where he ministered grace to a Samaritan woman, whom no Jewish rabi would ever reach out to.
The last mission he gave to his church before he ascended into heaven was to take the gospel to the whole world. The people at fault for not getting the gospel to all is disobedient believers. I got tired of that kind of religion a long time ago. That is why my wife and I are moving to Africa to be Christian missionaries.
What Jesus did was lead people to god. Jesus is the biggest loser in this whole scenario. He gave his life to spread the word of god then he dies and all of these blasphemous people start worshipping him as a god himself. You are doing the opposite of what he told you to do, worship in Jesus is worship of a false idol. You guys base your lives on what somebody wrote down thousands of years ago, you believe that god gave Paul and others so much yet gave you so little. The writers of the bible are the only people who god has spoken with? God speaks to us everyday you just have to listen but instead of listening to god you base your lives on the writings of man. Look into your heart search for god. Do you really think that the supreme being is so flawed? Do you really believe that he sends the majority of his children to hell?
That's my point Bob the new testament is full of hate and deceit. The new testament was made to control us and make us live in a state of fear.
I'm of the belief that we simply do not know. I've studied the same question being discussed for a couple of years, and I've come across the answer: I'm not the one judging anyone, God will do that, and His ways and thoughts are higher than mine. It would be foolish of me to condemn anyone to Hell, I don't have that right. Only an almighty God can do that. I've always wondered about the fact that the beginnings of Christianity didn't have people come to North America, so the native americans here had no way of knowing God. Same for the Greeks years before Christianity, or the Myceneans before them. To me, the question is kinda like "Hey, can God microwave a burrito so hot that even He himself cannot eat it!?". It provides you with something to think about sure, but ultimately, no one will ever know. I do know that God is all loving though. Just the simple fact that I am here, or heaven is an option, is more than enough reason to see that. We simply aren't good enough to live with a perfect God. Sure, I'm probably a better perrson than a rapist, or the bully down the street, but I'm not supposed to measure myself to humans, I'm supposed to measure myself to the perfection of God, to which we all fall short of. And even then, life on earth and afterlife is offered to us.
I read the NT more than anyone here I imagine and I live in no fear and live in the freedom of God's spirit. The NT tells us Jesus did not give us the spirit of fear but of power and sound mind.
Bob what are you saying? Please stop Jesus was a great man this is so disrespectful. Jesus would never allow anyone to worship him.
