That was kind of my point. Worshipping a name is meaningless. I think Jesus said salvation comes from living and practicing his way. Jesus said not everyone who cries Lord Lord enters the kingdom of heaven. I don't think he was looking for idolization. So those who do not know know the name Jesus might still know the way he showed.
I know what you mean, but Jesus' way necessarily includes worshipping and serving God. No ambiguity about it. His way also leaves no room for doubt that He is God. So, If I don't know who Jesus is/claims to be -> I don't know God If I don't know God -> I can't worship Him If I can't worship God -> I can't follow Jesus' way completely Therefore if I don't know Jesus -> I can't follow His way completely QED "His way" is not as simple and universal as it's often made out to be. It's not just about morals and nice things. I wish it was, as you probably do, but it just isn't
I think people can experience what is labeled god without knowing the Judeo-Christian name of god. Jesus said "blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" etc. The blessed have a true spiritual devotion and depostition, not name knowledge.
Absolutely. Even the bible says those that know love know God. You can know love without knowing the name used by Christians.
Dudes....................... I'm not disputing that. But it's not all there is to "Jesus' way". It's not all there is to being "saved". If simply knowing love and being spiritual are enough for Jesus and His followers, you and I would probably be considered followers. But we're not. Funny, I have no idea how I ended up arguing the Christian point of view Regardless, the point stands. The faith is exclusive in nature. If any Christian believes I'll do fine on Judgment Day without accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, I will have tremendous respect for him or her. But I don't think that person would be considered very Christian by others..
It all depends on interpretations. Judgement day could be seen as karma, heaven might not be an actual physical place. You may be arguing Christian point of view, but it is only a certain one even if it is the most popular. I still think that accepting Jesus as savior is accepting the way of Jesus, not matter what the name is and where it came from.
Actually, I consider myself a follower. I have no idea what kind of judgement you will receive, but as a Christian, and I know there are others, that do believe people who haven't accepted Christ will be in Heaven. From reading about Jesus' life, beliefs, and message, I can't believe that someone like Ghandi will suffer an eternity in hell, while Hitler gets to experience eternal heaven. That is neither loving or just. Both of those are prime qualities of God as described in the bible. But I don't worry about that so much, because it isn't my place to judge anyone, and I am powerless to impose any judgement in those regards. What will be will be. I have my beliefs in Christ, and I am a Christian. There are many Christians who disagree with my views on Christianity but that is true of almost any Christian and any belief. There is a lot of minutia which is disagreed upon by many followers. But there is an overall message that I hope inspires all of the followers.
We're just disagreeing due to poor terminology on both our parts, I think. I'll try to be a little clearer - perhaps you mean "accepting Jesus as saviour is accepting the moral way of Jesus, no matter what the name is and where it came from". In which case, I agree completely. Whereas accepting the way of Jesus in its entirety implies accepting His claim to divinity. You cannot believe Jesus was not God, yet claim to accept His way in its entirety. That's all I'm trying to say. As I mentioned earlier, His way is not as simple and universal as it's made out to be. And this is why, from an objective standpoint, there are simpler, more universal ways - the Buddha's teachings are a good example, for one But I still feel the best way is to search for truth ourselves. Keep an open mind. Accept the limits of human knowledge. Know what is conjecture and what is empirical. Believe in things, by all means - but allow the possibility that we're wrong. And always be humble enough to say "I don't know". I'm just a young punk, admittedly, and I may change my views as I gain wisdom (hopefully) over the years.. but the important thing is that my views can change FranchiseBlade: My apologies, I didn't know you're a Christian. Still, I'm glad you got Gandhi's back And yes, you're probably in the minority on that count
this may come across rude because it's in the context of a message board...where you can't see my experession... but i wish more of you would actually meet someone who is Christian..earnestly seeking to follow Christ...before you'd guess what they think/believe. i wish more of you would actually read the Bible before you talk about what it says. i wish you'd read the "other books" that didn't make the cut before you hypothesize what they say or don't say about the faith. there is so much, "they" and "them" in the world because people really don't seek to understand each other. AND I'M GUILTY OF THAT, TOO, lest you think i'm getting on my high-horse here.
