[b said:
Quote[/b] (scottychaos @ Jan. 12 2005,10:07)]Here is my theory about all the different world religions..they are ALL right!
The old devout Christian grandmother who dies..she REALLY DOES go to heaven to spend eternity with Jesus!
The Hindu who lives a good life, He really is reincarnated and comes back one step higher..
the Bhuddist really does reach nirvana.
The Viking warriors really are whooping up in Valhalla..
the American Indians are with their Great Spirit..
I think all religions are just different ways of intrepretating God..
God is too big for one religion..
He can make them ALL correct if he wants to..
I actually had this conversation in college..really scared me, turned me off on Christianity for a long time..
between me and "Born Again friend" lets call her "BAF".
Baf - only those who are saved will go to heaven, all other will go to Hell.
Me - So Ghandi is in hell?
Baf - well...yes, I would have to say so.
Me - A newborn baby born in the wilds of deepest africa, born to non-christian parents, and dies at one day old..that baby goes to hell?
Baf - yes.
AHHHHHHH!!!!
How can people think that?
I know that God is not sending babies to hell!!
and..there have been millions of good, decent, god-loving people in the past, and God has not punished them all because they didnt accept the "correct" religion!
no way..My God would never do that.
So I think as long as you are truely a good person, you end up right with God..and if you really believe, deep in your spirit, that when you die you will have some specific experience, the God is capable of giving you that..whatever it is they want..
How can any Human say they know what God wants or thinks?
its impossible..(and terribly arrogant!)
I think ALL religions can be valid..
Scot
Scot, what you wrote directly contradicts the Bible. Jesus, himself, says (and I am not particularly skilled in quoting, but more effective in conveying the concepts) that HE is the resurrection and the Life. No person comes to the Father except through the son. Broad is the gate to destruction and narrow is the path for salvation. There is is none righteous, no not one. All have come short of the glory of God. All, like sheep have gone astray. All our works are like filthy rags. The wages of sin is death. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whomever puts his faith in him will not face eternal death, but will cross over to eternal life. It is by faith you are save, and not of your own, so that no person can boast. Faith without works is dead. (Those two go togethere as a complete unit, not a contradiction) If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved.
Though the Bible does not come right out and say anything about the fate of babies, it DOES, as our 13 year old forum member brought out, say that we have a sin nature. For those people who never heard or read the Bible message, that is addressed in the first chapter of Romans. God is taking responsiblity for dealing with them.
To the atheist participants: It is easy to play "devil's advocate" and take pot shots at the Christians participating. It is easy to find individual pieces of Scripture to find apparent contradictions. however, at least one of you has outright said that he hasn't read the Bible. It is totally inappropriate to make fun of what you haven't read.
While Christians, who have read and prayed may come up with varying interpretations and applications to minor things, like manifestational gifts of the Spirit or going to the movies, alcoholic beverages, how old the earth is, etc... , there is no disagreement on god being the creator of this earth and its inhabitants. There is NO disagreement about what God said about sin, faith, and salvation.
God's message, has been clear and consistent throughout the Old & new Testament: God created. We are ALL sinful. We ALL deserve eternal death. God gives us ALL the opportunity to choose eternal life. We can't save ourselves. God, through His Son accomplished this for us. A choice of faith and living it is ALL that is required. Read the Bible and find out if what I wrote is true or not.