Thank you guys so much for this, it really means a lot to me. It is nice to know that there are TRUE Christians out there. I'm going to be completely honest here. I know there is a God. And I follow the teachings of Jesus. It's just that the "mainstream Christianity" seems to be leading people the wrong way in my opinion. This is not a knock to Christianity, because for TRUE believers, the ones that find inner peace, that is a beautiful thing, and it is something I respect and love.
There are many true Christians out there, thank God! Christendom, the wider sphere of everything which assumes the name of Christ, is a ruinous place. There are many people who profess the Name, but don't have any light whatsoever. Thankfully, God preserves the testimony, kept alive by those who are true and faithful.
I have a good heart. I cannot bear the thought of other people suffering. But at the same time, I have atheist and gay friends who are genuinely good people. It troubles me that Christianity teaches these people will go to hell. I mean, these people are great humanitarians who are not hedonistic and in their hearts they also wish to help others. I struggle with the belief that these genuinely good people will suffer eternally when they pass away.
It's awful, isn't it, all the suffering in the world? Christ felt that. He suffered throughout His entire pathway, feeling the burden that sin has brought upon men, while being entirely sinless Himself.
When you say you know people who are good people... there's many an answer to that in the Bible. I'll quote Isaiah:
"And we are all become as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have carried us away..." Isaiah 64 v 6.
No matter how kind, how philanthropic a person is, this is not enough in the sight of God.
"...for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." Romans 3 v 23.
Without Christ, there can be no salvation. And, sadly, those entrapped by the devious arguments atheism or the snare of homosexuality cannot come to Christ. If you don't believe in God, how can you believe in sin? If you don't believe in sin, how can you see it in yourself? And if you don't see it in yourself, how can you desire to be freed from it and have the blood of Christ wash it away? The case is equally impossible with homosexuality. Many people have homosexual desires, and Satan and secular society would encourage people to pursue those desires, leading them into sin. Without repentance, there can be no salvation, and without the understanding that homosexual urges lead to sin and should be resisted, a person can be lost and deluded. Satan is a foul enemy, his subterfuge is vile as it is effective. While a person continues to be an athiest, or continues to embrace any homosexual feelings they have, heaven is barred to them.
To be honest, and this is just my opinion bear in mind, is that even if people do not believe in God, and do immoral sexual acts according to the bible, if they are good people, they do not deserve an eternity of hell.
I'm afraid we're all hell-deserving sinners... this is the sad fact of the matter. But the wonderful fact of the matter is that Christ died to save us.
And what about the genuinely good-hearted people that have never been exposed to Christianity? There are many Bhuddist that live their lives more Christ-like than your average (hypocrisal) Christan. Do these people deserve eternal damnation?
That is the sad tax of sin. Generations of infidelity have lead to there being people isolated and disinterested in the truth. Yet, God promises that the gospel will reach every single ear. How this is achieved, I don't know, but I have no doubt that, somehow, everyone will get a chance to repent. I know of one man, a Buddhist, who'd never encountered a missionary or any manner of Christian in his life, who was suddenly awakened to the idea of there being one true God who could be regarded as Father. Later in life, he met a missionary, was converted and then baptised in 1911. This shows that God is not limited to human messengers, He can directly intervene in the soul of anyone.
I personally believe that God recognizes TRUE good in people, no matter their religious denomination. I just wish that the world would recognize that people who have been mislead into believing God is a fallacy, but at the same time are true humanitarians, deserve a place in Heaven. And it just absolutely breaks my heart to see people, such as Muslims and Christians judging others simply because they do not carry faith.
It's true that the denominations are false, there's no basis in them whatsoever. There is only one name to which the Christian can cling, and this is that of Christ, not of a church or religious order or cult. But sadly, good works, no matter how monumental the scale, will not give anyone access to heaven. Neither will piety alone achieve this.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus to himself: God, I thank thee that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax-gatherer. I fast twice in the week, I tithe everything I gain. And the tax-gatherer, standing afar off, would not lift up even his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, O God, have compassion on me, the sinner. I say unto you, This man went down to his house justified rather than that other. For every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted." Luke 18 v 10 - 14
The Pharisee here is your philanthropist, your humanitarian, your devoutly religious figure. Yet he is damned, and the humble tax-gatherer who cries out to God for compassion will receive it, he will get into heaven.
I personally believe that humankind is a test by God. If you are evil, then you are damned. And by evil, I mean people who kill and massacre others in the name of God. That is the worst thing that anyone can do in God's name. I apologize if this doesn't make much sense, this is flowing from the top of my head.
Even those who kill in the name of God are still open to the receipt of His mercy, providing they repent of their evil and put their faith in Christ. Some may even convert in their dying moments after a life of unutterable wickedness. Think of the thief on the cross, who went to be in paradise with Christ. To our human minds, this might seem unjust, but it's God's perfect ordering. No work of ours will earn us salvation, only faith in the blood will save us.
I know that may not be much comfort to you at the moment,
NHP, but it's important that the truth be made known. What other people have posted here on this thread is absolutely sublime and I agree entirely, I'd concentrate on that.
You can count on my prayers, my friend.
