Different Religions

[Paidion]

It may be that higher infant mortality rates in areas that have not received the Gospel may be a result of God bringing home those whom He would save.

Would that also be the reason for increased abortion in North America? Did God just want to "bring more children home"?

Its not about them following their religion. Its about them responding correctly to whatever grace and light God gave them in their hearts. Anyone can be saved: God is judge.

I agree, CC.

The following is a true story. Whether the details I give are totally true, I am not sure. But this is the way it given to me.

A long time ago, the ancient Karen tribe (Karens still live in Myanmar) served many gods. One day the true God revealed Himself to an old man, who then told his people about the revelation. He announced, "People, there is only one God. He spoke to me today and told me."

The people scoffed at him. "If there's only one god, then what are all these gods whom we serve?"

"They are not gods at all. I no longer worship them. There's only one God", the old prophet affirmed.

The people thought he was nuts, and continued worshipping their gods, while the old prophet worshipped only the one God who revealed Himself to him.

A few weeks later, the old prophet addressed the people a second time. "The one true God spoke spoke to me again."

"Yeah? What did He say this time?"

"He said that some day people with light skin would come to us and teach us from a ....." The prophet had seen a vision of a Bible, but he could not describe it to the people, as they had never encountered a book. He tried to show them by putting some large leaves together, but the people thought it was ridiculous.

"How can anyone teach us from a pile of leaves?"

So the people continued to serve their gods, while the old prophet served only the one true God.

Over a hundred years later, after all of those people had died, Europeans came and taught the tribe about Jesus, using Bibles. The story of the old prophet had been handed down, and so when the prophecy was fulfilled, the people believed. Christianity spread rapidly; since the missionaries were Baptists, the people became Baptists, of course. The word spread to other tribes, such as the Kachins.

Today, Baptist Christianity prevails throughout the tribes who live around the periphery of Myanmar, while the prevalent religion at the centre of the country is Bhuddism. I have a friend from the Kachin tribe who was studying at Providence College (a Christian college in Manitoba). I met him one summer when I went there to take a concentrated course in Hellenistic Greek. He returned to Myanmar, where Christians undergo considerable persecution at the hands of the centralized government, and has become a Christian leader there.

I ask you. When the old prophet is raised from death, will he end up in heaven? (Or if you think people go to heaven immediately after they die, is the old prophet there now?) Is he one of the few that followed the light which he received, and is therefore acceptable to God? Or will he be condemned to hell (or is he now in hell) because he did not "accept Christ as his personal Saviour"?

 

[Gabe]

There's another side to this.
If someone hadn't heard of Christ well, that's to our shame is it not? What's our mission? To go out and spread the gospel. We may not be as immune to this situation as we might like to believe.

What happens if the Muslim missionaries get there first?

Deleted my comment

 

[Guest]

ha ha!?

 

[Gabe]

ha ha!?

I thought it a suitable reply to DeepThought's comments but no, I suppose it's in poor taste when you consider that in reality Muslim's have probably already done that to Christian missionaries, so I have deleted it.