"...No one comes to the Father except through Me..."

[WDLAL]

As a Christian, do you believe that only those who accept Christ as their Savior will go to heaven? I do and it makes me very sad for those who are not Christians. I've never understood Christians who are angry or antagonistic at non-Christians. What does your church teach on this matter? I understand that some Christians here attend Universalist churches, and that such churches aren't Bible based. Is the purpose of attending UU churches, as a Christian, more to share fellowship with other spiritual people? Or is there something to their services that is similar to Christian beliefs?

I've hesitated to ask this question for years, due to the chance that responses will come largely from atheists and will be harsh. I've read DU and other political sites for many years. I've rarely ever posted because I don't have it in me to carry on dialogues that are hateful and/or unkind. I'm the poster child for snowflakes when it comes to confrontation. I'm fine with having my beliefs challenged. I just can't do the hateful exchanges.

[Ocelot II]

1. Most religions believe that theirs is the only true faith,

and that you can't be "saved," whatever that might mean in that faith, unless you accept that particular religion. So it seems to me that either all religions are true, or none of them are. How does anyone ever know that their belief system is the correct one? You rely on the teachings of your faith leaders in your faith tradition, which seems to be pretty circular: I believe my religion is the only true one because my the leaders and scriptures of my religion tell me so. Of course, faith is just belief without proof.

If there is a just and merciful God, as Christianity claims there is, would he (she? it?) exclude all the people who lived before Jesus, or who never heard of him? Personally, I think there are many paths to heaven, or salvation, or enlightenment, if there is such a thing.

[phylny]

2. Presbyterian elder and Stephen Minister here.

I do not believe that only Christians go to heaven. I believe nothing is impossible through God and Jesus. How are we to know that you don't meet Jesus when you die and accept his invitation to heaven? How do we know what the *true* ancient scripture means as it's been bastardized by men throughout time?

I don't believe in such a cruel God. You asked a very good question.

[LakeVermilion]

3. I'm agnostic (maybe)

I just don't think that a few of us mortals were given exclusive rights to tell the story.

I agree that when I choose to worship/pray, I set reality aside.

On the enter Heaven through Christ deal, It sounds like a Christian Nationalist recruiting slogan.

[WDLAL]

14. Maybe I'm unclear on Christian Nationalism.

Isn't it trying to legislate Christianity as the religion of the U.S.? I'm only speaking of personal belief. I don't want anyone legislating religion in the U.S.

[snowybirdie]

4. Some of us

may not give a damn if you'll accept us, whatever that means. You believe what you like and leave me alone. Your opinion is irrelevant to me. Thank you.

[WDLAL]

15. I asked about accepting Christ, not people.

My intent wasn't to disparage anyone. I only asked a question of people who are Christians.

[cloudbase]

5. If any religion had a monopoly on the truth,

it would be obvious to nearly all, and it would have near unanimous adoption by the people of the world.

[Lunabell]

6. There's no evidence "Jesus" ever existed.

The only written records of his existence were made decades after his alleged death. His trial and execution were not recorded even though Romans of the day kept scrupulous records of these matters. The tax rolls of King Herod never mentioned him or his family and there's no record, other than the bible, of King Herod ordering the slaughter of male babies.
Just facts and evidence for me.

[ancianita]

18. Yes, there is.

The historical evidence for Jesus of Nazareth is both long-established and widespread. Within a few decades of his supposed lifetime, he is mentioned by Jewish and Roman historians, as well as by dozens of Christian writings.

The first Christian writings to talk about Jesus are the epistles of St Paul, and scholars agree that the earliest of these letters were written within 25 years of Jesus’s death at the very latest, while the detailed biographical accounts of Jesus in the New Testament gospels date from around 40 years after he died. These all appeared within the lifetimes of numerous eyewitnesses, and provide descriptions that comport with the culture and geography of first-century Palestine...

we have the Roman politicians Pliny and Tacitus, who held some of the highest offices of state at the beginning of the second century AD. From Tacitus we learn that Jesus was executed while Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect in charge of Judaea (AD26-36) and Tiberius was emperor (AD14-37) – reports that fit with the timeframe of the gospels....

About 10 years ago, The Jesus Project was set up in the US; one of its main questions for discussion was that of whether or not Jesus existed. Some authors have even argued that Jesus of Nazareth was doubly non-existent, contending that both Jesus and Nazareth are Christian inventions. It is worth noting, though, that the two mainstream historians who have written most against these hyperskeptical arguments are atheists

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/14/what-is-the-historical-evidence-that-jesus-christ-lived-and-died

[Lunabell]

19. These were all written after his alleged death.

No written records of his birth, that Herod ordered the murder of first born males, no record of his trial and execution even though Pontius Pilate and Rome in general, kept scrupulous records of such matters.

You have to have "faith" that he lived.

[ancianita]

20. I linked my sources. Link yours. Claims without evidence are not credible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus

[Lunabell]

21. Wikipedia? lol

Look it up yourself. Easily googled.

[ancianita]

22. Easily google it YOUR lol self. You're the one making the claim. So far you're zero to my two.

[Lunabell]

23. You don't really care.

You're just harassing me because I stepped on your religious toes. Do your own homework, if you're so inclined.

And furthermore, it is not just my claim. It's called history.

[patphil]

7. Jesus was referring to himself as the Son of God.

In that respect, his words transcend all religion, ethnic, and racial connotations.
He was referring to a way of life, not a religion. Jesus taught us how to live, and it is the understanding of his teachings that he calls on us to follow.
Anyone can live a life of love and spiritual truth regardless of whether or not they are Christian, or have ever even heard of Jesus or know his teachings.

And, by the way, each one of us was an Angel living in the lowest level of Heaven prior to breathing a soul into a human baby for the purpose of experiencing a 3D life. When a person dies, unless they have lived an extremely evil life, they return to Angelic Heaven.

Going to the Father refers to rising above that first level of Heaven into the Archangelic, or second, level of Heaven. There is no requirement to be a Christian.

[phylny]

16. The angel part is interesting - I thought angels were separate beings.

Where can I find this info? Very intriguing.

[patphil]

17. No, they aren't separate.

We take on a human body to learn how to be a fully realized Angel. Essentially we are here to learn the lessons of love, so we can be more than we are.
Angels are bottom of the spiritual ladder, and our evolution as Angels is dependent on graduation from 3D grade school and high school on the Earth. It's the beginning of the process of going back to God. And to do that, we need to understand love as the driving force in the return to God.
Light get you here, Love takes you home.
We have been programmed to think Angels are separate, but our soul is definitely an Angelic Soul. I've spent most of my adult life learning how this stuff works. It's like any classroom. We need to learn what it is to actually be an entity that has an understanding of how life works; how love is the opening door; how it carries us up.
This is the place where I found my truth. It may be for you, it may not, but it explains a lot that makes sense of all the crazy done here.

https://www.merkaba.org/

[multigraincracker]

8. I'm a Secular Humanist.

I put humans before Gods. Also a member of the UUs who believe everyone has the right to their own search for truth. We like to say, we can not answer your questions but we can question your answers.
There is a term in psychology called “locus of control”. Some feel their world is controlled by an outside force. Others, like me think everything is random and we can only control how we handle what happens, or “internal locus of control”. I try not to judge others on what they believe, but on how they treat others.
I find it all interesting.

[WhiteTara]

9. Michelangelo tells a different story.

In his Sistine Chapel ceiling painting , human and god touch directly.

My question to Christians is this. If God is everywhere, how can God be outside you and sit up in the sky? I contend that if God is everywhere, God is me.

Christians consider my gender an original sin. We females are not sinners; no, we are the sin. I can not accept a God that considers me less than sentient. I can't even discuss the sexual proclivities of the many churches' fathers.

Having read the Bible from cover to cover, the most important (after the 2 commandments- Love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and the second is like unto it; Love thy neighbor as thyself.) But...My Father's House has many mansions...so I went out to discover the different mansions of God and discovered many ways to say the name of God/dess.

So, like Michelangelo, I don't need an intercession to know God. To know God, you must understand yourself. And when you look at all the aggregates, you find there is no self .. you are not your body, speech or thought, your atoms are so unstable that you seem to be stable in your form.

The Buddhists say that form is formlessness, formlessness is form.

I think we are all totally responsible for our thoughts and actions and that Jesus died for our sins is a cop-out to excuse our personal actions and thoughts.

But that is just me and we each can only live our lives to the best of our abilities and I wish you well in your spiritual endeavors.

[slightlv]

10. I've always believed in the verse

where Jesus says My Father's house has many rooms. (probably paraphrased, there... it's been a long time!). To me, that doesn't mean it has more room for just Christians, but that all that believe in a higher good (however it is envisioned) are welcomed there. I feel spirituality is innate within us... something some of us have longed to know since time immemorial. Religion is a construct of Man.

[LatteLady]

11. Asking is always ok if your intent is sincere

I highly recommend reading or watching videos of Bishop John Shelby Spong, an Episcopalian minister who explains how to be a committed Christian without the need to accept or cling to literal interpretations and the resulting black and white views that divide people.

I am now an atheist, but came from a Protestant home, and found I could not square my understanding of the world with literal Biblical beliefs nor could I square my sense of ethics and morals with a “heavenly father” who - if a human father treated his children similarly - would be considered abusive at the least. But each person must find their own path.

[sanatanadharma]

12. Jesus is God, the Father is God, where is the problem?

I am not Christian, but if Jesus said something, likely poorly remembered and long misunderstood, about the way to God going through God, it seems to me to be a tautology and not a heaven-hell qualification.

Better that religionists should ponder the illogical idea of the Limitlessly-Conscious-Being-All-in-All-God being smaller than, contained in, separate from, and in one case, locked out of heaven-hell.

Heaven can not be one 'Limitless-Consciousness' hanging out with countless little separate consciousnesses; like infinity hanging out with a lot of non-infinity things that don't fit in.

Some religious philosophies say one has to die to achieve happiness.
Better are teachings and paths that point out that happiness here -and-now is the goal of life, and is what drives all of our activities. We act to achieve a modicum of temporary happiness.

For some it is to be found in their blazing moment with a gun, rather than God.

[TomSlick]

13. What my Church teaches and what I believe are not the same.

The statements "if I be lifted up, I will draw all persons to myself" and "for as in Adam they all die, so also in Christ they all will be made alive," lead me to a universalist conclusion that is anathema in my Church.

The good news is that none of us make the call about who is "saved." God will accept all that God chooses to accept. That may be everyone or only an elect. God knows and we cannot - at least in this life.