Quote:
Originally Posted by trackaghost
And yes, if there is a heaven I'd imagine that a non-believer who has lived a good life would deserve to go there when they die and would be accepted with open arms. Do you think really think that not believing in God, or the right God or whatever, voids all their good deeds? The fact that you equate someone who doesn't believe in God with someone who deserves to burn in hell disturbs me. Having been brought up Catholic let me tell you, believing in God and even devoting your life to Him, doesn't automatically make you a good person.
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Very well said. I am a Christian. But I don't follow the doctrine of any one relegion - and I don't believe the Bible is concrete fact (merely a TOOL to be used for guidance).
I believe everyone goes to "heaven" - or enjoys something in the afterlife- because God is a loving and FORGIVING God (is forgiveness not one of the main teaching of Christianity?). But I do believe there is a hell - and it's reserved for those who don't want forgiveness - who don't and never will see that the "bad" they did is, in fact, bad - extreme cases I guess - it's hard for me to actually put my feelings on that in writing because well it sounds a little kooky.
I hate the whole "you have to accept Jesus as your savior in order to get to heaven" thing. It's crap. With that belief the millions of people killed in Holocaust or many of those being killed in Darfur are automatically hell-bound. That's ridiculous.
In all - the people who cancel services because someone is gay are not Christian. People who judge other people because of what they believe or who they love are not Christian - they are taking Christian teachings and tossing them aside in the name of God. Not what we are called to do.
"And they'll know we are Christians by our love" -- not so true anymore...the opposite is pretty much true and I hate how fundies and judgemental bigots have distorted Christianity - it makes me very sad.