Religion: a net positive or negative for mankind?

[Gadfly]

I don’t want to take you off topic, Bronco. I did want to thank you for the information you’ve provided. I’ve looked into some of the things I believed about Christianity. It’s amazing how vague the New Testament is on the subject. Admittedly, I’ve only Googled a few pages, but I think the topics of "who goes to heaven" and "who goes to hell" is much more complex in the Christian lexicon that most Christians realize.

 

[Bronco]

Gadfly- It is an interesting and complicated topic. I am catholic so my stance on it is pretty clear.

I disagree greatly with those sects of christianity that say only people who believe like thay do will go to heaven. I think they are terribly misguided.

I had a "discussion" with a Methodist minister about a year ago on this subject. I asked him about those people that never get exposed to his form of Christianity. He said that those types of people would find salvation if they had a spiritual mind and lived by a moral code.

He went on to say that he had just returned from a mission trip with some young adults and they went to a village somewhere in South America and we was very pleased that a number of them had "converted". I delicately asked him that if the tribe would have gone to heaven if they hadn't ever heard about christianity but then when his mission trip went down there and exposed the entire tribe to christianity and a few "converted" did that mean that now the rest of them could not go t heaven now since they had been exposed. His answer was that we could never know what was in their hearts and that they could believe and not be vocal about it and God will know. I did not press the issue. But it is illustartive of the different ways these things are intrepreted.

 

[Monahorns]

Bronco, what you are describing is salvation by works when you say that having a spiritual mind and living by a moral code saves (whether it was you or the Methodist minister). You simply can't interpret the Bible to say people are saved by works. A spiritual mind is also not a criteria for salvation. The mind of Christ is, which is conferred upon the one who has placed their faith in the gospel.

That is why Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation to those who believe. If a spiritual mind and moral code saved Jesus wouldn't have told to go into the world with the gospel. It would have been unnecessary.

 

[Bronco]

Mona- I mentioned that I am Catholic. I fully realize that living a moral life and good deeds are not enough to get into heaven if one has been introduced to God. However, my faith teaches that Jews and Muslims and Budhists etc that lead moral lives, do good deeds and are in touch with God will have salvation.

There are a lot of topics going on here. I will never understand the mindset of someone who says an african tribal baby that never gets outside the tribe will go to hell because he did not claim Jesus as his lord and savior. Maybe you weren't saying that.

 

[Dionysus]

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