If I'm an Atheist and I am not a bad person, will I go to hell?

[bhsmte]

How can our finite knowledge understand a divine purpose? Do you not appreciate the good more after receiving the bad?

Precisely. Which is why, descriptions of God and the purpose behind him, will bring you a myriad of different answers just amongst Christians themselves. No one knows, although some talk as if they can't be wrong about their description of their God.

 

[seekingsolace]

You just said it. You prefer a universe that was not an accident, so it must be uncomfortable for you to contemplate that a God was not behind the universe. So, you are religious, because it allows you to cope with the apparent question in a way that brings you comfort.

Nothing wrong with that and that is why it is called faith. As long as people of faith can respect that some people will disagree with them, and the faith does not require them to deny obvious well evidenced realities, go for it.

Unfortunately that's untrue, I was highlighting principles seen in persons through all ages. Do I believe it now? yes, it is comfort in the sense that there is a driving force behind creation, not chaos. But I did not, and am not a believer for comfort. Being a believer means a lot of sacrifices, a complete change of life, you stop living for yourself. The hardest part for me personally is not knowing if those I love would be unsaved, there is no comfort in that I assure you. That's where trust comes into play, if there is no benevolent God, then we are all truly doomed.

I respect that others have different views, but as you know, people will clash over them. Physical and spiritual discernment mean different things to both parties.

 

[bhsmte]

Unfortunately that's untrue, I was highlighting principles seen in persons through all ages. Do I believe it now? yes, it is comfort in the sense that there is a driving force behind creation, not chaos. But I did not, and am not a believer for comfort. Being a believer means a lot of sacrifices, a complete change of life, you stop living for yourself. The hardest part for me personally is not knowing if those I love would be unsaved, there is no comfort in that I assure you. That's where trust comes into play, if there is no benevolent God, then we are all truly doomed.

I respect that others have different views, but as you know, people will clash over them. Physical and spiritual discernment mean different things to both parties.

Well, it is your opinion that we are doomed without a God and I simply disagree.

People do clash over differing beliefs and some of the best clashes on this board, are amongst Christians themselves, that come from different denominations and battle over who has the right interpretation of scripture.

 

[lesliedellow]

I've never done an "evil" thing my entire life. With that all said, would I go to hell?

"God looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy;
there is none that doeth good, no, not one."

That "not one" means everybody - believer's included. If "being good" could get anybody into heaven, there would be no need for a saviour to make the impossible possible, would there?

 

[seekingsolace]

Well, it is your opinion that we are doomed without a God and I simply disagree.

People do clash over differing beliefs and some of the best clashes on this board, are amongst Christians themselves, that come from different denominations and battle over who has the right interpretation of scripture.

The point I meant with doomed is, if the world is governed by chaos and not order, what chance does mankind have?

Religion, politics etc, any strong opinions always breed disputes.

 

[Messy]

No matter what type of life a person leads?

Do you believe that the serial killer who gets saved on death row and repents his sins, will be allowed heaven? How about the Hindu who leads a terrific life helping others, but does not believe in Christianity? Do they get to heaven?

The serial killer: yes, because that evil nature he has dies with Christ if he accepts Him.
The Hindu, my pastor says if people never heard the gospel they get a chance to choose for Him and that's what Sadhu Sundhar Singh saw too if they didn't live really evil.

 

[bhsmte]

The point I meant with doomed is, if the world is governed by chaos and not order, what chance does mankind have?

Religion, politics etc, any strong opinions always breed disputes.

Humans have evolved to be social beings and for this reason, there are benefits to getting along with your fellow man. We have laws made by man to protect society, to keep chaos from reigning and assuring people have equal rights.

 

[bhsmte]

The serial killer: yes, because that evil nature he has dies with Christ if he accepts Him.
The Hindu, my pastor says if people never heard the gospel they get a chance to choose for Him and that's what Sadhu Sundhar Singh saw too if they didn't live really evil.

I can assure you, in this day and age, very few people are not aware of Christianity and understand the theology of the same. In fact, in a recent study done by Pew, the people with the highest amount of general religious knowledge were; atheists and muslims.

 

[seekingsolace]

Humans have evolved to be social beings and for this reason, there are benefits to getting along with your fellow man. We have laws made by man to protect society, to keep chaos from reigning and assuring people have equal rights.

Can mankind govern the celestial forces, this is what I was referring to as doomed, sorry I should have said.

I don't think there will ever be equal rights. The filthy rich waste millions in frivolous lifestyles while children die of starvation every day; evil persists always. Many humans are inherently evil, corruption can be found in any country.

 

[bhsmte]

Can mankind govern the celestial forces, this is what I was referring to as doomed, sorry I should have said.

I don't think there will ever be equal rights. The filthy rich waste millions in frivolous lifestyles while children die of starvation every day; evil persists always. Many humans are inherently evil, corruption can be found in any country.

Which celestial forces are you referring to?

Chaos to me means; a civilization that is ripe with crime, does poorly in regards to human rights and education. Many of the nations of the world that have the highest quality of life (low crime, human rights, good education, good jobs), are also the lowest in regards to belief in a God.

 

[Messy]

Yes I have closed myself off from the idea. The idea that an infinitely powerful and infinitely resourceful and infinitely benevolent being, created the universe then had no other way to change his own rules to ease our suffering because of the flaws that he himself built into his own creation, had no other choice than to turn himself into a human and live a perfect life and to be tortured and then executed to save us from himself. Yeah, I closed myself off from accepting that as a reality. If you want to claim that is reality then I await the proof, and I will change my mind, but if you can't prove it then I am under no obligation to accept it. If this is the system this being created then I have to take from that, that I was never meant to go to heaven. If I was never meant to go to heaven then why should I even care about trying to get there?

He didn't build flaws into His creation. He saved us from sin and the devil who you have to obey if you want to serve him by sinning and loving sin. He didn't save us from Himself. Someone saw Him in heaven and He was crying, saying if He could save one soul He'd die again. Indifferent? His followers maybe sometimes, but not God. I accused Him of being indifferent too and He said: Hey how much do you pray for souls to get saved? There was a man who prayed every day the whole day long for unsaved people, in Wales and almost whole Wales got saved.
He can only do something on earth if His people pray. He can't just do what He wants to do here. He needs a functioning Body. It was the idea that the believers would do the same and greater works as He did, but there's hope. Muslims are getting visions from Jesus. People are going to the street, regular believers, and people get healed and saved. It's starting, I believe for billions of souls saved the coming years. If I have evidence of a grown limb I'll post it.

 

[seekingsolace]

Which celestial forces are you referring to?

Chaos to me means; a civilization that is ripe with crime, does poorly in regards to human rights and education. Many of the nations of the world that have the highest quality of life (low crime, human rights, good education, good jobs), are also the lowest in regards to belief in a God.

The forces that govern the universe as we know it.

Those who have, choose not to share, selfish gain governs the world.

Equality should be about standard of life. Crime is often the only means some of these people can survive, education is an afterthought from food and water. Human rights should be globally, not a nation.

 

[bhsmte]

The forces that govern the universe as we know it.

Those who have, choose not to share, equality should be about standard of life. Crime is often the only means some of these people can survive, education is an afterthought from food and water. Human rights should be globally, not a nation.

And how would you propose we govern the forces that control the universe?

 

[seekingsolace]

And how would you propose we govern the forces that control the universe?

You can't, that's my point. If there is no creator, then there is no order, without order is chaos.

 

[bhsmte]

You can't, that's my point. If there is no creator, then there is no order, without order is chaos.

Why can't the universe have order though it's natural forces? Do you have evidence that it can't? Do you have evidence that a creator is required for this order?

 

[seekingsolace]

Why can't the universe have order though it's natural forces? Do you have evidence that it can't? Do you have evidence that a creator is required for this order?

The universe being governed independently seems foreign to me. What is it that sustains the very atoms of the universe, that keeps all things in order?

 

[lesliedellow]

I can assure you, in this day and age, very few people are not aware of Christianity and understand the theology of the same. In fact, in a recent study done by Pew, the people with the highest amount of general religious knowledge were; atheists and muslims.

A few years back an Anglican priest, working in America although he is English, remarked that America is both the most religious country in the western world, and the most theologically illiterate country in the western world.

 

[bhsmte]

The universe being governed independently seems foreign to me. What is it that sustains the very atoms of the universe, that keeps all things in order?

Have you ever explored this question, from a scientific standpoint?

http://www.exploremars.org/the-stuff-that-holds-the-universe-together

 

[HannahElizaW]

It mystifies me how anyone can actually believe it

It sounds like you're on the same road I used to be on, which is actually the opposite of what is based in Christianity.

There was once a post of a picture drawn of Jesus putting a gun to someone's head with the quote "Love me or you'll burn" and then it's an easy concept that all athiests, for the some part, believe that Christians follow the principal that we're forced to love a Man or suffer from His "lonesome" wrath but in reality it's the opposite. Which opens the gates of realizing God's love.

You sinned. Yeah..you did. And your consequence, since the Creator can't look upon sin, is to burn. Initially Hell was never intended for us humans but thanks to Adam and Eve it is. Now...you can go about your merry way and burn in the end...but to make it and life a lot easier for you, He gave us Someone that can relieve us of our eminent doom and His name is Jesus.

Whether you believe it or not is totally up to you but in the end "if you're right and I'm wrong: I wasted my life. But if I'm right and you're wrong: you wasted your eternity."

 

[bhsmte]

A few years back an Anglican priest, working in America although he is English, remarked that America is both the most religious country in the western world, and the most theologically illiterate country in the western world.

Yep, that is basically what the study from Pew concluded.