Is it possible to be atheist and be saved?

[RKO]

I PROMISE, this is not intended to be an inflammatory question. It is a legitimate question i have, and it pertains to any religion:

If a person lives an exemplary life of Love and charity to his fellow man, except that he does not believe in God, does any religion believe he can go to heaven?

I am NOT talking about myself, this is more a question about the nature of God, and whether there is a need to believe a certain thing if your life is lived for others in every other way.

Does God need you to believe in Him in order to bring you into the joy?

And if so, why would that be necessary? I know all of the "we don't know, it's up to God stuff." I'm just wondering if it is a dogma that you live right AND believe in God or else...

Again, please don't take this as a challenge, or a "troll" thing. To me it is a good question...

 

[zoebliss]

no.

 

[Blackknight]

You'd have to ask God. None of us can speak for Him.

 

[RKO]

Thanks and please don't take offense. I assure you none was intended.

 

[Ortho_Cat]

The only way to God is through Christ. Can a person be in communion with God while rejecting His Son? I don't believe so.

 

[Blonde]

If a person doesn't believe God exists then who gets credit for all of this person's goodness? If they take it as the good being theirs then they are denying God his due glory......in essence then, are they their own god?
I'm asking because I don't think I've ever met an atheist.

 

[Ortho_Cat]

If a person doesn't believe God exists then who gets credit for all of this person's goodness? If they take it as the good being theirs then they are denying God his due glory......in essence then, are they their own god?
I'm asking because I don't think I've ever met an atheist.

you've never met one? interesting.

 

[Dorothea]

IMO, I think it depends on if the person knew Who God was and willfully rejected Him. If they never knew Him and just decided not to believe in Him, there is a gray line there.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Zoe, try not to be so lengthy here. It took me forever to read this post! I'm exhausted! Exercise some brevity, sister!

no.

 

[ArmyMatt]

can an atheist be saved? yes, every atheist since the dawn of time is saved. the real question is do they want the salvation God offers. if they do, they might become surprised that they were always Christian and just never wanted the label, but they were in their heart.

only God can judge this, so only He knows the answer.

 

[snowpumpkin]

IMO, I think it depends on if the person knew Who God was and willfully rejected Him. If they never knew Him and just decided not to believe in Him, there is a gray line there.

I think along these lines, too.

 

[truthseeker32]

can an atheist be saved? yes, every atheist since the dawn of time is saved. the real question is do they want the salvation God offers. if they do, they might become surprised that they were always Christian and just never wanted the label, but they were in their heart.

only God can judge this, so only He knows the answer.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I'm sure it's especially possible that the Lord saves atheists when their homelife or surrounding environments shaped them into the person they are from hypocrisy or cruel misrepresentations of Christianity. For example, a young man or little girl who were beaten by "church-going Christians" who prayed and prayed and did the externals but were abusive, cruel, foolish, intolerant, and racist, etc. Watching hypocritical parents or family often has that effect. Or political persecution by hypocritical believers....

I'm sure people who aren't exposed to the truth of Orthodoxy, who grew up in a polygamist Mormon cult or some nutty surroundings could easily think, "wow, if that's God, then I want no part of it!" Which, depending on one's level of knowledge of God and Truth, would make sense to them.

But I don't think that's the majority of atheists. The majority of atheists are trained by the post-Enlightenment secular humanist science-only culture we live in where religion is demoded to shamanistic witch-doctor-like hooliganism. Atheism is rampant now mostly thanks to social influences in our media and education system, sadly, not so much home lives, etc. I think.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I'm sure it's especially possible that the Lord saves atheists when their homelife or surrounding environments shaped them into the person they are from hypocrisy or cruel misrepresentations of Christianity. For example, a young man or little girl who were beaten by "church-going Christians" who prayed and prayed and did the externals but were abusive, cruel, foolish, intolerant, and racist, etc. Watching hypocritical parents or family often has that effect. Or political persecution by hypocritical believers....

I'm sure people who aren't exposed to the truth of Orthodoxy, who grew up in a polygamist Mormon cult or some nutty surroundings could easily think, "wow, if that's God, then I want no part of it!" Which, depending on one's level of knowledge of God and Truth, would make sense to them.

But I don't think that's the majority of atheists. The majority of atheists are trained by the post-Enlightenment secular humanist science-only culture we live in where religion is demoded to shamanistic witch-doctor-like hooliganism. Atheism is rampant now mostly thanks to social influences in our media and education system, sadly, not so much home lives, etc. I think.

this is true, and I think a lot of atheists that fall into that latter camp are that way because the culture peer pressured them. when you are raised that if you are a believer you are backwards, sexist, a homophobe, superstitious, etc, I dunno if that is that different than a person who grew up only knowing Christianity from folks like the Westboro Baptist churches of the world. and I think many of them will be saved.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I think if, in the West, we had a general view on the Atonement like that of the Orthodox Church, right there you would have saved millions from defecting to relativism. Atonement in the West, IMHO, really makes Christianity look distorted and misshapen. It blurs the truth and paints God's whole character in a different light. If Anselm's view had not prevailed into the de-evolution of Calvin and company, and we had instead the Orthodox trampling death by death Christ the Victor and the holistic views of the Fathers, wow, think all these people would've bailed so much en masse over the decades?

this is true, and I think a lot of atheists that fall into that latter camp are that way because the culture peer pressured them. when you are raised that if you are a believer you are backwards, sexist, a homophobe, superstitious, etc, I dunno if that is that different than a person who grew up only knowing Christianity from folks like the Westboro Baptist churches of the world. and I think many of them will be saved.

 

[Lady Bug]

I think that we don't officially know 100% whether or not the person is saved but if we start saying for every non-Christian out there who knowingly rejects Christ whether they are in any danger of loss of eternal life that they don't need to worry about it, then Christianity would be pointless.

 

[MyLordMySavior]

Ephesians 2:8-9

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and it is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God-NOT by works, so that no one can."


This should answer your question clearly

 

[MyLordMySavior]

Ephesians 2:8-9

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and it is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God-NOT by works, so that no one can."


This should answer your question clearly

I'm sorry, I entered that twice :0


Also, God is the only one who can judge. Wether or not an atheist can be saved? I'm not sure. Can you be saved by good works? I believe not. (At least thats what that verse tells me.)

 

[Ortho_Cat]

I don't think anyone is saying that we are saved by our good works, MLMS.

BTW, welcome to The Ancient Way - Eastern Orthodox forum. You are welcome to fellowship here with us and ask questions, but teaching is not permitted in congregational forums unless you are a member of that "congregation" (in this case, Eastern Orthodox). Thanks!

 

[Shane R]

Slightly off subject:
I have a friend who has become a missionary in Eastern Europe. His wife, prior to their departure, wrote a devotional piece for a magazine which a relative subscribes to. I was visiting my relative and noticed the magazine. This is how she horribly mis-represented Orthodoxy; she first cited the fact that over 90% of the professing Christians where they moved identified as Orthodox. She then wrote that one can be an atheist and a member in good standing of the Orthodox church.

People believe propaganda like that because they are too apathetic to question and learn. I had to shake my head at the performance of the editor.