(August 25, 2015 at 2:31 pm)drfuzzy Wrote: We hear "you're going to hell" so often. I read a friend's post just this morning when he "lovingly" restated that every person who does not accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior will go to hell for eternity.
So what do modern Xtians think? There are well over 7 billion humans on the planet at this moment. Polls taken in 2013 puts Christians at approximately 31% (and dropping) of the world population. That leaves 2,333,333,333,33 who will go to hell. This includes the few who have never heard of Jesus of Nazareth. Speaking of Yeshua, there were humans on this planet for billions of years before he came along.
(If you get picky, I know a lot of Protestants who think that Catholics will go to hell too. That would increase the number considerably.)
I remember asking my Mom about the Chinese people and Japanese and Native American and African who lived before Jesus - what about them? Her irritated answer was that God would know which of them WOULD believe if they had the chance. But then, this is also the woman who declared emphatically that if aliens ever showed up, they would have to worship Jesus too or burn in hell. So . . .
What about the billions of OTHER people who weren't BLESSED enough to be born to Xtian parents?
Silly Atheist, we aren't born into Christianity, we elect it. That said Salvation isn't about following one church doctrine or another either. Salvation is a gift from Christ, and it is to Christ's final judgement that decides whether we stand before God for eternity or fall into the pit of hell. To be saved is to be saved by Christ by His judgement and actions on the Cross alone, not by the works or will or title (what you call yourself) Mat 7 even goes so far as to say their will be many on that final day that call out "Lord, Lord didn't we do all these many great and wonderful things in your name?" and He will say "depart from me I never knew you." Why? Because again it is not what we call or identify ourselves with. It is our heart that Christ will judge.
Does this mean Atheist will go to heaven? No. Why? Because of the hardness and condition of one's heart to deny God.
Can this mean that people not exposed to the gospel can goto Heaven? absolutely, just as the thief on the cross was allowed in so to will the rest of us be placed before Christ and judged to our core.
