Question for anyone with the knowledge to answer.

[Secularone]

I am new here and I just wanted to ask a few questions that I have had on my mind.
First of these being - (Considering Christian beliefs)

How does one get into heaven?
Does one need to accept Jesus as our lord and savior to get into Heaven?

Thanks.

Forgive me if I fail to answer your question to your satisfaction but...

1. Not everyone believes there is such a thing as heaven. However, if we were to stipulate the question only asks, "If there is such a thing as heaven... etc" the answer would then follow...
2. Not everyone wants to go there. However, if we were to stipulate the question assumes that everyone does want to go there, then...
3. Each person will have to decide how to get there on terms that seem reasonable to them. I for one reject the notion that "believing an absurdity" will get me into heaven." I also reject the notion that kissing the ass of a god-monster would do the trick.

Does one need to accept Jesus as Lord and savior to get into heaven? I do not think this to be a reasonable conclusion. However, if we were to stipulate that the only way to get into heaven is via accepting Jesus as Lord and savior, you may count me out. And just for openers let me voice the following:

One the surface, it would seem that if one were teaching a way to find life and life everlasting wouldn't this be of benefit to others and give them a something to look forward to? How could this be damaging?

The issue is not whether the promise of everlasting life is damaging, but whether the strings attached to the promise are damaging (also known as the baggage). And there are plenty of strings. Here are just a few.
• One must believe scores of articles of blind-faith.
• One must not question the articles of faith, even if some appear absurd, repressive of human rights, unjust or unethical.
• One who questions the articles of faith or does not embrace them must be considered evil and therefore must be ostracized, vilified and disenfranchised.
• One must submit to obey hundreds of rules and may not question the justice or injustice of them.
• One must consider themselves evil if they disobey the rules. One must agree they deserve punishment.
• One must consider all others evil who do not obey the rules. They must be punished whether they agree with the rules or not.
• One must do everything in their power, using either persuasion or the force of law, to ensure all others embrace the same articles of faith and embrace the same rules.
• One must agree that all of the above is the right-way and the only-way. Therefore, society must be everlastingly enslaved to it and never allowed to escape.

Now, my mind informs me that these strings are very real, and significantly damage the quality of many lives. If true, a valid question is raised. Is this promise of eternal life really a blessing or is it possible, considering the strings, that it is actually a scourge in disguise, “a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

Freedom is the ability to march to the beat of a different drummer without fear of retribution.

Christianity does not offer freedom or life. It offers repression and slavery.