How to advise newly-Christian friend who thinks that only Christians can go to heaven

[poguemahone]

A friend has recently become a Christian, and is very happy and excited about the whole thing.

She's having a bit of a tough time, however as she's getting into conflicts with people who don't share her beliefs. In particular she holds that only Christians will go to heaven. She's traveling in a non-Christian country so I can only imagine upset for everyone concerned.

We knew each other years ago when she was a lovely sweet girl but a bit wild, and she recently sought me out, probably because I've always been a Christian. She's keen to pick my brains on things like this, and I'm feeling a bit of pressure to get the advice right.

I've told her that:

• I believe people of all religion and none can go to heaven if they're good people.
• Although Christianity makes utter sense to me intellectually and emotionally, not everyone has been exposed to the same (cultural) background as me.
• God's fair if nothing else, so for example to discount millions of people who've never heard of Jesus, would just be unfair. (Likewise for people who've not seen great examples of Christians, who're happy with their own religion etc)

But she's asking for more info and I'm really no expert on this. Any advice?

No worries, laurie.
You weren't rude.
Anyway, I am bloody rude about my own Church a lot of the time, so feel free if the mood ever takes you.

Annie - they are not Christians as I understand it - indeed they are either gleeful at all those going to hell in a self-hugging way or they are pitying of others.

There are a few who stand on street corners desperate to convert others in love because they believe that tosh.

They are the ones I respect, even though they may be in mental distress or be misguided. At least their heart is in the right place.

What I particularly loathe are those who say all Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs are going to hell - what an utterly despicable, racist point of view . Most of them seem to hold that as thinly disguised racism.

And Annie - it's quite ridiculous to say that 'Christians are quite happy to smugly accept that's the fate of most of the world's population.' - no that is not the position of most Christians. We have a mission to spread the good news. There's nothing smug about it - just a desire to tell people the truth that is influencing and shaping our lives.

No, no Northern your misunderstanding me - I think it has nothing to do with how nice you are or any good deeds but that Jesus died so that all could go to heaven - it is because of him and grace that ALL are saved.

It's not 'my way or the highway' - it's His way.

I'm in the UK, Laurie.

I do expect it all to work out fine for me, because I don't accept what you call the truth, to be the truth. I don't expect to reject Christian dogma and still go to Christian heaven, if that's what you mean. I just don't believe for even a second that Christians are correct in their beliefs. Not sure what the truth is, but like I said, I can't accept the cruely of the god who Christians worship.

Am Jewish now, BTW - a much more user-friendly religion.

I'm intrigued by the different view points.

Lou - How do you think your interpretation fits with a loving God? I'm sorry, I just don't think the God of love would turn His back on people. He would always reach out and it would be up to us to reject Him.

Tough one. So Ghandi wouldn't have gone to heaven?

She will probably just provoke people and give christains a bad name.

NL - well, I went throught a brief born-again fundamentalist hogwash Christian phase in my late teens and early twenties, and I remember being quite smug. Hopefully you are right and that's not the case for most.

I'm not sure about willful deniers

there's a massive gap between people who follow different faiths and those who actively deny. FWIW I think we get to 'know' when we die and then we can choose.

Do I expect to see Hitler in heaven (not that I believe in heaven anyway) but I'm not sure and I'm happy God has the last call ont hat one

I think it is VERY, VERY wrong to state that people won't go to heaven. Up to the guy in the sky and only him.

"I think it is VERY, VERY wrong to state that people won't go to heaven. Up to the guy in the sky and only him."

Well said Laurie

Well there is certainly a difference between saying ' Only those who accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour will be going to heaven' and saying 'You, X, are not going to heaven'. I would say that the former is an intellectual position I would embrace though I reserve judgement on as I said below, what the cut off point would be. The second is not something I would ever presume to say because we don't know and it isn't our call - thankfully!

I used to worry so much about the cavemen not going to heaven when I was little.

Ses, I really don't see it as 'my' interpretation. God is the Almighty creator of Heaven and Earth. He makes the rules. In Old Testament times, people had to live by ritual and sacrifice. The Ten Commandments were the laws of God, and there was no Grace.

But, Jesus came to the earth and was sacrificed. By His sacrifice, God gave us a way to Him. He chooses not to see us as we are, sinful, but to see us as Christ - free of sin. We are able to come to Him, by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. It is a choice available to us all.

He has reached out to us in the best and most amazing way possible. By sacrificing His one and only Son. What more would you expect of Him?

I think we get a little hung up on 'fairness'. God does not need to fit in with our human sense of 'fairness'. He can forgive a serial killer, a rapist, a drug dealer or Joe Bloggs - His call. Equally, he can set the requirements for a place in Heaven.

I am not judging any individuals here. But really, I think we need to be very aware that if we are telling people that they can go to heaven by being a good person, or that they will get a chance to choose God once they have died, or that God is a good Guy who will let them through regardless of whether they accepted Jesus as Lord, we are potentially denying them the opportunity of Salvation. That is just a bit serious, and I wouldn't like to be before God having done that.

I can only speak of the Truth as I see it presented clearly in the Word of God. Whether that is a pleasant thing for someone to hear or not. As I stated in my first post, there are ways and means of presenting that to someone who has not encountered God, and I would never advocate the "Hell and brimstone" approach.

I hope the OP is able to find scriptures that back up her beliefs in the Bible. I would imagine that she will not though.

Ever since I used the phrase 'In Christ alone' down below i've had this in my head!

That is an awesome song, Northernlurker

Yes I love it.

Fair enough Lou - that is what you believe. For me though there are a few different ways in which the Bible is being interpreted on this. Scripture forms a huge part of why I believe what I believe but for me, so does my personal experience of God. I agree that what we may see as fair may not apply to God but I'm not sure I could so easily say the same about love.

At the end of the day, the best any of us can do is strive, through our own life experiences, to be who God would have us be and that is what I try ( but often fail) to achieve.

Don't get me wrong - I would love it to be different. I worry for my Dad (rampant atheist) and my Mum ("I am Christian because I live in a Christian country"), but I can't change the rules. I just have to love them and hope that they find Christ. I am pleased that He is pretty good at getting people's attention

HoochieCuckoo, I plan become part of the collective unconscious or perhaps undergo some type of - hopefully positive - reincarnation. But actually I have a hard time with reincarnation as well. I'm much more comfortable with the idea of genetic memory

So, I think of myself as, at the very least a decent human being and possibly a "virtuous pagan". Since I don't believe in heaven or hell - outside of those we create right here on earth - I'm just not bothered with what some evangelical thinks of my ultimate destiny.

Just tell your friend that she can believe whatever nonsense she wants to but she has no right to go around telling everyone or condemning people who don't believe in the same fairy nonsense stories as she does.

Christianity is not a cuddy religion. Its not about comforting people.

If salvation was achieved by being "good" then I am totally and utterly dammed and beyond help. Its why Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins. As I am not perfect then the only way for my salvation is through Jesus.

However I believe that God is fair. I do not know God's plan but I am sure that the baby sister of my son's hindu friend will not burn hell. (The poor baby only lived 10 minutes.)

Prehaps the small baby will have the chance to know Jesus at the end of time when Jesus comes again to judge both the living and the dead.

Lauriefairycake, if you read the whole thread you will see it is actualy the Catholics that are holding to the more liberal interpretation and the evangelical Protestants saying that only Christians go to heaven.

Oh dear.

You poor things.

God is just make believe you know