Question about Jesus Christ and Heaven

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: Scrutinizing
According to the Christian faith, Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and heaven.

That is accurate. If you buy into Christianity, then Jesus is the one and only way. It's very clear and simple, and one of the most fundamental things about Christianity. If someone doesn't agree with it, then they really can't honestly call themselves a Christian. They're just pickers and choosers like most people. Being a Christian is actually really difficult -- particularly when it comes to giving up all your possessions and your family. Most people choose to fudge it. Which sends them straight to Hell.

That's true. If not simply trolling, in general forums, most of the time I've seen such questions they're for somebody having objections to what is, on many levels, an obvious, common sense answer. If Christ weren't needed, He wasted His time coming here, the crucifixion and resurrection huge, terrible mistakes, foolishness. Again, it's so basic that Christianity is salvation by Jesus Christ, the most basic elements of the gospel repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, of course literal scripture that states He is the only way. What other faith has the necessary blood of Christ to pay for sin, to satisfy Holy God's justice? It's questioning everything God has done, more a devilish question, like the serpent in the Garden, "Has God really said you need that?" sorts of deceptive stuff.

There's often somebody claiming they're a Christian you refer to, objecting to Christian doctrine, what they're really saying is they don't believe, you know, they're a Christian (according to them), but they don't believe the Bible? Believe in Christ, while calling Him a liar? Other times, it can be a means of opening up a discussion to try and degrade the faith, the thread starts as thus and such, and you simply wait a little bit to see what it's really about, bait and switch.

It is rather an appalling question, in that it is so basic a Christian teaching, the answer all over the web from Christian websites, and, again, I'd not expect sound doctrine flowing like a river at ATS, where more people think creation all about aliens, where it seems more people are atheist or hate God, why this person doesn't consult some fundamentalist Christian websites to learn about the faith, if he has honest questions. It's quite peculiar, that is, suspicious, to me.

a reply to: watchandwait410

There is no straight answer. All religions and faiths are different...some believing in Budda, Mohammed ...or Jesus.

All will guarantee you theirs is the only way...... Peace.

I hope you find the answer to the question that has a different answer depending whom you're speaking to....

a reply to: sine.nomine

As far as the golden rule, what about masochists?

I never grew out of the paradox phase in Sunday school.

Wow, making a thread kind of sucks.

a reply to: watchandwait410

Roflmao....

Just be a good person, treat all life with respect. You won't be denied passage if you get through the white light and aren't a devout Christian. What God would deny the most selfless, helpful person entry just because they weren't a 'believer'?

No God I want any part of, that's for sure.

p.s. there are no pearly gates and angel waiting to allow or deny entry. Call the afterlife 'an indefinite moment of self-reflection'

a reply to: watchandwait410

Believing in him means doing what he asked of us...

Faith alone is dead

I've been reading about this subject for a while, and these are the conclusions I've come to so far:
1. There are multiple varieties of "heaven" and "hell".
2. The ONLY thing that determines where you go is yourself. You go to a place that is appropriate for your particular spiritual state of being. For example, if you live a life where your greatest pleasure is drugs and prostitutes, you'll go to a place in the afterlife that gives you pleasures from equivalent spiritual things. Some people choose to be in a hell, just as they choose to live in hatred or squalor here on Earth.
3. What you believe has no effect on where you go when you die, aside from your surroundings sometimes being initially formed into what you expect to see, only for the sake of an easier transition upon death. Your soul is a soul, not a belief, if you understand what I mean.
4. There is a "god" that is responsible for the existence of everything that does exist, and there is a "Jesus" - or at least a being that represents the idea of Jesus. Many people, nonbelievers and those of other faiths included, have reported meeting this Jesus figure in the afterlife.
5. Regardless of where we end up in the afterlife, we can always choose to ascend or descend, but ascending into a higher spiritual state is not easy. Sometimes people choose to return to Earth in a different life in order to learn and grow for this purpose.
6. One of the purposes of life, simply enough, is love.

So, to answer your question - Do you need to believe in Jesus to go to Heaven? No. Lots of people who didn't have.

THIS is a good site for reading near death experience reports.

originally posted by: trollz
I've been reading about this subject for a while, and these are the conclusions I've come to so far:
1. There are multiple varieties of "heaven" and "hell".
2. The ONLY thing that determines where you go is yourself. You go to a place that is appropriate for your particular spiritual state of being. For example, if you live a life where your greatest pleasure is drugs and prostitutes, you'll go to a place in the afterlife that gives you pleasures from equivalent spiritual things. Some people choose to be in a hell, just as they choose to live in hatred or squalor here on Earth.
3. What you believe has no effect on where you go when you die, aside from your surroundings sometimes being initially formed into what you expect to see, only for the sake of an easier transition upon death. Your soul is a soul, not a belief, if you understand what I mean.
4. There is a "god" that is responsible for the existence of everything that does exist, and there is a "Jesus" - or at least a being that represents the idea of Jesus. Many people, nonbelievers and those of other faiths included, have reported meeting this Jesus figure in the afterlife.
5. Regardless of where we end up in the afterlife, we can always choose to ascend or descend, but ascending into a higher spiritual state is not easy. Sometimes people choose to return to Earth in a different life in order to learn and grow for this purpose.
6. One of the purposes of life, simply enough, is love.

So, to answer your question - Do you need to believe in Jesus to go to Heaven? No. Lots of people who didn't have.

THIS is a good site for reading near death experience reports.

I have been to nderf.org and mostly enjoy it, but once in a while there is a hell NDE and completely freaks me out. It is like 1 in every 100 so that means I have a 100 to 1 chance of going to hell and that small percentage messes with me. The hell NDE's seem like good people to. So I don't get why they experience getting ripped apart limb by limb while they are calling God's name, for example.

originally posted by: watchandwait410
Hi
I was just wondering if you need to believe in Jesus to get to heaven.
Some people say no and some people say yes.
I am confused.
I am not trying to be an ass or anything, I just want a straight answer.

YES

a reply to: watchandwait410

You have to know humans are powerful. More powerful than most want to believe. We have control of the earth. There was one man who was concieved from an asexexual human. That being was powerful enough to create all tech. & do all our kool human powers at will. Believe that & you can do anything our human minds allow over this earth or in space where thoughts prevail less & less depending on where we go.

originally posted by: SatansPride
a reply to: watchandwait410

You have to know humans are powerful. More powerful than most want to believe. We have control of the earth. There was one man who was concieved from an asexexual human. That being was powerful enough to create all tech. & do all our kool human powers at will. Believe that & you can do anything our human minds allow over this earth or in space where thoughts prevail less & less depending on where we go.

I prolly sound dumb but who is the human conceived by a asexual human, and invented all tech and what powers do we have?? This might sound dumb but are you talking about Jesus? If so then I don't get it.

a reply to: watchandwait410

Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one gets to the Father, but by me".

my understanding of the Bible / Christian theology.

1) if you accept Jesus as your Savior you are saved and go to heaven.

2) if you knowingly reject Jesus you go to hell.

3) many people do not know enough about Jesus to accept or reject. these people will be judged case by case based on how much they understood, and how well they followed God's instructions.

the Bible indicates that all of us are born with a seed of Spirit and a basic moral impulse. worth noting that many Christian values are universal; man and woman marrying, stealing is wrong, lying is wrong, murder is wrong, there is such a thing as being too materialistic.

'treat people as you would be treated' is not just Biblical.

old anecdote about a Ben Adam. he didn't know God but he loved people; his name was at the top of God's favor list.

hope this helps.

originally posted by: watchandwait410

originally posted by: sine.nomine
a reply to: watchandwait410

I find it hard to believe that any god would send someone to eternal damnation for a short lifetime of not believing in Jesus. You should just be a good person, or at least try your best. After all jesus' Golden rule was to treat others how you'd like to be treated.

ETA: Jesus wasn't even a Christian.

- nom

I agree that less then 100 years of life should judge eternity.

It depends on your concept of eternal,damnation
Do you mean eternal destruction or eternal torturs
Humans are not eternal beings so want live forever after judgement

a reply to: watchandwait410

It couldn't hurt.

originally posted by: watchandwait410
Hi
I was just wondering if you need to believe in Jesus to get to heaven.
Some people say no and some people say yes.
I am confused.
I am not trying to be an ass or anything, I just want a straight answer.

No..................try believing in nothing whatsoever.
What is there really?

originally posted by: Baddogma
a reply to: sine.nomine

As far as the golden rule, what about masochists?

I never grew out of the paradox phase in Sunday school.

Ha yeah interesting question. I guess I was going for a more buddhistic approach with a Christian angle. It was the dalai lama was said "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."

So I guess if you're masochistic, then find someone else who's into that.

- nom

a reply to: watchandwait410

No Jesus, no heaven, just mythology to help folks cope......

a reply to: watchandwait410

mary had to have been asexual, she was a virgin who gave birth. mutations or genetic diseases can occur randomly like mermaids with legs morphed together or werewolfs who are to hairy for societies standards. they are all just people who are still made fun of today. he didnt invent it or didnt cure the world but jesus could have. he chose not to use his real powers. how else you think the bible got some there great knowledge? he could walk on water & turn water to wine but everyone neglects the fact that that means he could fly. he def. used his flight. we can defy what modern science explains too, like thoughts. they dont have anything to do with gravity so why wouldnt they be able to manuver around it? thoughts work in space so gravity doesnt equate to thoughts which means they are more physical & powerful than modern science can explain. we can control all elements, feel, we feel less & less the more tech. we get cause lets face it, feelings will get us killed in space because we wont be able to properly alghorize the many variations of dangers out in no mans land.

The only people who know if there actually is a heaven, and the initiation process for admittance, are all dead.