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Originally Posted by NightSpirit  I'm sorry about the tone. I was tired when I wrote that. But I really do believe that is infinitethoughts' belief system as I understand it.
I believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and the gate to heaven. However, He said that He has sheep that we know not of. And in another instance, when His disciples wanted to rain down fire on a group that was preaching about Him but was not of their group, He said whoever is not against us is for us.
I'm sure you have heard the "For God so loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" But then the next verse says, "For he sent not His son into the world, not to condemn the world but that through Him the world might be saved."
The Gospel of Christ is not a gospel of condemnation but of peace. But when we really see Jesus and the way He loves and forgives, we can't help but feel a sense of shame and repentance. This is what Jesus said He came for:
Luke 4:18 - The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised
I will use these verses from Romans 8 to explain my position on Hell.
1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
37...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As a gift from God, I have that...so I am not really concerned whether there is a hell or not because I know I am not going there. If I can share this with someone else, if there is a hell, they won't go there either. But I also know that God is merciful and forgiving and not willing that anyone go to Hell.
So in that, if hell is necessary, I trust that He will be fair and just. I think Hell may be necessary with all the evil I see, just as prisons and sometimes even the death penalty are necessary on earth.
What are your thoughts on good and evil, heaven and hell? |
Thanks for the post. I also took a bit of a tone with you. Sorry. As I said, I have little patience for christianity.
What are my thoughts on good and evil and heaven and hell ?
Not too deep actually. I don't think heaven or hell are places. I think they are states of being. I was actually thinking of that this morning on the way to work. I have a hard time with traffic. Driving actually brings out the worst in me. I get very upset inside when dealing with inconsiderate and super slow drivers.
So, I thought, this is hell. As the bible says, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, well, I kind of gnash my teeth during my commute, and of course there is weeping here.
So, when my state of mind is wrong, and I am stuck in time, unaware and unconcsious to the deeper and truer things, then I put myself right in hell.
Heaven, is that state where it is timeless. When self and ego are gone.
So neither are places that we "go to" for eternity, they are just describing states of being, that we can change anytime, as we mature spiritually.
Good and evil are just words to make judgements on things. Talk of good and evil should contain the understanding that the one can't exist without the other, in this world of duality.
My issue with all the judeo christian religions is that they have put reality in a box, ( an inaccurate one at that ), and leave little room for anything else.
Jesus is NOT the only way to salvation. However, the things he points to, selflessness, love, etc... probably are. I think everyone will eventually in their path, get to the point where they have the attributes of Jesus and therefore become like him.
But taking the simplistic view that worshipping him will bring you to a special place when you die, while not worshipping him will bring you to the other place when you die, while it may work for some, doesn't even come close for me.