<p>
</p>
<p>So refreshing to hear a Christian say that.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Just curious: How do you reconcile this with a belief in a loving, benevolent God who goes after every lost sheep? And, does your religion allow for any possibility that the humans who wrote the bible could have worded anything maybe not quite right, or maybe misquoted Jesus? </p>
<p>Just a thought.</p>
<p>
That’s why I’ll probably never be a Christian. I’ve always felt that if there is a God out there, he’s big enough to forgive me for not believing in him, assuming I led a good life. I have to believe that the deed is more important than the creed.</p>
<p>"Just curious: How do you reconcile this with a belief in a loving, benevolent God who goes after every lost sheep? And, does your religion allow for any possibility that the humans who wrote the bible could have worded anything maybe not quite right, or maybe misquoted Jesus? </p>
<p>Just a thought"</p>
<p>Leal, I’m coming to completely understand why you feel the way you do.</p>
<p>“That’s why I’ll probably never be a Christian. I’ve always felt that if there is a God out there, he’s big enough to forgive me for not believing in him, assuming I led a good life. I have to believe that the deed is more important than the creed”</p>
<p>I’m a Christian and I belive that as do many others. But having read this thread, I can see why I would never be an evangelical if what I’ve read here is true.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Exactly…</p>
<p>zoosermom: Thanks for understanding!</p>
<p>“zoosermom: Thanks for understanding”</p>
<p>As long as you don’t lump me in there, we’re good!</p>
<p>I most definitely don’t lump you in there! :)</p>
<p>So are you people saying that it is not absolutely necessary to adhere to John 3:16 in order to be a Christian and be saved?</p>
<p>I’m saying I believe God is bigger and more loving than that.</p>
<p>tommybill, your question presupposes that there is a belief that there is something from which to be saved. None of us “knows” anything about any of this, but it is safe to say that, no matter what turns out to be true, there will be a lot of surprised people in the hereafter - assuming there is a hereafter.</p>
<p>Right. The very concept of being ‘saved’ presupposes that there is a ‘hell’ and I find it impossible that a loving God would allow such a thing. Humans have more compassion than that! Surely God would have more compassion than mere humans!</p>
<p>See, my point is that these fundamental concepts are in direct contradiction to the concept of a loving and merciful father God figure. Why would God be so petty as to ‘choose’ only a small percentage of the population? It just defies reason.</p>
<p>I do believe in ‘hell’ as a state of mind, a temporary existence when cut off from the flow of God/the Universe. In that respect, hell exists all around us. We create our own ‘hells.’</p>
<p>I am glad to see that people can understand just b/c someone practicesa christian faith they shouldn’t all be lumped into an evangelical.</p>
<p>I know several evangelicals, but never had the guts to ask this…If you are Jewish, will you not get into heaven. I ask this b/c everytime I have a conversation with them inevitably the comment “I just thank the Lord my God and Jesus Christ my savior” is placed in.</p>
<p>JOKE:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>(author unknown)</p>
<p>(could easily substitute ‘Catholics’ or ‘Evangelicals’ for ‘Baptists.’ No offense intended to anyone; I just thought it was funny, having been taught as a Catholic that Baptists did not go to ‘heaven’ and can see the irony of some Evangelicals now saying that Catholics might not actually be Christians and therefore can’t go to ‘heaven.’)</p>
<p>Variation:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>(author unknown)</p>
<p>Classic Lol 
Lol :)</p>
<p>OMG - my Baptist family tells that joke all the time, but they have the Methodists in the punchline!</p>
<p>whew, I’m glad you thought it was funny. I hesitated before posting it for fear someone would be offended.</p>
<p>Here’s another funny one:</p>
<p>RELIGIOUS TRUTHS</p>
<p>TAOISM
**** happens.</p>
<p>CONFUCIANISM
Confucius say, “**** happens.”</p>
<p>BUDDHISM
If **** happens, it is not really ****.</p>
<p>ZEN-BUDDHISM
What is the sound of **** happening?</p>
<p>HINDUISM
This **** has happened before.</p>
<p>ISLAM
If **** happens, it is the will of Allah.</p>
<p>PROTESTANTISM
Let **** happen to someone else.</p>
<p>BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIAN
**** doesn’t matter because we are saved.</p>
<p>CATHOLICISM
If **** happens, you deserved it.</p>
<p>BAPTIST
Don’t say ****!</p>
<p>JUDAISM
Why does **** always happen to us?</p>
<p>NEW AGE
Affirm “**** does not happen to me.”</p>
<p>MYSTICS
This **** is all in your mind.</p>
<p>PAGANISM
May our **** harm no one.</p>
<p>NATIVE AMERICAN
All **** is sacred.</p>
<p>ATHEIST
I don’t believe this ****.</p>
<p>AGNOSTIC
Maybe this **** is not real.</p>
<p>SCIENTIST
Can we prove this ****?</p>
<p>RASTAFARIAN
Let’s roll this **** up and smoke it.</p>
<p>There are some Christians who believe fervently that Jesus Christ is their “Personal Lord and Savior” and that only through Him can they be saved. They strongly believe in Hell, too and Hell is filled with those who accept that Jesus is their Personal Lord and Savior but reject Him knowing He is God.</p>
<p>These Christians have no problem accepting the idea that it is quite unlikely a child in New Guineau that has never heard of Christ except when that one plane came by ten years ago willl accept that Jesus Christ is his personal path to salvation, and that it is equally unlikely that the sexually abused child who equates Christianity with a pedophile priest will embrace Christ fully. These Christians do not feel that these non-believers are Hell-Bound while recognizing that their own rejection of Jesus places them in a different category - those that believe and reject anyway. Edit: It is a small step for them to accept that the followers of other religions, faiths, and traditions do NOT have to come to their Jesus for salvation.</p>
<p>Or maybe there’s not any of these Christians and I just created them for the purpose of framing an argument. Could be. ;)</p>
<p>This is just a thought. As for me, as I’ve said before - I’m just a searcher on a very long walk-about. ;)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear that some Christians are open-minded about that. Many, however, adamantly insist that those people would NOT go to ‘heaven’ and neither would the Buddhists, Pagans, Hindus, etc.</p>
<p>Well, people have the right to believe whatever they want. I like to give the example of the 2 guys who both grew up in abusive homes with alcoholic, drug-addicted parents, and then became violent criminals.</p>
<p>A Christian visited both guys while in prison and told them about Jesus, but at the time both were too full of bitterness to accept the news. The day after the Christian visited them, criminal #1 was killed in prison by another inmate. So, according to the concept that non-believers who had a chance to accept Christ but didn’t go to ‘hell’ this guy went to ‘hell.’</p>
<p>The 2nd guy was lucky enough to survive prison, until he was killed by lethal injection. Since he had more time to think about it, over the years while on death row, he eventually felt remorse, accepted Christ, and went to ‘heaven.’</p>
<p>What is the difference between these 2 men?</p>
<p>Not much at all, except LUCK. One guy was lucky enough to have several years with which to ponder, so he got to go to ‘heaven’ for all eternity. The other just ran out of TIME.</p>
<p>Now I, as a mere human, could not sentence either of these violent men to suffer in ‘hell’ forEVER. If I were a being powerful enough and smart enough to create the universe, I would find a way to rehabilitate them, even if it took 1000 years, or even 1000 lifetimes. Well, I am not such a being, and I would STILL try.</p>
<p>Surely God is smarter, more powerful, and more MERCIFUL than I! Surely, if I could feel compassion for someone who had never experienced love of any sort, then God would feel more compassion than I!</p>
<p>That is not to excuse the criminal’s wrongful deeds. But it is a fact that children raised in abusive homes are more likely to become abusive/violent themselves.</p>
<p>I think God would find a way to rehabilitate these people, instead of abandoning them. That way might be in another plane of existence, perhaps, or maybe in subsequent lifetimes. Who knows. But I prefer to believe that God is loving and merciful.</p>
<p>OK, but then what will happen to my mother-in-law who is jewish…what is that different category? I mean this in a total open non-inflammatory way.</p>
<p>Leal,
I am Catholic, and your last one made me laugh so hard…it definetly nailed me</p>