puszysty

That is a theological issue that I think most Christians, and indeed most people, probably deal with at some time. Why do so many religions say that people will not go to heaven (or whatever term they may use) if he is all good and all loving? Different religions and denominations handle this question differently. My answer to the question deals with my ideas on free choice. I think the concept between going to heaven and going to hell is a matter of our choice. I think God even made it relatively easy too. In sending his son Jesus to earth and having him die on the cross he made the issue of salvation one of faith and love. I know this is one point where Christians have a dispute and this leads to a lot of what I consider to be misconceptions. I believe that we are called to follow Jesus teachings as an extension of our love for him and our faith in him, just as we would do whatever we could for any other loved one. What I hear from people are questions like, "Will I go to hell if I... ?" or "Do people who do this go to hell?" and I think they are barking up the wrong tree. There are obviously moral precepts that I think believers should follow, but I do not think that a tally of the good and bad things one has done during their life is what gets a person into heaven, I think it is the integrity of their heart.

The question that extends from this is why does there need to be a choice at all? My personal explanation for this (which has no Biblical basis to the best of my knowledge, it is a rationalistic viewpoint) is that God created us with the hope that we would choose to love him. It is meaningless for him to force us to love him (as some basically claim when they talk about pre-destination). I also think that taking in humans that are intentionally dirty and unclean would taint heaven in a sense (in essence almost tainting God). I'm not saying that only perfect people go to heaven, but I am saying that I think those that go are "cleansed by the blood of the Lamb" as the popular phrase says. Personally, I have considered the possibility that God is going to cleanse all people and that the reason for moral teachings in the Bible is to keep us somewhat in line. I don't really think this line of thought is accurate though because I don't really think of a benevolent God as one that would be prone to lying (if indeed one interprets the Bible as the word of God as I do). It's possible that since he is the creator of moral authority then he could use it in a way that he knows is for the good of all, but I still don't really buy into that line of thought. As far as people that are never told about Jesus and don't really have this "choice" that I spoke of, I think I'm going to take the stance of one Methodist minister and say, "I don't know." I've heard different views on this and the literal Biblical interpretation seems to indicate that the only way to heaven is through Jesus...