A question to people with faith

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It in fact does matter if you believe or not. You only aren't punished without guilt and it's not the fault of one benevolent and caring savage guy that he's never heard of God or had brains for philosophical meditation on the sense of life and there obviously being one God almighty. Things get different when you dismiss the issue as unimportant, abandon faith, refuse to embrace faith when properly instructed etc etc. It looks like the Church is the best way and basically the only way, but God works unseen sometimes and isn't as limited as the Church is. It's still a great mystery and the head of Roman Catholic Chruch, Pope John Paul II, advices great caution in speaking about heaven, hell and salvation. One's sure: everyone gets a chance to be saved, at least one and God would like all to be saved (while it's more or less clearly said that not all will be).

 

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, Joacqin.

I guess I'll start off by saying that I believe in absolute truth -- in other words, God is one way, and not a being that is a creation of our minds. That means that whether or not people believe in him, he exists. To use a base example, men have walked on the moon. That is a fact. Lots of people believe it's a hoax, but their opinions, entitled though they may be to hold them, do not change the fact that men have walked on the moon.

With me? I also believe that my religion has been told by God a message -- not the product of our minds, but a message straight from God. He also told us to share that message.

Now this is the sticky part. I don't believe that he hates everyone who doesn't listen to that message, or that he will condemn them to hell. I DO believe that people could find more happiness in their lives by following this message from God. If they don't, they are entitled to their opinion, but that doesn't change the truth of the message from God.

If I believed that God absolutely didn't care at all, one way or the other, I wouldn't have become a missionary, but I believe he wanted the people I met to have the opportunity to hear and accept or reject this message. None of that adds up to hate or a one way trip to a hot place.

Now, for the rest of the readers out there, just look through my posts in other similarly themed threads to find answers to your questions about why I believe I'm right, etc, etc, etc. I'm answering Joacqin's question because I believe he asked in good faith, but I will not be baited or answer questions merely designed to give someone ammunition to spit on my faith.

 

Here are 3 quoutes that might help you understand the bullheadedness and intolerance of modern christians.

Jesus said, "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber." John 10:1