Ultimatum. The only way to heaven & eternal life is by the blood/sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Question: What about small children, infants or (heaven forbid) fetuses yet to be conceived because mom and dad haven’t met?
Answer: God is a fair and loving God. I’m sure innocent children and babies (fetuses!) go to heaven.
Question: what about all the people (Jews) who worshipped/followed God before Jesus came to earth? (or for that matter what about all the people who worshiped the other godmen like Krishna or Mithras who claimed to be the only son of god, were born of a virgin, were crucified and rose three days later? Was it their fault they were born before the REAL only son of god came? Seems to me their hearts were in the right place–they worshipped the same thing, for doing the same thing. How were those millions of followers to know it wasn’t the right only son of god?
Answer: God works in mysterious ways. Before Jesus came god let people into heaven if they said they were sorry enough times and sacrificed enough crops, animals, or in some cases, daughters or sons.
Question: what about people in modern times who were born in other parts of the world where the majority of the population is Muslim or Hindu and that’s what they were taught since birth is the only right religion? Are they to be sent to hell for believing their parents and their teachers and their culture or their religious leaders in their country? Should they go to hell for not being born where the majority of Christians live–America?
Answer: We have missionaries that preach to the uneducated third world peoples. If they hear the word of god and Satan hardens their hearts to it, yes, they will go to hell. The truth is out there. They have to forsake these false religions they have been raised all their lives (just as we have been) to think is true, and follow what we believe instead, in order to make it into heaven.
Question: If you were told by a Muslim or Hindu or anyone else of any other religion that the Christianity you have embraced all your life–that you were raised to believe all your life is true, is actually false, would YOU be able to forsake all you’ve been taught and become one of these other faiths?
Answer: Absolutely not because Christianity is the only truth.
Question: And you know this how?
Answer: The bible tells me so. And I know because I have a personal relationship with Jesus in my heart.
Question: Do you think Muslims might feel sure because the Koran tells them so, or because they have a personal relationship with Muhammad in their heart?
Answer: If Jesus isn’t in their hearts, then what they think is Muhammad is actually satan.
Question: If Christianity is the only truth, why are there so many variations of Christianity? Why do Four Square churches teach you d0n’t have the holy spirit in your heart until you can speak in tongues, and why do the Baptists teach that you must be baptized as an adult before the holy spirit will enter you and how come born again Christians say you must ask Jesus into your heart to be your lord and savior before you can really be saved–going to church or doing good works is not enough? How is a person to know which Christianity is the right way?
Answer: All who truly seek after God and truly believe Jesus is the only son of god and died for their sins, will be welcome in the kingdom of heaven.
Question: But all these other people who seek god too, only the god they’ve been taught to believe in has a different name…they aren’t saved because it’s not the right god?
Answer: Correct
Question: What about atheists or agnostics who don’t follow or believe in any god? Isn’t free will a gift your god gives all of us? So then, if people accept the gift and exercise their free will…they are punished if they don’t make the right decision?
Answer: Anyone who shuns god will go to hell, yes.
Question: By that you mean your god?
Answer: mine is the only god.
Question: Well, what about mentally ill people, or people incapable of comprehending things like god, salvation, Jesus, Satan, sin, heaven and hell? Do they go to hell for not understanding?
Answer: Who can know the mind of god? Our god is loving: I doubt he’d send someone to hell like that.
Question: Oh, ok, so he does make exceptions. Interesting. So um…if he creates someone mentally ill or otherwise unable to make the right choice–he won’t punish them for not believing, but if he makes someone flawed deliberately so they can’t make the right choice and instead don’t believe, that’s different. Hmm. So, how can you call it “free will” if there’s only one right choice a mentally capable person can make and…damnation forever if they make the wrong choice?
Answer: God doesn’t force them to follow him. He asks. If they say no, that’s fine. But then they don’t go to heaven.
Question: They go to hell instead, and burn in torment forever.
Answer: yes, exactly.
Question: Even though god made them the way they are to be destined not to choose him? He’d punish them for that? Wow. Tell me, could you love a god who sent your mother and father to hell for not believing the right thing? Who sent your best friend to hell because he couldn’t believe something not supported by facts? Imagine you’re in heaven and you can hear their cries and see their suffering every moment of the eternity in paradise you get to spend? Would it still feel like paradise to you? You could love a god who could do this?
Question–or even if god hardens your heart so it doesn’t bother you knowing that mortal human beings are being tortured forever and ever for making the wrong choice in their brief, flawed, mortal life–you could still love a god knowing he can do this? To creations he made flawed enough to sin in the first place?
Because,Christian, I could not, and I would rather go to hell than worship a god like that.