Quandry
December 26, 2006I’m in a bit of a quandry about something and I don’t quite know where to go with it, so I’m breaking my hiatus to post it here, to see if I get any responses. Be forewarned though- this has to do with primarily Christianity but other religions too.
Maybe it is Christmas, maybe it is some of the posts and forum threads I’ve been reading lately. But where does the idea that there is only one “way” to get to heaven come from?
First of all, I think faith is important and I think what God wants for us to live lives of love, compassion, mercy and recognize that we do make mistakes, we need to own them, but the essence of faith is that through His grace we are forgiven. And for some of us, Jesus is His symbol we recognize to show us this. I believe in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And I do believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
But deep down I think about people like my maternal grandfather who is most definitely not a Christian- I would describe him as agnostic- and somehow, I just don’t see that God is going say “no” to him or Nicole or even my relatives who really are out there when it comes to religion because they don’t believe in this concept.
And I’m struggling with the idea that we have to convert people who have their own faith to Christianity, otherwise they will be excluded too.
I just don’t get this idea of exclusivity.
Isn’t God capable of moving in ways we cannot comprehend?
Doesn’t He have unending love and compassion for the world despite all its sin?
What makes us think He wouldn’t be accepting of people who believe in a higher power but not necessarily Jesus?
Erin–
(I’m a bit of a lurker, so hi!)
Sometimes, I think we make a mistake when we take what Jesus says about being “the way” to mean that Jesus is some sort of tightly defined path to heaven.
The problem is that we try to make the definition of what that path is on our own. It sounds like you’ve had some experience with this: the path is “a relationship with Jesus”; “believing in a certain method of biblical interpretation”; “living like Jesus would want us to live” etc. Those definitions never seem to take the bigger picture of how God loves into account. I think they say more about who WE are.
Most of my life, I think I any urge I felt to convert people had mostly to do with wanting to make sure they made it into heaven. But that misses the point, too. If that’s our only motivation for our own religious beliefs, and or other people’s, it seems kind of selfish and empty. And I can tell that you are someone who understands that your faith-life is a much richer and deeper thing than just a life-preserver for the after-life. Now, I wish people I knew who aren’t religious, or aren’t Christian were not to “save” them but because I wish they knew and understood that deeper way of living.
And, I think it’s a good thing to struggle with questions about what exactly Jesus does for people. Lately, I think it’s not so much a path as a gift. Jesus was a gift for the whole world. How that gift affects each person is probably a little different.
As for who ends up where, who’s “saved”, however you want to say it, I don’t think we know for sure. That’s God’s department. But something I’ve heard a few people say that seems very wise is this: When we get to heaven we’ll be surprised not by how few people are there, but by how many. Makes sense to me, since God’s grace and forgiveness is bigger and wider than what any of us humans are capable of. I’m glad it’s God who gets to make those decisions and not us!
I think Erica summed it up nicely. That verse about “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me” gets a lot people stuck in box. They can’t interpret it any way besides… well, very literally.
Thing is, I know very very few Christians who accept that it’s possible (let alone probable… lol) that some Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, Muslims, and Jews will be “in” heaven. (”In” with quotation marks for me, since I don’t believe it’s a place at all…. oh, you know.) You; my parents (and it took them years to get to that place–it’s only since I’ve become an adult); a few people on certain forums; that’s about it.
I wish more Christians like you spoke out.
And bless your heart for never trying to convert me. Really. Big smooches for that one. =)
Erica- thanks for coming out of “lurker” status
I think your comment about Jesus as a gift is very true. Also about your faith-life being richer than just an after-life “life preserver”.
Nicole- I have to admit it has been your recent posts about Calvinism related to your placement that really got me thinking about this, though it has been “niggling” in the back of my brain for awhile.
Muslims, Jews and Christians all believe in Adam and Eve and the fall of man. So we are all sinners and need a way to be redeemed. As Christians we believe Jesus is sent to do just that. People choose to accept that or not…..
Even polytheistic religions try explaining the world in terms of absolute truths revealed to people at some point in the past. And almost all religions have a creator and the thought that we are less than that creator.
I appreciate the questioning…we are human and we are meant to question. If you are a Christian, and accept all that it encompasses then you believe what Jesus said. If you accept it all then you believe all the bible and what it entails.
God gave us free will….He doesn’t send anyone to hell..you choose it.
-If you read Luke 16:19-31 you can read Jesus telling the story of Lazerous and the rich man-it describes hell.
-”Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)
-Peter said “This is the stone that was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
-Jesus himself said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6)
There are people who call themselves Christians but subscribe to their own brand of Christianity putting whatever twist on it they want to. This is like saying you’re a member of a group but only want to follow 1/2 the rules….or you’d make up your own rules….your membership would be revolked.
If people choose to believe something else that’s their choice….the love of a father giving his children a choice. God is just and forgives but He is also fair and patient and waits for his “children” to come to Him.
I know that’s probably not what people want to hear.
No “loving” Father would ALLOW his children to choose hell.
Do you allow your children to wander in the street, just for the sake of giving them their free will? No? Didn’t think so.
Truly loving parents know that sometimes, you have to take free will away. Sometimes, you have to take choice away.
So either God allows us to choose hell–in which case he is NOT truly loving; OR… he doesn’t, and traditional Christians are just refusing to consider different interpretations of what Jesus said.
Either way, something doesn’t add up. Either way, the Bible is not consistent with itself–so it CAN’T all be true.