Monday, 23 June 2008
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America: Believing in a god...but not THE God
If you've watched any news today, you've seen a report on the Pew Research Center's latest report. The aspect of the poll that I found extremely disturbing was that 70% of the nation believes that "many religions can lead to eternal life." Among Christians, those numbers are not too different. Following are the percentages of those Christians who believe Jesus is NOT the only way:Jehovah's Witness: 16%
Mormon: 39%
Evangelical: 59%
Protestant: 66%
Orthodox: 72%
Catholic: 79%These numbers mean that some people reading this believe "many religions can lead to eternal life." Well, I follow the Bible, and if I believe one part, I ought to believe all parts. Most particularly the part where Jesus says "I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6
Which part of Jesus' words are difficult to understand?! I have questions about some things in the Bible, but which part of "nobody gets into eternal paradise with me and my Dad without me" do approximately 65% of Christians who say they believe in Jesus not get?! I personally believe some Christians don't want to believe in those words...
This isn't something we can argue with each other about. You believe or you don't.
I believe enough in Jesus and in what the Bible says to take a chance that I'm wrong about him. I believe enough in the the miracles which have personally happened to me, in the circumstances that could only be Divinely orchestrated, and in the sense of overwhelming love that every so often washes over me in waves.
I'm willing to take the gamble that I'm wrong and will end up in an eternal torment or some other state because I believe in Jesus and what he said in the clearest of language. At the end of this world, when Jesus stands as the only Judge before all people, I'll have just that to say.
Whether you're Christian or not, do you believe there are other ways to eternal life than through Jesus?
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Comments (106)
I believe there is only one way.
That is through Jesus.
If you have never opened your heart to Jesus
Christ and you refuse to allow Him to be your blood atonement (the only
blood atonement God will accept to cleanse you from sin) There will
come a day when you have lost your chance.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Jesus is our substitute.
He is the only way.
I believe in Jesus and He is the only way.
For God so loved the world that he let them make up their own religions and have eternal life. Where is that written? What major religion subscribes to that idea? Not one. So if the major religions do not even believe that, why do people in those religions believe it? It's as if no one is reading their own Bible, Torrah, Koran, ect. Pick a religion and then believe what it's holy book says or just admit wishful thinking and go fly a kite.
If we can disprove what we believe by the holy book we hold dear. We got it backwards.
If we can prove what we disbelieve by the holy book we hold dear. We still got it backwards.
We prove what we believe by the holy book we hold dear. As backwards as that seems.
Yes and no.
I believe that there is no way to eternal life except through the Grace given us through Christ.
However, what if I was born and raised in a predominantly Mulism culture (just as an example)? I was never taught about Jesus, I never knew anything about Christianity. But I did my best to be a good person, to love and to follow the religion I was brought up into. I never had a choice. Would I then be sent to hell, through no fault of my own?
I believe (although of course I could be wrong) that at the end of Life (whether that means our own death or the destruction and resurrection of the whole Earth, I don't understand that stuff anyway) we will have one last chance...to look at Jesus' face and decide right then whether to follow Him or not. I believe that other religions could prepare people enough spirituality and open-mindedness for this encounter.
i saw the same story on the news, and i found it to be very interesting!
i'm catholic, i go to church every sunday, and i try my best to do god's will, but i also believe that there can be eternal life for those who do not specifically believe in Jesus. I think the words "but through me" have a different meaning. I don't think they mean you must believe in jesus...you just must live as he did. live through his actions, thoughts, words. all God wants is for his children to love their neighbors, right? i think that those people who can love others unconditionally will be granted eternal life, whether they believe in jesus or not. it doesn't matter what your religion is, if you're labeled as "hindu," "buddhist," "jewish," or "christian"...the labels aren't what matters. it's what you truly believe in your heart, and the actions you decide to carry out throughout your life that count. God's will is for us to serve one another, and as long as we can do that, then we are good.
i have so many friends who may believe in a greater being that is different than our own, but that's how they were raised...and they are such great people. i don't understand why god would condemn people like that.
furthermore, what about those children who were never exposed to Jesus Christ? the ones who were never told about Him at all? do they not get a chance to go to heaven just because their paths never got a chance to cross with His? it's not their fault.
although your devotion to Jesus is truly admirable, this is just my opinion. and you're right, i can't change yours...i'm just throwing my ideas out there. it is great that you are willing to take that gamble
I am too! I put all my love and faith in Christ, but I don't think that means others who don't believe in the same thing I do can't be granted a ticket to eternal life either.
I do not believe there is another way to eternal life.... I would have used the exact verse you had used to prove so.... Only the belief and complete trust in Jesus can give you everlasting life with the Almighty. In my church, (Episcopalian) they often are very accepting of other religions claiming that Christianity is not the only way. I differ with them drastically.
God bless!
This post reminds me of the song, "One Way Jesus" by Hillsong United.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Amen! Let us choose to believe. God bless!
Your only flaw in this is that you see only with eyes that see Jesus. You must consider those who don't believe in your God, and the books that tell of other deities who will lead their followers into eternal glory. If you choose to only see one way, your vision is limited, at your own expense.
Think about what you've said... now put yourself into this perspective, the perspective of someone in a completely different faith: you do not believe in Jesus, you do not believe in God or the bible. Your views are different from that of a Christian. However, your faith tells you that if you follow and love your god, they will lead you to eternal life. You think that the Christians are crazy to follow this Jesus dude, and that they aren't going to be with you in the eternal afterlife. In short, you believe almost exactly as you do now (in real life), but in the view of a different faith. Your god is the only way to eternal life, and there is no other way.
That's what you're saying now, but as a Christian.
I mean not to offend, simply to offer a different way of thinking about this.
that makes me sad that most of our nation believes that.
there is only one way to life! Jesus Christ is truth.
God bless
I totally saw that news story today. It was very interesting!
Thank you for fighting this Good Fight.
You are correct. Jesus couldn't be any more clear than He was in John 14:6. It is a Scripture I quote often on my own site.
When people become upset because we who are truly born again quote this passage, they must comprehend that we didn't say it, Jesus Christ did. However, I do understand that there will be those that no matter what we say or even the witness we live in front of them, they will not believe. I always use this Scripture to hopefully help others deduce why:
“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The Apostle Paul
1 Corinthians 2:14
In Christ,
TheUnstained
I believe Jesus is the only way to Heaven. I don't disagree with other beliefs in their philosophy, but not as a religion. For instance, I think Buddhism has a lot of good things to say about the way to live your life, but it doesn't sway my religious beliefs in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the only way to Heaven, plain and simple. I was always raised to believe that, and I continue to believe that. Frankly, I do not want there to be another way because this world is very scary right now. People, I think, say there is another way because they dont like the fact the God would disapprove of this world of death; they just try to justify their sinful lifestyles, thats all.
Jesus is the only way to gain eternal life.
However, I don't think just because someone belongs to a different religion they are going straight to Hell.... I am Mormon and we have some pretty deep doctrine concerning this that I don't think I know enough about to go into detail here... but Jesus is the ONLY way to gain eternal life. That IS church doctrine. However, we also believe that missionary work goes on in the next life before judgement so people have another chance to accept Jesus as their Savior. This is why we do baptisms for the dead, so if they accept in the next life they have that saving ordinance attached to their name.
thank you! there is only one truth, and that is God's truth. Anything that we make up or believe in apart from that is wrong!
I agree.
I believe what Jesus himself said;
John 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
x
No, I don't. When absolutes are involved relativism cannot exist. As per the verse you posted, Jesus is the only way.
As for the list you posted, although all of those religions consider themselves Christians, some do not believe in basic Christian doctrine. I wouldn't have them listed as Christian. For example, Jehovah Witnesses do not believe in the diety of Christ.
@HeartOfPandora@xanga - Thanks for saying what I was thinking. Every major religion has the same claim. How can you say that you are right and everyone else is wrong simply by what is written in the bible? Those other faiths say the same thing based on what is written in their holy texts.
@LoveTodayx3 -
I agree with you about two things: There are two ways to heaven. One, you can submit to Christ and trust in God's mercy and grace, knowing Christ payed for all your sins so that you could be counted righteous by his perfect life and so you wouldn't have to bare the punishment from your imperfect life. Two, you can live perfectly as Christ lived perfectly, and fulfill the entirety of God's holy law, never being an offense to God and always pleasing him through your perfect obedience.
Quite frankly, the impossibility of the second option just cuts it out of any human's check list to get to heaven. That's why Jesus died. Its a cosmic slap in the face to assume you can do what Christ did for us, and an even bigger one to assume you don't need him. Its not just a slap, but its grounds for eternal damnation. Don't mess with God's justice. He offers you grace and mercy. I'd say just take it.
What about the other people that never know? You still gotta balance this doctrine with their deaths. You can't excuse the exclusivity of Christ because you're uncomfortable with it. You can't.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no other way except through Him. How sad it is for those once called the Way to not know the way. What strikes me about Christianity in all other parts of the world is that to identify yourself with Christ, you forfeit some 'freedoms'. Chinese house churches risk being raided. North Korean Christians can be sent to work camps. Middle-Eastern Christians risk their lives for not fleeing the Christian neighborhoods. If we are at all confused, let's ask these Christians, the ones who were thrown into jail, called insane, and threatened with execution, the ones whose churches were burnt down because they were reaching out to the lowliest of society, and the ones who risk being made an example of for proclaiming His Name. Surely the would know what we do not.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. ( Ephesians 2: 8-9 )
Believing in the God is the only way to have eternal life. Having good behaviours or having good personality can make people happy , but not having eternal life.
I mean you quoted the verse in the post...what is there NOT to understand. And we don't have to understand everything in the Bible...we are to read it and accept it.
Jesus is the only way to eternal life, though it's not politically correct to say so. That's why Christians are going soft and saying "well if your'e a good person and you do good things and you pray to some diety every once in awhile, then you can get to heaven to!" I don't know why we need to try and make peopel happy. If we truly cared, we wouldn't let people (and even encourage people!) to believe in a lie just for the sake of keeping our comfortable peace.
@LoveTodayx3 - "live through his actions, thoughts, words. all God wants is for his children to love their neighbors, right? i think that those people who can love others unconditionally will be granted eternal life, whether they believe in jesus or not. it doesn't matter what your religion is, if you're labeled as "hindu," "buddhist," "jewish," or "christian"...the labels aren't what matters. it's what you truly believe in your heart, and the actions you decide to carry out throughout your life that count. God's will is for us to serve one another, and as long as we can do that, then we are good."
The Bible also says that all our works and "good deeds" are like dirty rags before God. The original Hebrew said mestrual rags. Yes, we should love one another. Yes, we should serve on another. But being a good person is not enough to get you into heaven, because every good person still has the stain of sin covering them, and it's that stain that keeps us from eternal life. Only the grace of Jesus can cover that stain.