[StephenKnappNewsList] Do All Christians Go to Heaven?

[Guest guest]

Riding two hroses will never help in ultimate Salvation.

The transformation has to happen by purifying thoughts.

 

All rods will not lead to the finaly goals.

Some roads lead to 'dead end " .

By the time you realize, you life is wasted.

 

Oum Namah Shivayah!

 

 

 

 

--- On Sat, 12/20/08, srinandan <srinandan wrote:

 

srinandan <srinandan

[stephenKnappNewsList] Do All Christians Go to Heaven?

StephenKnappNewsList

Saturday, December 20, 2008, 1:10 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DO ALL CHRISTIANS GO TO HEAVEN?

By Stephen Knapp

 

Most Christians feel that they are bound to go to heaven simply because, as they

say, Christ died for their sins. This is one of the basic principles of

Christianity, which was an idea that originated from the apostle Paul. How do I

know this? Because I was born and raised a Christian for 20 years of my life and

seriously studied it out of my own conviction for several years as well. So,

many Christians seem to think, and some even say, that even if they cannot give

up all of their sinful habits, all they have to do is believe in Jesus and that

he died for their sins, and they will be saved. It¢s very simple. So when they

compare Christianity with other religions, this is one of the reasons why they

point out it is so much easier than others. They especially do this when

preaching to Hindus or Buddhists in their attempt to convince them to convert.

Yet, mere belief in Jesus and his crucifixion as being all you need to be saved

is a controversial point.

Not all of the gospels that were in circulation when the New Testament was

compiled agreed that the crucifixion was an act of atonement. Nor when you

really study the teachings of Jesus is this elementary thinking advocated. It is

a little more complicated than merely believing in something, which the next few

pages will point out. This means that it may not be so easy for just anyone to

claim to be a Christian and have an easy path to heaven.

             First of all people need to realize that Jesus was a Jew whose

message was primarily for the Jewish people. In Matthew (10.5-6), Jesus tells

his twelve disciples to go and preach, but not to the Gentiles (non-Jews), nor

to the Samaritans, but go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. This was to

whom he wanted his message to reach. Again in Matthew (15.22-24), a woman

besought Jesus and asked for mercy because her daughter was vexed with a devil.

But Jesus said nothing to her. Even his disciples, who were Jews, asked him to

send her away because she cried after them. Yet his answer was that he had come

to this world only for the lost sheep of Israel. His intention was to help only

the Jewish people. Only after much pleading from the woman did Jesus finally

cure her daughter. So this seems to indicate that Jesus¢ main interest was with

the Jews; yet, they completely rejected him. They did not accept him as a divine

savior.

And when he was crucified by the Romans, this was taken as further indication

that he was not the messiah that was described in the Jewish prophecies.

Nonetheless, the Gentiles and non-Jewish people accepted the doctrine of

Christianity and now believe they are saved by the blood of Christ, which is

another concept that came primarily from the Apostle Paul. You generally do not

find this teaching before he interjected his own thoughts and writings into

Christianity.

So do all Christians go to heaven? Not when you consider all the rules for

exclusion. According to the books in the New Testament, Jesus left specific

instructions that have to be followed or entrance into heaven may not be as sure

as many Christians say. In Matthew (10.37), Jesus says that if anyone loves his

or her father, mother, son, or daughter more than him is not worthy of him. But

also in Matthew (15.4), God commands that a person must honor his father and

mother, and he that curseth his father or mother must die the death. So you must

honor your parents, but not more than you love Jesus or you will not get to

heaven.

Jesus also explains in Matthew (12.36) that any idle words a man speaks will

have to be accounted for on the judgement day. So you must also avoid idle words

and gossip. That is not an easy task for many people. Many so-called Christians

I see do not even make the attempt to curb such tendencies. Jesus further

explains in Matthew (16.23-28) that a person must deny himself the interests or

pleasures of men and take up the cross and follow him if he expects to reach the

kingdom of God. This certainly indicates that more than mere faith is expected

of a Christian, but how many can deny themselves of the common pleasures of men

and take up the cross?

In Matthew (18.34-35), Jesus says that the Lord will punish you if you do not

forgive everybody of their trespasses against you. And again in Matthew

(25.35-46) we find that it is expected that a good Christian must feed and

clothe the poor, and take in the homeless, though they be strangers, for as much

as you do this for them, you do it also for Jesus. And if you ignore such

people, it is as if you ignore Jesus, and you will go into everlasting

punishment.

Now we can see that the requirements for getting into heaven are getting more

demanding. But wait, there is more. In Matthew (19.20-30), a man comes to Jesus

and wants to follow him, but Jesus tells him to first sell everything he has and

give the money to the poor. However, the man could not bring himself to do that

and sadly went away. Jesus explained to his disciples that hardly any rich man

can enter heaven; it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

Then his disciples were amazed and questioned, if this was the case, who could

be saved? Jesus replied that all things are possible with God, but those who

have forsaken houses, father, mother, wife, children, or property for his name¢s

sake shall inherit everlasting life. So the conclusion is that if you cannot

become renounced, you miss that everlasting life.

Similarly, in Luke (6.20, 24-30), Jesus says blessed are the poor, for they

shall reach the kingdom of God, and woe to the rich, woe to those who are full

for they will be hungry, and woe to those who laugh now for they will know

sorrow. Plus, you must love and do good to your enemies and those that hate you,

give the other cheek for those that hit you, do not forbid anyone to take your

coat, and do not ask that your goods be returned from one who takes them. (This

is all a huge difference compared to the time and tactics of the Inquisition,

which tortured or killed anyone who refused to be a good Christian.)

In Luke (9.61-62), there is the story of a man who came to Jesus and asked to

follow him, but first simply wanted to bid farewell to his family. But Jesus

rejected him and said that no man, having once put his head to the plough and

looks back, is fit for the kingdom of God. In another place in Luke (9.59-60),

Jesus orders a man to follow him, but the man requests that Jesus first allow

him to bury his dead father. Jesus, however, says to let the dead bury their

dead, and go preach the kingdom of God. In Matthew (5.21-22), Jesus explains

that if a person kills another he shall be in danger of the judgement. But he

further explains that simply getting angry at another without just cause shall

also put one in danger of the judgement. And (Matthew 5.20) unless your own

righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case

enter the kingdom of God.

What all this seems to indicate is that anyone who wants to follow Jesus has to

display a high degree of detachment and renunciation from the world and its

material attractions and pleasures, and take up the cross. Otherwise, they are

not true followers of Jesus, nor are they fit for the kingdom of God. Many

Christians may feel that faith alone is all they need to be saved, but these

biblical quotes of Jesus certainly indicate that he expected and required much

more than that. And the direct quotes from the Bible and from Jesus should

certainly carry more weight than the rationalizations of the Christian pastors

and priests when they try to minimize the seriousness of what has been said

herein.

So what happens to all those who cannot measure up to the proper standard? In

Matthew (13.41-42), Jesus says that the Son of man will send his angels who will

gather out all the things that offend and the people who do iniquity and cast

them into a furnace of fire where there will be great wailing and gnashing of

teeth. If all these rules that Jesus explains must be followed perfectly, along

with all the commandments, etc., in order for Christians to get to heaven, then

that furnace must be a mighty big place. But what kind of God would create a

hell where people eternally suffer? Especially if, according to Christian

theology, they are given only one lifetime to have one chance at either becoming

perfect and righteous or go to eternal hell. What is the value of eternal

punishment if it never ends and the soul does not get the chance to rectify

himself? Why would God create living beings who have a fallen tendency and then

send them to suffer eternally

if they cannot measure up to the proper standard? Threatening someone with

eternal damnation is hardly an expression of love and mercy. Therefore, this

Christian concept of God and hell makes little sense because this form of

punishment is not a matter of rehabilitation, but is based on an attitude of

anger and vengeance. What need does God have for this if He is a God of love,

mercy, and compassion? Why would God spend His time acting like an angry tyrant?

He certainly has better things to do. And as we look into the Vedic conception

of God and the nature of His personality as described in the Puranas, we

certainly do find a much different and more appealing revelation of the

characteristics of the Supreme Being.

The Christian concept of God is that He is a God we must fear. To verify this

some people, of course, will point out that in Exodus (20.5) it is written that

God says He is a jealous God. But a person exhibits jealousy or anger when he is

afraid of losing something, feels insecure, is competing with another, or does

not get what he wants. So why would God, who is the creator and controller of

everything, feel insecure or fearful? Qualities such as jealousy, insecurity,

anger, or vengeance are qualities found in the modes of passion and ignorance.

And these modes do not touch the Supreme. But God is perceived differently by

different cultures.

In the Bhagavad-gita (9.18), Lord Krishna says that He is the creation, the

basis of everything, the sustainer, the goal, the refuge, the master, and the

most dear friend. This is a much more appropriate understanding of God.

Naturally, He must be our friend since we are all parts of His spiritual energy.

The only thing that gives the appearance of our being in opposition with God, or

being fearful of Him, is our ignorance of spiritual reality. This ignorance must

be overcome with spiritual knowledge, not compounded by the inadequacies of a

religion that is lacking in spiritual awareness and provides a deficient

understanding of God. The goal of any complete spiritual path is to attain

enlightenment of God, our spiritual identity, and our relationship with God. The

goal of the Vedic path of bhakti is to develop love and devotion for God, but

you cannot love someone when you are afraid of him. Love and fear are

incompatible. Therefore, a spiritually

realized person will find it difficult to accept that God is angry, jealous, or

vengeful. Why should God be angry or vengeful with us when the universal laws

that have been established by God automatically take care of whatever good or

bad things we deserve? One who is spiritually realized knows that God allows us

the freedom to do what we want within the confines of the universal laws, such

as the law of karma, and is always waiting for us to turn toward Him, and that

He is a God of love, mercy, compassion, and unfathomable understanding. This is

God as He really is and is the God we will know in our state of spiritual

enlightenment. This is the benevolent God we learn of in the Vedic literature.

This is the Supreme Being who cares more about us than we do Him, but who is

always waiting for us to turn toward Him and is always with us as Supersoul,

Paramatma, the Lord in the heart. This is what is described in detail within

portions of the Vedic

literature. Thus, we can begin to recognize the depth of genuine spiritual

knowledge, if we look in the right places.

 

[More Information can be found on his large website, http://www.stephen-

knapp.com. ]

 

 

 

 

 

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