Who gets into the afterlife?

[MobBoss]

Well since you are all atheists, I can say this. The official position of the both the oldest and most direct Christian Church, the Catholic and Orthodox. Say this.
Salvation is granted to ALL humans, regardless of religion.
The Orthodox Church is the most direct and most complete path, every other religion strays too much with too much pointless and strange prayers or deeds.
So, everyone gets into afterlife. Whether you like it or not
Both believers and virtuous non-believers make it.

I also don't believe hell is "eternal". Interesting question to find an answer to, be back later.

Thats simply not biblical at all.

 

[GenMarshall]

Thats simply not biblical at all.

What this guy said...

 

[Kyriakos]

IF there is an afterlife i really doubt that how one gets there (if any are excluded that is, which again is debatable) has been found. It would appear that the human mind is simply too intricate and complicated to be merely a mortal instrument. After all we could have been ape-like, no one would have noticed, but we are something superior.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Only awsome people go to heaven.

 

[Camikaze]

I voted that everyone goes to an afterlife, since hell is an afterlife experience, but I know that is not quite what he meant, but that is how I am interpreting the situation. The situation is simple, every name that is not found in the Lamb's book of life is sent to hell. Every person who trusts in Christ as their personal saviour.

So you think God is so callous, vengeful, cruel and vindictive as to send his children to hell to eternally suffer? If yes, why worship this God?

 

[Lone Wolf]

If yes, why worship this God?

Because you'll end up in Hell if you don't worship him?

 

[Camikaze]

Because you'll end up in Hell if you don't worship him?

Eh, touche. Perhaps I should've said 'praise'. Why praise such a God, so much as worship out of fear?

 

[classical_hero]

So you think God is so callous, vengeful, cruel and vindictive as to send his children to hell to eternally suffer? If yes, why worship this God?

You are a child of God, if you believe in Jesus as your personal saviour. I just forgot to end the last sentence.

 

[Dean.]

I used to believe that anyone who tried to be good got into heaven. Then I believed that everyone got into heaven, since all human action stems from productive drives.

But now I'm an atheist so it doesn't matter:

The landscape gives us the best indication that the light at the end of the tunnel is a gateway to nothing.

 

[aronnax]

You are a child of God, if you believe in Jesus as your personal saviour. I just forgot to end the last sentence.

So what about all the other good non-believers?

Or the good believers who accept Jesus Christ as their lord and Saviour along with Buddha and Guru Nanak?

 

[Lone Wolf]

So what about all the other good non-believers?

Where have you been when previous religious debates were raging? According to Christians of c_h type, no one can be good at all.

 

[aronnax]

Where have you been when previous religious debates were raging? According to Christians of c_h type, no one can be good at all.

What is type of Christian is C-H?

Calvinism?

 

[Lone Wolf]

What is type of Christian is C-H?

Evangelical/fundamentalist Protestant.

 

[aronnax]

Evangelical/fundamentalist Protestant.

There are times where Christianity impresses me. A lot of the time, it depresses me. The idea that no one is good is just depressing.

 

[Lone Wolf]

The idea that no one is good is just depressing.

Well, when they say "good", it's more like "perfect" - you are "good" only if you are completely sinless. By that definition of the word, no human is truly good indeed.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

So you think God is so callous, vengeful, cruel and vindictive as to send his children to hell to eternally suffer? If yes, why worship this God?

You're assuming it's eternal. This isn't quite settled. Various schools of thought exist opining that 1) Hell is infinite, 2) Hell is finite and then people are burned up and annihilated, 3) Hell is finite and purgatorial and then people get to go to Heaven, 4) Hell isn't even finite, just an instant disintegration as the end of case two.

Regardless of which one might actually apply, the Orthodox Church has a nice metaphor: Hell is a metallurgist's fire in which the gold is purified but the slag is burnt. No particular cruelty or vindictiveness is involved in burning the slag, it just can't handle the heat.

 

[Lone Wolf]

You're assuming it's eternal. This isn't quite settled. Various schools of thought exist opining that 1) Hell is infinite, 2) Hell is finite and then people are burned up and annihilated, 3) Hell is finite and purgatorial and then people get to go to Heaven, 4) Hell isn't even finite, just an instant disintegration as the end of case two.

Well, he was debating with c_h, and c_h states that Hell is indeed eternal.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Well, he was debating with c_h, and c_h states that Hell is indeed eternal.

Aha. I wasn't aware of that, and he didn't mention it in the post.

 

[aronnax]

Well, when they say "good", it's more like "perfect" - you are "good" only if you are completely sinless. By that definition of the word, no human is truly good indeed.

Oh well then I'm no longer depress...

 

[Lone Wolf]

Oh well then I'm no longer depress...

I'm happy for you.