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Anonymous Wrote:
Forwarded message from Stephen Knapp
DO ALL CHRISTIANS GO TO HEAVEN?
By Stephen Knapp
http://www.stephen-knapp.com
Friday, December 19, 2008
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 karm, 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
End of forwarded message from Stephen Knapp
Jai Maharaj
http://tinyurl.com/24fq83
http://www.mantra.com/jai
http://www.mantra.com/jyotish
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
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