Heaven

This topic is a difficult one and is one that hurts me also.My family aren't Christians, my mother beleves in Jesus and my aunt is born again but the rest of them (including my brothers who I love dearly) don't beleve. My husband family are all devout Christians and have been all their lives.This is a very sad situation for me because I want my family to go to heaven too but what it comes down to is that it tells you clearly in the bible what you have to do and it's up to the indavidual to beleve.All I can do is pray for them and try to help them.As for being happy in heaven, we will not only get a new body but God will fill us with peace, no person can understand this because it's beyond our understanding but heaven is described a beautiful place with streets of gold and will be a wonderful place to be where we will spend eternity with God.[This message has been edited by shyangel, 03-29-2004]

Shyangel, all I can tell you is that while you may not share the same beliefs with your family doesn't mean it should interfere with your relationships. My wife is a devout christian while I am an athiest. While we disagree on matters of faith, it doesn't hurt the relationship and love we share. I know it can be difficult to have beliefs different from loved ones, I do. Most of my family are also christians. I will tell you that while it is fine to discuss your beliefs and theirs, it is important that both sides respect each others viewpoints. You can share your views, but don't try and change them. We all have free will, and matters of personal belief can't be forced.

Dear ShyAngel It's not a critic. You're very generous, but why do you think they need help? I mean the help provided by your faith.Objectively, the perspective to spend eternity with other people is not really cool.Denesha

quote: Shyangel, all I can tell you is that while you may not share the same beliefs with your family doesn't mean it should interfere with your relationships. My wife is a devout christian while I am an athiest. While we disagree on matters of faith, it doesn't hurt the relationship and love we share. I know it can be difficult to have beliefs different from loved ones, I do. Most of my family are also christians. I will tell you that while it is fine to discuss your beliefs and theirs, it is important that both sides respect each others viewpoints. You can share your views, but don't try and change them. We all have free will, and matters of personal belief can't be forced.My beliefs in no way affect my relationships with my family I love them dearly and never think any less of them because they aren't Christians. I also know they have free will and I respect that but this is my family and when it comes to the matter of how they will spend eternity it concerns me a great deal, I never force my belief on them, rather I let them know how I feel and try to help them if I can I also pray for them because that is the best thing I can do.

quote : Dear ShyAngel
All I can do is pray for them and try to help them.It's not a critic. You're very generous, but why do you think they need help? I mean the help provided by your faith.Objectively, the perspective to spend eternity with other people is not really cool.Firstly, they need help because they havn't been saved and to any Christian that's a bad thing because if you aren't saved you are dead in your sin which means if you havn't asked Jesus to forgive you then you can't be forgiven and have eternal life with God.Heaven is about spending eternity with God and I think that's pretty cool

Well, I hate to be the one to say this but have you ever considered the possibility that the real god may not be a Christian one? What if godx allows Atheists into heaven but refused Christians? If that were the case then by converting your family members you might be dooming them to an eternity in godx's hell.I'm not saying that you shouldn't believe in whatever god you want, but you need to realize that there is the possibility that you might be wrong.

there is only one God and I refuse to get into this discussion because I know what I beleave in my heart and I know God is there.The bible is God's word and that isn't wrong.

You are free to believe whatever you want but you can't expect other people to just take your word for it.

shyangelIf you suppose that the Bible is God's statement about Himself and what it takes to get into heaven, you have a problem. That book repeatedly declares that everyone lives by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" not what is written. It explicitly says that "you search the scriptures, thinking (falsely) that in them you have eternal life," instead of using them to find God Himself, and letting Him be your life. To believe "because the bible tells me so" is explicitly contradicted by the bible, which says that faith comes from hearing, not reading.But, even if it were so, then you have another problem. Namely, Yeshua or Jesus came to divide families, or so He says. Leaving father, mother, brother, etc for the kingdom of God is normal. All those you "love" are replaced by others, who chose life over death with you. If you are still clinging to your natural family, you aren't really saved, but deluded, and "believe the lie."Bottom line, it is written in the bible that one must be "very diligent to be sure of your election and calling." It is the only "very diligent" that I know of in scripture. So, if you are starting from the scriptures, first hearken to the voice of the Lord. The common sense thing is to suppose that a very powerful, loving father will talk to to His children. Press in until He tells you Himself that you are saved and going to heaven. And you know His voice. His sheep always do. Then ask Hiw what to think and feel about your natural family.Trust me. If He tells you to let the dead bury the dead, you will have faith to do it. To leave and forget forever your brothers and sisters and natural family, while you love those who like you, chose Him for a father.Stephen

*sigh*I don't expect you to take my word for it, I am only stating what I beleive to be true and it is because of my faith in the Lord that I beleive this.weather you choose to beleive or not is up to you.

John 14 1-31"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[1] ; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

Well, I can't help but share my opinion about this.Shyangel, are your non-christian family good people? If they are good people doing good works, and their good deeds outweigh their sins, God will let them enter heaven.As for the sin... what sin? Nobody's born with a sin. We are judged by our own actions, and no soul shall be burdened with another's doings.At least that's what my religion taught me. There's no need for a saviour because we do not inherit sin.

Could you be a bit more clear about this statement?How was "judged" Julius Robert Oppenheimer?Denesha

Yes nobody's born with sin.Everybody sins and good deeds or being a good person will not save you, you can only be saved through Jesus and by accepting that He died for your sins.

Saved from what Shy? H. E. double hockeysticks? Did you know that along time ago the Catholic church was in a little pickle because some considered all sin as punishiable by going to hell. This affected church attendance and the donations were suffering. Well the church decided to let there be venial sin and mortal sin. And also decided to invent a place called purgertory for the venial sinner to be prayed into heaven. This helped boost church attendance which in turn boosted donations. The the church found out that if it sold indulgences more money would flow in. This was a real bonanza! So my point is this what if Hell was invented to keep the faithful inline. And suppose Heaven was invented to reward the faithful. Lets do a thought experiment: You and I are 1000 feet in the earth in a lead encased room. We both take poison and both instantly die. Now what happens? Is there a little cloud of "you" and a little cloud of me? Or do our "souls" mengle and merge? what separates us? How do you maintain your individual self? And where do our souls go? Does your cloud of your soul go somewhere? To Heaven? How? A place must contain a coordinate in space and time to exist. In the year 2004 as of yet there is no current coordinate for either heaven nor hell. Is it at all possible that this is mythology used to manipulate people? If the only way to be saved is through Jesus then what about the multitudes of people born before he? are they in hell? And what about the billions who know nothing of him? The American Indians the Aztecs the Incas, all the Japanese and Chinese, billions have died with no knowlege of him are they all burning in hell? What about today all the millions of people who do not believe that Jesus is God, Jews, muslims, Hindus, Atheist, Agnostics, Buddist? All burning
for eternity ? And yourself, just by CHANCE you where born in a Christian country and had parents that taught you to recieve Christ, what if you where born in Iraq? You would be muslim. What if you were born to a Jewish family? So by your belief would be going to hell. Do you not see the arrogance in that sort of thinking? Your "salvation" dependant on CHANCE that you were born in the right place. I do not think God is a racist. And I feel like Christians tend to condemn anyone who does not accept Christ to hell and personally find this "Im right and you are all wrong mentality ridculous and arrogant Then again I just crazy like that.