This is a popular belief when people have been raised in 'cultural Christianity' or had a somewhat Catholic upbringing that it is them in heaven and all of us in hell no matter the vile stuff they do
Maybe so but I had neither. I got this information from all the fanatical religious people that post here daily.
In reality, God's looking at the heart never at what one claim to believe and other outward appearance.
So are you saying that as long as a person has a good heart it's irrelevant what he believes? So an atheist with a good heart is as valued as a devout Christian with a good heart? Just to be clear.
If we cut off the whole heaven,hell, heavenly earth ect. to me it is more a matter of would you like to be with someone you Love or not.
I have no belief in heaven or hell, they are places that exist in people's thoughts only and when I pop my clogs I'll be with nobody. These statements you make confuse me somewhat.
My prayer while I was pretty much thinking like you was 'God on the off chance it was possible for me to believe in you, help me to see the good you do in my life' and I can tell i've been rescued from dear situations where it looked pretty much over.
I really shouldn't have went out alive of that hospital 4 years ago when they found out I had blood in my lungs and they couldn't stop the hemorraghe. I saw the reports, my life line was declining and they had to put me in intensive care. I know some folks where praying for me and I thought it was the moment to show some faith but I was struggling and telling myself 'you know so well that's not how life works at all' and I really believed I had to accept my fate.
While I was in a coma, I saw in a dream what I assumed to be an angel I couldn't see his face. It's something i don't want to give too much details because it's very personal and it's still hard for me to speak about without tears coming up.
But you see there are people praying every day, to the same God you do, who's prayers get totally ignored. God doesn't appear to listen. There are very religious people in the world who, right now, are praying that their home doesn't get bombed...or that their loved one gets better, or that their circumstances get better that fall on deaf ears.
I have also cheated death, I could put it down to a miracle that I'm here just like you....and I have never prayed since being a small child. How does this work in your view?
The thing is I have no problem whatsoever with people believing in God or any other deity. But I also believe that a person's faith and relationship with their "creator" should be a private matter, just like somebodies sexuality.
If you're a man that likes having sex with other men that's your business, crack on, but when people start openly talking about their sexual preferences or religious persuasions this is when people start to fall out as there are always going to be people who don't agree with that type of lifestyle.
It's like people who live on this forum who post endless bible passages with their own personal interpretation of it's meaning....why? What are you trying to achieve? If somebody is interested in the Bible guess what?......they read a bible....they don't come on some obscure conspiracy forum hoping to find God.
I've never understood that aspect at all.