As an atheist, one of the fear tactics often used against you is what could happen to you if you're wrong. And make no mistake-the thought is terrifying! If hell is anything like the horrendous, endless torture that's been described to me, I certainly wouldn't want to end up there because I mistakenly believed that there wasn't a god.
If hell is really about judgement from a just God, you shouldn't be able to end up there over a mistake. Nonetheless, the problem with this is that when you ask Christians what you can do to be saved, you get different answers. Ultimately, it seems that Christians are rolling the dice on this issue just as much as we are. And this is where we run into the many problems with the Bible. It would seem that turning to the Bible would provide the simple answer, especially on such an important subject as avoiding Hell, but the instructions on how to actually be saved are unclear. And it doesn't seem like this is a topic that God should want to be vague about.
The Bible does clearly state that no one can get to Heaven through works and that you must go through Christ, but what do those things actually mean? We are ultimately left with nothing but speculation, hoping to have the right answer when it counts. It's a hell of a gamble.
The version of being saved that I was taught is that you pray to Jesus to save you. All it takes is that one prayer. As long as you are authentic and humble, you're pretty much good. That sounds fine, but one little prayer certainly doesn't seem like you've done anything to draw closer to Christ. On the other hand, it seems that the idea that you must live a Christ like life contradicts the Bible when it says that works do not get you into Heaven. Then there are those who say that you must have a relationship with Christ to reach Heaven. Even Christians will admit that God is distant or silent at times, sometimes years. What if someone dies during one of those periods where God has decided to check out for a little bit while still expecting unwavering loyalty in return? What if someone dies while experiencing a crisis of faith? Does the rest of how they lived not matter because their relationship with Christ suffered?
At the end of the day, it's all just guesses. If God had half the love for us that Christians claim He does, we wouldn't be left to just guess. We would have a sense of security and hope and know that we are not just taking a leap of faith on a fairytale. You're not left with security and hope. You're left with faith. In other words, you're hoping you picked the right answer. How is that any less of a gamble on eternal suffering than the gamble that atheists are taking?
#atheism #salvation #god #eternity #christianity #hell #heaven #afterlife
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