Fair Chance?

T

TheERK

Registered Senior Member
This is for those who believe that non-believers are sent to Hell.

Isn't it kind of unfair that some people are born with a better chance of believing in Christ? Sure, we've all heard the born-in-another-country, never-heard-of-Jesus debate before, so let's not go into that. I'm talking about people with plenty of exposure to Christianity who reject it anyway.

People are born/raised with a certain amount of skepticism, ranging from very gullible to very untrusting. Some people's brains, by the time they are old enough to actually understand religion, are either predisposed to be credible or incredible towards certain belief systems.

Now, either of these two types of people may end up becoming Christian, but you must admit--the truth or falseness of any religion aside--that the more gullible of the two has a better chance of accepting what is taught by society. You may claim that the non-believer still made a choice to reject those claims, but that choice was made based on circumstances that this particular skeptic was born with. In other words, he or she made that choice at least partially due to his or her nature and upbringing.

In short, the gullible person has a better chance of attaining heaven than the skeptic. How can anybody call this fair? Why are some people given better circumstances than others?

Also, there are probably some people that are, quite literally, never exposed to any doubt in their society. These people may never question what they were told, simply because they have no reason to think it false. If, for example, they were taught Christianity, and never exposed to any doubt, then these people would have a huge advantage (a better chance at Heaven) than average. How is this fair?

Finally, the Bible tells of people who witnessed miracles of Jesus. These witnesses would also have a huge advantage over the average person who did NOT live in the time of Jesus. How is this fair?
 
TheERK said:
This is for those who believe that non-believers are sent to Hell.

Isn't it kind of unfair that some people are born with a better chance of believing in Christ? Sure, we've all heard the born-in-another-country, never-heard-of-Jesus debate before, so let's not go into that. I'm talking about people with plenty of exposure to Christianity who reject it anyway.

People are born/raised with a certain amount of skepticism, ranging from very gullible to very untrusting. Some people's brains, by the time they are old enough to actually understand religion, are either predisposed to be credible or incredible towards certain belief systems.

Now, either of these two types of people may end up becoming Christian, but you must admit--the truth or falseness of any religion aside--that the more gullible of the two has a better chance of accepting what is taught by society. You may claim that the non-believer still made a choice to reject those claims, but that choice was made based on circumstances that this particular skeptic was born with. In other words, he or she made that choice at least partially due to his or her nature and upbringing.

In short, the gullible person has a better chance of attaining heaven than the skeptic. How can anybody call this fair? Why are some people given better circumstances than others?

Also, there are probably some people that are, quite literally, never exposed to any doubt in their society. These people may never question what they were told, simply because they have no reason to think it false. If, for example, they were taught Christianity, and never exposed to any doubt, then these people would have a huge advantage (a better chance at Heaven) than average. How is this fair?

Finally, the Bible tells of people who witnessed miracles of Jesus. These witnesses would also have a huge advantage over the average person who did NOT live in the time of Jesus. How is this fair?
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No one have to be taught about God. He wrote His law into our hearts. I'm sure many will come to heaven and realize that they believed in it all along, they just didn't have a name for it. It can be hard to keep the values that we had from the beginning, mostly because other people tempt us into doing the wrong things. This is a problem that exists everywhere and we know that certain things are wrong. If we could just keep us on the way that we used to walk, then everything will work out. We have to live a rightous life.

The people that haven't seen will see and the people that haven't heard will hear.
 
I believe that a person that has heard the gosple once, at a time when he could fully accept it or deny it, and chooses to deny it is headed for hell. if later on he hears the word again and chooses to accept it he's changed his eternal home. Even if he only heard it once, and denied it then, he is responsible for that.
 
Enigma'07 said:
I believe that a person that has heard the gosple once, at a time when he could fully accept it or deny it, and chooses to deny it is headed for hell. if later on he hears the word again and chooses to accept it he's changed his eternal home. Even if he only heard it once, and denied it then, he is responsible for that.
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Congratulations, you completely failed to answer my questions.

I'm asking you to justify the fact that some people have a better chance of accepting the Gospels than others.
 
Cyperium said:
No one have to be taught about God. He wrote His law into our hearts. I'm sure many will come to heaven and realize that they believed in it all along, they just didn't have a name for it. It can be hard to keep the values that we had from the beginning, mostly because other people tempt us into doing the wrong things. This is a problem that exists everywhere and we know that certain things are wrong. If we could just keep us on the way that we used to walk, then everything will work out. We have to live a rightous life.

The people that haven't seen will see and the people that haven't heard will hear.
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If nobody needs to be taught, why does a Bible even exist? I'm assuming you're tackling my question from a Christian perspective; if not, your response isn't really what I was looking for.

Also, there's no evidence that any such law is written into our hearts. There appears to be exactly what you'd expect from evolution.
 
TheERK said:
If nobody needs to be taught, why does a Bible even exist? I'm assuming you're tackling my question from a Christian perspective; if not, your response isn't really what I was looking for.

Also, there's no evidence that any such law is written into our hearts. There appears to be exactly what you'd expect from evolution.
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The Bible is good for guidance and if you search for the truth then the Bible can give some clues. Also the message in the Bible can confirm what you know in your heart. From the Bible you can get advise on how to deal with situations in life that makes it easier to follow the right way.

I am tackling your question from a Christian perspective, and I know that there aren't any evidence that such a law is written in our hearts, but it isn't all about evidence - especially not dealing with the heart issues. Some things we just feel and know. It's as easy as that. It can be hard at times to know what to look for, but we have a inner-feeling about what's right and what's wrong, but situations in life keeps us away from that feeling.
 
Some things we just feel and know. It's as easy as that. It can be hard at times to know what to look for, but we have a inner-feeling about what's right and what's wrong, but situations in life keeps us away from that feeling.
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Now, what does it mean that this inner feeling constantly keeps me from believing in god and all the religios lies?
 
Sorry, I misunderstood you. It is because of his sovereignty. This means he has compleate control over everything.

Romans 9:15
For He says to Moses,"I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."
 
Dreamwalker said:
Now, what does it mean that this inner feeling constantly keeps me from believing in god and all the religios lies?
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It tells me first and foremost that it isn't the same feeling. Also it tells me that your feeling really doesn't keep you from believing in God, it's just you that keep yourself to that particular feeling though it doesn't disprove God. Explore the other feelings, maybe they have a story to tell also.
 
Don´t you think I know my feelings a bit better than you do? For you do not know me, have never seen me or even talked to me. You can only judge from a few written lines.
But me, as contrast, I have explored my feelings for many years and as of yet, I have found no fault or hidden thing in them.
 
Cyperium,

He wrote His law into our hearts.
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What the heck does that mean? Your heart is a blood pump; it is incapable of understanding anything.

What you are really saying is that he appeals to the emotional side of our brain? In which case this is the usual way that gullible people operate, i.e. on emotions. Now if he could appeal to our intellect then we can use that to determine the value of these ideas and that is the domain of the skeptic.

What you are emphasizing is that Christianity appeals to the emotional type of person who is easily persuaded by such things and is therefore more likely to enter heaven whereas those that exercise their intellects, the skeptics, will be excluded because they find Christian arguments unconvincing.

The upshot will be that heaven will be filled with a bunch of emotional half-wits and hell will contain all the thinkers. Perhaps that is God’s master plan since he probably wouldn’t want anyone to keep questioning his dumb ideas all the time.

But really, as theERK has pointed out, it hardly seems a fair system if heaven were to exist to exclude the less emotional and rational people.

Kat
 
I believe that when Cypernium mentioned the heart, he was more so talking about the soul. He can correct me if I'm wrong.

You say that to you it seems Christianity apeals more to emotional people than to intellectuall, I would agree. I am in no way an emotional peorson, show me the proof, you know? But I believe in God. I had a hard time doing that because it seemed to me that every one that believed this just loved everybody, had a perfect life, had no intellegance, but then, as I began to analyze the facts I found out this wasn't true at all! Pastors are pretty bright people, there were alot of scientists that I respect that believed in God. I think it appeals to emotional people because it is an emotional thing, it's all about love. I also think that emotional people also have trouble with this faith, because if they can't feel god's presence, they want to go find another God. If your more intellectual, you don't have to feel god's presence 100% of the time. The evidence around you clearly states that he is there.

A final thougt: Everyone wants, and needs to be loved. You might not want to agree, but think about it, it's true. Christianity is all about love, therefore, it appeals to all people.

grace be to you
 
The upshot will be that heaven will be filled with a bunch of emotional half-wits and hell will contain all the thinkers. Perhaps that is God’s master plan since he probably wouldn’t want anyone to keep questioning his dumb ideas all the time.
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I thought I posted a similar sentiment in the good heavens thread yesterday. I said wouldn't it be funny if god was just pulling a trick and and all the gullible believers will end up in hell and all the true thinkers will get heaven. Either it got deleted or I decided not to post it. I'm not sure which. If it got deleted, maybe it'll fit better in here. ;)
 
A final thougt: Everyone wants, and needs to be loved. You might not want to agree, but think about it, it's true. Christianity is all about love, therefore, it appeals to all people.
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oh, too bad. I do not feel love. And I mean it, I do not feel love for anything or towards anyone. Just as I do not feel hate. I just like some people and dislike others, but the extremes of these feelings, I can not experience.
 
If you are a human being, then regardless of how you FEEL, you do love and need to be loved in return.
 
Why? Why is love needful? And again, I don´t love, I don´t hate. It´s called equilibrium and it is not that bad I think.
 
Love is what seperates humans from every other living thing! It was the way you were created.
 
invert - hmm, I didn't see the post you mentioned - looks like we reached the same conclusions indpendently - neat.
 
Enigma,

Love is what seperates humans from every other living thing! It was the way you were created.
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Nonsense, examine the stories of apes and chimpanzees, and even otters. They all display emotions especially towrads their offspring and which can only be described as love.

Kat
 
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