To the 1% of Christians going to Heaven:

So I've seen a lot of Christians lately telling people on this site why everyone is going to hell, and only 1% of Christians (or something silly like that) are going to heaven. So you all know who you are, so why don't you tell me and everyone else here why you are going to Heaven and the rest of us are going to roast for eternity?

You really do know who you are, so I want to see if you have the balls to come forward and tell us all (Christians too) why you are destined for the pearly gates, and the other 99% of us are going to roast forever.

If you could include things on your resume that we could shoot for, that would be great. Tips I would appreciate:

-How not to sin

-How to be perfect

-How to have God's perfect knowledge

-Why we're even born if only YOU are the elect

-Why you figure your message of "hope" is very hopeful when you are condemning 99% of CHRISTIANS to hell, and 100% of everyone else

If you could give us all a few tips to get past the pearly whites, and let us all know why we don't belong there, and YOU do, I'd really appreciate it.

reply to post by DeadSeraph


Chill your beans dude, posting an OP to a member so directly is purdy bad form... you shoulda taken care of it in the relevant thread, or at least been a ton more subtle about it if making a thread.

Take a few days off ATS, it's mostly just a bunch of randoms talking "parp" and it aint that important

I think I know what sparked this thread ...
Why do I think I"m going to heaven? I only HOPE that I am. I have no way of knowing for sure.
I know there are religious fundamentalists who think they are going 'for sure' ...
But we never know until we get on the other side. "Gods' ways are not our ways".

reply to post by DeadSeraph


Good idea for a thread. I'll be watching...always watching... *monsters Inc references ftw*

AfterInfinity
reply to post by DeadSeraph

 

Might wanna take that member's name out of your title. Other than that, good idea for a thread. I'll be watching...always watching... *monsters Inc references ftw*

Done.

reply to post by DeadSeraph


cos we are already here. The Planets name is Hell. Since when do they have a generic name for 'dust' as the name for a Planet?

everyone here is doing the best they can. Could be worse...

FlyersFan
I think I know what sparked this thread ...

Why do I think I"m going to heaven? I only HOPE that I am. I have no way of knowing for sure.
I know there are religious fundamentalists who think they are going 'for sure' ...
But we never know until we get on the other side. "Gods' ways are not our ways".

edit on 3/23/2014 by FlyersFan because: (no reason given)

I really want to know what makes someone like that tick. What makes them think they will sit at the table of the Lord specifically, while he says to the rest of us: "I never knew ye"?

What makes him think HE will be there, and we won't? I am genuinely curious. Is it because he practices the Sabbath on a Saturday? Because he is circumcised? Is he more righteous than 99% of the other Christians on this planet? Does God speak to him personally and keep him from sin?

What possesses a man to attempt to offer up the gift of salvation and grace with one hand, while gloating over others with the other? I really want to know.

reply to post by DeadSeraph


You have the ability to answer that for yourself because you already know the answer.

reply to post by OpinionatedB


I really don't. Enlighten me. Why are 99% of Christians going to hell?

DeadSeraph
I really want to know.

I'll give you some basic Catholic theology that has the answer.
You can accept it or leave it. Your choice.

There is a thing called 'Spiritual Pride' that can infect Christians. It is catchy like a virus. It's especially prevalent with the newly converted, fundamentalists, and those who do a lot of parish volunteering. Not everyone gets struck with it, but it is a common ailment.

Spiritual Pride. The 'holier than thou' attitude. I'm saved and you aren't so I"m better. That kind of thing.

The Problems With Spiritual Pride

Proud people will be dealt with by God for their haughty attitudes. The Bible teaches us that, “God humbles the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in the proper time.” (I Pet. 5:5,6) We are enjoined to humble ourselves before God in our mind, actions and relationships before we have to be humbled by God in unpleasant ways.

Spiritual Pride

Spiritual pride is an insidious enemy that we all continually must guard against and fight. It was one of the main sins of the Pharisees. They thought that they were a notch above their fellow Jews (John 9:28-34) and far above the despised Gentile dogs. To confront such pride, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the publican who went up to the temple to pray (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee thanked God that he wasn’t like the publican. But how many times have you read that story and thought, “Thank God that I’m not like that Pharisee!”

The apostle Paul apparently knew from some of his contacts in Rome that there was a problem with creeping spiritual pride on the part of the Gentile Christians against their fellow Jewish believers (he deals with this more in chapters 14 & 15) and also against unbelieving Jews. Left unchecked, this attitude would lead to division in the church, to anti-Semitism that would choke out witness to the Jews, and to the spiritual ruin of those who continued down that path.

ETA ... its a severe lack of love on the part of the Christian, even though they think they are doing what God wants.

"I know who's going to Hell and who isn't" is an older kind of attitude, which is hopefully giving way to something more like "Only God knows for certain". After all. even Paul expressed a kind of diffidence about his own salvation, not wanting to err on the side of over-confidence.

The older attitude can be illustrated by the old story about the woman in a remote Scottish village.
She told a visitor that in her opinion nobody could be sure about their escape from Hell except herself and the minister of her local church, "...and I'm nane too sure about the meenister".

reply to post by DeadSeraph


Most people want to belong to a group... most people also have a desire to feel special somehow. It's innate in all of us in some form or fashion.

Some people use religion to get this "feeling", instead of using religion as a path to God. You can always tell who is using religion and for what if you keep your eyes open long enough.

Don't ever let others hurt you, or offend you in some way... just do what you do - and that is stay on your path to God. That path is a singular path, not a group one. Salvation is for the individual, not the group.

We agree on these simple principles (Disraeli and flyers fan) because we understand that it's not up to us. Most reasonable people acknowledge this in their faith (i hope). I want to hear from the people that say that you and I will perish in hell. I have seen it on this very site, that 99% of Christians will perish in hell.

I want to hear from that 1%. I want them to tell us all what their secret is. Why does Jesus forgive their sins more than mine?

reply to post by DeadSeraph


Does what others think of your salvation even matter?

Step away from needing confirmation from men, your confirmation is only with God... you wont find it with men. Your path is one which leads to One. Let that One guide you...

not men.

DeadSeraph
I want to hear from the people that say that you and I will perish in hell.

It's Sunday morning. They are all in church.
Well .. except for the 7th Day Adventists who went yesterday.
You should get a better response to this thread on Monday, I'd think.

reply to post by DeadSeraph


Take a look at these 2 images - they are 2 sides of the same coin.

This is my proof that we are already in hell.

I reckon we will all find out the actual answer to your very good question about 5 seconds after ones last breath and until then, anything you hear is pure speculation - true story.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I had that impression as well. I will never forget the look on my dads face when my ex told him she came from a 7th day family. But that is a story for another time. Still waiting to hear why 99% of Christians are going to hell in the mean time.

BTW... Doesn't that sort of trivialize Jesus suffering? I mean... He REALLY suffered. Scourged, beaten, mocked, crucified, crown of thorns, spear in the side...

Whats the point of doing all that for 1% of people that believe in him?

I always figured that they do it for the same reason that some kids picked on others when we were all growing up. We all have that deep need to feel superior to someone else. It's a hard thing to break yourself of, and I don't think any of us ever really get rid of that impulse. It's just another of those things you ask Him to forgive you for at the end of the day because you know you've done it ... that niggling little "There but for the grace of God ..." thought in the back of your mind.

There's a fine line between being grateful for what you've been blessed with and feeling superior because you have it and they don't.

IMO, this is just an outgrowth of that.

reply to post by Sublimecraft


My god that first image breaks my heart sublime.

It's very impactful and lends credence to your comment.