Just who is this God person anyway?

I HATE it when that happens. This month has been challenging in a myriad of ways.

I have been challenged to codify my own personal belief infrastructure regarding God, the world as a whole, mankind’s role in said world, whether or not I believe in aliens. I have been asked about my “paranormal” experiences in my misspent youth. Let us start with God. A good place.

I minored in college in Religious Studies. A common joke, but a true one, then and now, “the quickest path to Atheism is to study Religion as a scholar.”

Now, I do not mean Theology. I do not mean Seminary. I mean Religious Studies, which is exactly what it says. The study of Religion. Not God. And BOY HOWDY is it a busy subject.

And, of course, wanting to fit in, I did in fact, fall away from God. I could have simply fallen away from religion, but no, I do things the HARD way. I fell away from God. (Don’t worry, I came back.)

So, just who is this God person anyway?

We have an extensive (roughly 3000 books) personal library. Well, by we, I mean ME. I read. Excessively. I learned to read constantly whilst in law school, broke and working three jobs raising two toddlers. I couldn’t afford lunch, so I would study, walking the streets of Portland, Oregon while I read huge tomes balanced precariously in my two hands. Using my peripheral vision (which to this day is quite acute), I would walk around pedestrians, avoid oncoming vehicles and wait at red lights, never taking my eyes off my textbooks. I lost a lot of weight, increased my muscle tone and got my studying done all at the same time. I also garnered a lot of curses and weird looks.

Anyway, the said library goes from the venerable Bede to Asimov.

So, the kidlet (age 8) and the manboy (age 18) both are at the point where they are trying to reconcile a lot of ideas. It is called youth.

One of the ideas is.

Why, in the Bible, does it say that everyone has to be a Christian to go to Heaven when they die.

And, I cannot answer ANYTHING simply.

Well firstly, we don’t actually go to Heaven when we die. It clearly states that all will be judged at the end, and until then will be as a instant to the ones who are dead, but they basically just don’t go anywhere until the Second coming of Jesus Christ. (I’m not quoting Scripture because I haven’t memorized the entirety of the Bible. I will leave it to PD to find the appropriate Scripture if he feels the necessity to argue any of my points. I am winging this one so feel free to tear it apart. That’s what blogs are for anyway!)

So then, what is the Bible that says all these things?

Well children, the Bible is a library. It is a collection of books written over many years, perhaps thousands of years. It began with what is called by scholars, the Pentateuch. Being the first five books of the Old Testament, it was translated (commonly believed) in the 3^rd Century BC. The entirety of the Old Testament is called the Septuagint, most of which was translated after the Pentateuch, but not to far after. The name Septuagint is derived from the number of Scholars (either 70 or 72) who did the translating from Hebrew into Greek. As in all Libraries, the Bible contains many different styles of writing, and many different authors.

Back to Christianity. The Torah is the same as the Pentateuch. It is the foundation of Jewish Law. So Jews and Christians both believe the same up to the end of Chapter Five of the Bible.

The Koran. Has many of the same ideas, but is supposedly the word of God as given to the prophet Mohammed, or Muhammad. Whichever. Doesn’t accept the Holy Trinity.

Why can only Christians go to Heaven?

Here is where it gets fun. Since even the experts don’t know, I took a vacation from reality and devised my own little scenario for this one.

God, in his Infinite Wisdom created everything. (Take a break, I haven’t figured out WHERE God came from or how you can create yourself. If I had, I would be filthy rich and on T.V.)

He gave mankind FREE WILL, to believe or not to believe.

And, of course, many chose NOT to believe.

Throughout the Bible, over and over again, ad infinitum, there are stories of people falling away from God and worshiping false idols.

Then God tries to bring His people back by various ways and means. This scene repeats itself completely throughout both Old and New Testaments. Adam and Eve, the Exodus, the flood, and there are many others.

Historically, scholars show that Christianity has its roots in Greek and Roman Theology as well as the Druids, the Sun worshipers etc.

I maintain that all of those religions have their roots in God. I think that they are all man’s inventions to create a god when he fell away from GOD. Bits and pieces are remembered throughout generations, and, so, when man again begins to question where did we all come from and how did we get here, he borrowed from bits of lore and pieces of hand me down information, and of course, gets it wrong.

This premise is, of course, based totally and wholly upon the belief of mine that God came before anything else and that the Bible is in fact, writings which were inspired by God via the Holy Spirit. If you don’t believe that, then don’t read my blog anymore.

So, God, getting really TIRED of man being so dense, sees this wonderful creation He made, and all these little man things running around forgetting who made them and why they were made. Time and time again, His creation has forgotten about him. He sets Man straight again and again, and yet, these pesky little man beings continually turn His word around and bastardize it, they change it and start worshiping other things which are based upon His teachings, but aren’t quite right.

I think that the other religions are examples of this. Mankind in part, falling away from God and then reusing PART of what we once KNEW, adding to it, subtracting from it and changing it around to suit a certain portion.

It would irritate me certainly. I am not even a really egotistical person, but sheesh! I don’t think God made us just to serve his own feelings of greatness either. I do believe we were created for a reason, but only God knows what the reason is. I am content with that. I do not seek to be God. Nor do I wish to understand the mind of God.

Finally God gets a bit um, irritated at man for being so dense. So He causes Himself to be born as a man so that he can actually come down and SHOW all of us idiots what He was talking about which is the perfect way to live.

I do believe that we are all supposed to believe in God. I think that is the beginning and the end. God said “I am the Alpha and the Omega”. Can’t get much simpler than that. Start with Me, end with Me.

Now, I do realize that the Muslim readers will take umbrage at my theory. Muslims believe that there is only one God and that Muhammad was His prophet. But I don’t believe that. I do believe that there is only one God. I don’t believe that Muhammad was His prophet. I believe that Muhammad changed it around, another one of those pesky man beings who was looking for answers and got it wrong.

I think the Bible was around for a lot longer than any scholars believe. I think it predates everything. So there.

Back to Christianity. So here comes God. Born as a man. But still God. Goes about, telling everyone how to do it right this time. Figures we are too stupid (and, He is right of course, He is GOD) to get it without being shown in person as it were. Gives us the formula.

Mankind, having free will, again screws it up.

Now we have more sects of Christianity than we can keep track of. And, separate from Christianity, we also have other religions who worship something other than God. White magic, Satanism, Kabala, Scientology, etc. As well as those sects of Christianity which really twist it around, Mormonism, David Koresh and his group, some of the Christians who use poisonous snakes in their worship ceremony, and I guess you could again put Scientology and Kabala in there, they claim to not exclude Christians.

Bit confusing isn’t it?

So, at the Last Judgment, do good people go to heaven if they aren’t Christians. I don’t think they do. I don’t think they are cast into the abyss with Satan, but I do believe it just ends when they die. There is no afterlife in Heaven for those unfortunate souls.

I do think God has a timeline. I think it will be the second that every person who has attained the age of reason, (and we don’t know what age that is) has been EXPOSED to the teachings of Christ.

Now, I don’t know exactly how this will happen. I would say that with the population growth, it is an impossibility. However, we now have the internet and global T.V. So, maybe not impossible.

The very second that the last person who remains ignorant of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ is made aware of it, and chooses to accept it or reject it, I think that will be the beginning of the End so to speak.

Whether only Lutherans, Baptists, Church of Christ or Catholics will be chosen for eternal life, I have NO CLUE !!

I think probably at the END, anyone who believes that Christ died for our Sins will be acceptable to God, because, as stated at the beginning, my entire premise is based upon belief in the Bible as the Word of God. And, it says that if you believe in Jesus and accept the sacrifice He made, you are acceptable. So there. I don’t think there is ANY OTHER criteria that will be used. The Bible says it is simple. I believe it will be Simple.

I don’t think those who also believe that Mary was the ever virgin Mother of Christ will be excluded simply because they ask Mary to pray to Jesus with/for them. I really believe it will come down to brass tacks. Did you believe that Christ was God, died for your sins, was crucified, died and was resurrected. Yes? Then you get in.

I believe that those billions born BEFORE Christ will be judged based upon the Old Testament.

I do think, although I am not a fanatic about it, that the commonly held belief of the so called ‘rapture’ will happen in some way. It does say that Jesus will come “like a thief in the night” to gather the faithful to Him.

I don’t know about Revelations. It is Apocalyptic literature, written in metaphor. There are those who believe that every prophesy will come true exactly as written. I have read and enjoyed the “Left Behind” series, it is hard to put down. Good writing. But so it Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Just because something is well written does not make it true.

I read both as fiction, and enjoyed them enormously. They did both send me to the Bible to refresh my knowledge and for that I thank the authors. But I do not believe every word that they wrote. There are many inconsistencies in both.

I don’t know if the end will be as set forth by John. Last I heard, no one was even sure WHICH John wrote Revelations. They all pretty much agree that it was written in a cave on the island, but the jury is still out as to WHICH John it was.

Maybe it will be as Tim LaHaye writes. Totally true to Scripture. Maybe not. I guess we will have to wait it out and see.

And yes, I know there are inconsistencies in the Bible. It is FULL of them. But, I still believe that the Bible is the INSPIRED Word of God. So don’t try to convince me otherwise.

Well, there you have it. Dawn’s version of the questions I have been asked this week.

Take care all. Have a great weekend.