What do you think about her take on being religious?

[Lucian]

I've heard this take before from Penn Jillette. Do people who claim to be religious, but don't try to convert everyone around them, really believe? And, if they do, how can they live with themselves?

I mean, the Bible tells everyone to spread the Gospel and to make disciples. This task wasn't given only to the apostles. It is the mission of every Christian.

To actually believe that people who don't believe in Jesus go to eternal torture after death, and to not do anything about it because it would be socially awkward? How do you sleep at night knowing that?

If you saw a blind person walk towards incoming traffic and they had headphones on and they couldn't hear your warnings, there's probably come a moment when you'd tackle them to push them out of danger. And that's just to protect them from physical death.

But you know that your neighbors, colleagues, those nice Buddhist or Hindu or Sikh people who work at the local mom-and-pop store or who deliver your Asian food, are going to be tortured forever because they don't know Jesus, and you to not be persistent in getting them to know Jesus? I mean... why would you do that if you truly believe that Christianity is true?

 

[Frankj]

• Romans 2:6: "He will render to each one according to his works."
• Matthew 16:27: "For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done."
• Revelation 20:12-13: "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done...And they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done."
• 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."
• Revelation 22:12: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”

There is also the parable of Lazarus and the rich man to consider.

 

[fuddy]

Well, so much for "unconditional" love...

 

[CrossWalk]

@Lucian

Actually, I have pondered this concept for many years and I, personally, don't believe Christians are (God commanded) to try and convert everyone they come across, or even 'most' for that matter. Never do we see Christ begging the scribes and Pharisees to "Please believe in Me!" or, through tears, informing them that if they'd just follow Him and do as He preaches their precious souls would be saved and God would heal them, etc.

On the contrary, there are multiple verses that contradict the oft-cited passage about taking the Gospel to all the world, etc. Don't give your pearls to pigs or wisdom to fools and dogs, etc. Don't go door to door when spreading the message in the cities. And what are we to make of the entire chapter of Matthew 13? Verses 10-15 specifically show Jesus Christ taking a very personal stance against a group of people that were present, stating that He had 'zero' intention of them hearing His Truth and had no desire to heal 'or' save any of them.

The Christian Faith is a very exclusive Faith and most have no idea of that because it is handled in a very different way throughout most of Christendom, but the Bible is the sole source of Truth that is left in the world and it makes that very clear.

The bottom line is that Christians need to study their Bible like their soul depends upon it because ... guess what?

God bless.