Stairway to Heaven - or Not

This may be a good time to bring something up that had always puzzled me about death and hell. Up until recently that is.

Most traditional Christians believe that to enter into the Kingdom of God, one must acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And one has to accept Him in their lifetime. Otherwise they will burn in hellfire for all eternity. Although, according to Charles Blow's op-ed, most American's today believe everyone will go to heaven just by "being a good person." Even atheists could go to heaven — dragged there kicking and screaming, no doubt — and most thought that people with no religious faith also could go.

One very plausible explanation is that Americans just want good things to come to good people, regardless of their faith. As Alan Segal, a professor of religion at Barnard College told me: “We are a multicultural society, and people expect this American life to continue the same way in heaven.” He explained that in our society, we meet so many good people of different faiths that it’s hard for us to imagine God letting them go to hell. In fact, in the most recent survey, Pew asked people what they thought determined whether a person would achieve eternal life.

It does make sense to me that God would take into consideration people who are good. But with the belief that everyone will go to heaven without any pre-conditions....sounds to me like it would be just another planet Earth all over again. With everyone believing what they believe is confusion and chaos....hence, Earth. It may be a good idea. But I don't know that, that would work in God's Kingdom.

Also, many Christians apparently view their didactic text as flexible. According to Pew’s August survey, only 39 percent of Christians believe that the Bible is the literal word of God, and 18 percent think that it’s just a book written by men and not the word of God at all. In fact, on the question in the Pew survey about what it would take to achieve eternal life, only 1 percent of Christians said living life in accordance with the Bible.

Whether anyone believes the Bible is the Word of God or not, it is a book of instructions to live by, in an ethical, upstanding and incorruptible life. It doesn't give specifics to the end time. But the prophetic words in Revelations does describe the destruction of what we can expect. And it may be coming to pass in our lifetime now.

No one yet, has given me a logical answer about Hell. What is the meaning of hell? Is it a place where one will be in torment in hellfire for all eternity as most Christians believe? What kind of person will be going to this place of agonizing suffering? Do we really have to acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior before we die? But how is it that God would be so merciless to allow good and honest, hard working people who have never known the first thing about Christ, to suffer in torment in hellfire for all eternity...to no fault of their own.

Or could it simply be the Greek definition of hell (Hades) meaning, the grave, the pit, world of the dead. Englishmen spoke of putting their potatoes in hell, a dark, cold, hole in the ground. How does that relate to torment? So if we're to believe we'll burn in hellfire in torment forever, I wonder why it is that God said the penalty of taking from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is death (cessation of life) - not burning in eternity in hellfire and brimstone. Or what about, the wages of sin is...death.

I just find it puzzling that a merciful God would allow a person whom he considers His children...be tormented in fire for eternity. And his only wrongdoing is that he had no knowledge of Jesus Christ. I understand how important it is to accept Christ as our Savior. I have. But my grandfather was a Buddhist priest. He was a good and honest man, devoted to his religion. Some say that they may accept Christ in their last breath. But what if he hadn't? There's too many unanswered questions for me. I understand there are questions that can't be answered. Some things are not for us to know. But there are also questions that should have common sense answers. Hell and death shouldn't be a hard question to answer.

Traditional Christianity, I do believe, say that if we don't acknowledge Christ as our Savior in our lifetime, we will go to hell. And in hell we will burn in torment forever for all eternity. It's the Dante scare. I don't want to live in fear that my ancestors are in that place, to no fault of their own. Only because they didn't know any better. And the fact that they lived an honest and good life makes no difference at the point of their death.

I've gone back and forth several times with my Christian friends on doctrine from the Bible regarding death and hell. And in the end...we remain certain of what we believe, however different. And so...the confusion exists on our planet, worldwide. So to say everyone will go to Heaven...with no conditions, no instruction....That ain't gonna work.