In a recent survey, 90% of Americans said they believed there is a heaven, while only 30% of Americans said they believed hell is a real place, and of the people that said they believed in hell, almost none of them thought they were going there.Good People Go to Heaven: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. This God goes by many names. He is behind all major world religions. Therefore, all major, and possible minor religions provide a legitimate path to God and therefore, heaven. It is no wonder this theory is the most popular held theory in the entire world because:
1. It is fair
It keeps everyone on their best behavior, or at least it should.
And most people STOP at this point and continue living their lives. I mean why bother to continue thinking about this theory anymore when on the surface it seems to make absolute logical sense. But why not take 5 minutes now to really 'test' this theory a little bit further. HOKAY! Let's take a minute and ask ourselves the following:
1. What defines 'good'?
If good people go to heaven, a good God should have communicated directly to us what qualifies as being 'good'. I mean sure on the surface you may tempted to think well all religions are the same, everyone agrees that it is wrong to lie, cheat, and steal, but then why can't all the religions agree on the formula of good works needed in order to go to heaven? Why does one religion see that participating in suicide bombing in which people get blown up secures them a spot in heaven, while other religions believe that loving your neighbor as yourself gets you into heaven? It just doesn't make sense that a good God wouldn't have made it perfectly clear to everyone what defines 'good'.
2. Maybe everyone uses their own moral compass to define 'good'?
Even if we do innately posses some sort of moral compass or conscience that helps us distinguish right from wrong, it changes over time. For instance, when I was under 21 and would have 5-10 drinks in a night I didn't see it as being bad or doing something wrong. However, now at age 25 I would personally find it wrong for myself to go out and get 'trashed' even though I am of legal age. So which 'moral compass' would God use when determining whether or not to allow me into heaven... my moral compass at age 18-20? or my moral compass at age 25?
3. How does the scoring system for good deeds work?
Maybe God is more merciful than he is just, and will allow us to go into heaven if 10% of our life is filled with good. Or what if God is more righteous and holy than he is merciful and expects 90% of our life to be filled with good works. Or what if God grades us based on a curve, and he uses Mother Teresa (a women who dedicated her life to serving the poor) as a measuring stick. If the latter two are the case, I'm screwed!
4. Can't we use the 10 commandments/bible as a way to gauge how close we are to getting in to heaven?
No. The 10 commandments were given to the Israelites once theywere freed from being slaves in Egypt, because they needed a system of rules to live by to provide a social and civil framework for the nation of Israel. Yes, the bible does tell of people facing earthly consequences for breaking God's law, but you will no where in the bible find it saying that by obeying /breaking the 10 commandments did that make you any closer to getting into heaven/ getting sent to hell. Furthermore, the New Testament gives the reason for the 10 commandments when it says in Romans 3:20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
5. What would Jesus say?
Jesus told the most religious people of his day (i.e Pharisees) that they were not good enough to enter God's Kingdom [Matthew 5:20, For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven] while promising a criminal a spot in Paradise. [Luke 23:39-45 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."]
So where does that leave us... if 'good' people don't go to heaven, then who does.. bad people?? Stay tuned for Part II of my book report.
{Above is a summary of How Good is Good Enough, by Andy Stanley, which I read this weekend. It's short and only takes an hour to read. It can be bought here}
1. It is fair
People who do good deserve good things. You study hard, and you get a good grade. You turn in quality work, you get promoted. This cause and effect relationship is not only shown in our day to day lives, it is also illustrated in many religious texts. For instance The Bible, The Koran, The Book Of Mormon all recount God's eagerness to reward good behavior in this life.
2. It is logical
The theory Goes along with idea that there is a 'good God'. If he dwells in a good place, it makes sense that God would fill heaven with good people.
3. It is good for society2. It is logical
The theory Goes along with idea that there is a 'good God'. If he dwells in a good place, it makes sense that God would fill heaven with good people.
It keeps everyone on their best behavior, or at least it should.
And most people STOP at this point and continue living their lives. I mean why bother to continue thinking about this theory anymore when on the surface it seems to make absolute logical sense. But why not take 5 minutes now to really 'test' this theory a little bit further. HOKAY! Let's take a minute and ask ourselves the following:
1. What defines 'good'?
If good people go to heaven, a good God should have communicated directly to us what qualifies as being 'good'. I mean sure on the surface you may tempted to think well all religions are the same, everyone agrees that it is wrong to lie, cheat, and steal, but then why can't all the religions agree on the formula of good works needed in order to go to heaven? Why does one religion see that participating in suicide bombing in which people get blown up secures them a spot in heaven, while other religions believe that loving your neighbor as yourself gets you into heaven? It just doesn't make sense that a good God wouldn't have made it perfectly clear to everyone what defines 'good'.
2. Maybe everyone uses their own moral compass to define 'good'?
Even if we do innately posses some sort of moral compass or conscience that helps us distinguish right from wrong, it changes over time. For instance, when I was under 21 and would have 5-10 drinks in a night I didn't see it as being bad or doing something wrong. However, now at age 25 I would personally find it wrong for myself to go out and get 'trashed' even though I am of legal age. So which 'moral compass' would God use when determining whether or not to allow me into heaven... my moral compass at age 18-20? or my moral compass at age 25?
3. How does the scoring system for good deeds work?
Maybe God is more merciful than he is just, and will allow us to go into heaven if 10% of our life is filled with good. Or what if God is more righteous and holy than he is merciful and expects 90% of our life to be filled with good works. Or what if God grades us based on a curve, and he uses Mother Teresa (a women who dedicated her life to serving the poor) as a measuring stick. If the latter two are the case, I'm screwed!
4. Can't we use the 10 commandments/bible as a way to gauge how close we are to getting in to heaven?
No. The 10 commandments were given to the Israelites once theywere freed from being slaves in Egypt, because they needed a system of rules to live by to provide a social and civil framework for the nation of Israel. Yes, the bible does tell of people facing earthly consequences for breaking God's law, but you will no where in the bible find it saying that by obeying /breaking the 10 commandments did that make you any closer to getting into heaven/ getting sent to hell. Furthermore, the New Testament gives the reason for the 10 commandments when it says in Romans 3:20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
5. What would Jesus say?
Jesus told the most religious people of his day (i.e Pharisees) that they were not good enough to enter God's Kingdom [Matthew 5:20, For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven] while promising a criminal a spot in Paradise. [Luke 23:39-45 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."]
So where does that leave us... if 'good' people don't go to heaven, then who does.. bad people?? Stay tuned for Part II of my book report.
{Above is a summary of How Good is Good Enough, by Andy Stanley, which I read this weekend. It's short and only takes an hour to read. It can be bought here}
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