'Yes you are going to hell' (Religion)

Member Name: Cwej1

Product:	Religion
Date:	08/02/02 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives you something to believe in

Disadvantages: Unanswered questions

As a person who has no particular faith, but doesn't like to rule out any possibilities, I feel like I am maybe not in the right position to be making a comment on religion. On the other hand, perhaps I'm in the best position, because I'm not clouded by the views that I have been brought up with all my life, nor do I think other people are 'stupid' for their beliefs.

But I feel compelled to write my little meek opinion on 'religion' as a whole, but more specifically Christianity, since I have lived with a Christian for the last four months. In essence, this opinion is not so much 'an opinion', but a story, from the point of view of the non-religious person.

When I came to university I met two lovely people who used to be a couple. The guy was a Christian, the girl was not. They had been together for 18 months when in March last year, the guy (who I shall call James) went away to a Christian camp for a week. He returned and told the girl (who I shall call Sarah) that he didn't think he should be with her as she differed in her faith so much from him.

Sarah eventually accepted this and the pair split up. However, James deep down really loved Sarah because he still got insanely jealous every time he saw her out and flirting with people. So in reality, James and Sarah had split from each other because of religion even though deep down they both loved each other very much.

Now this may seem like a very trivial story to you - but to me this seems totally bizarre. Two people that love each other and because James is a Christian he feels he cannot be with Sarah. Surely this isn't right? It's all well and good believing in your religion - but if it hurts you so much why let it rule EVERY aspect of your life? That is something I cannot fathom.

The second part of the story is based on something that Sarah told me. She told me that James thinks that any person that is not a Christian wi
ll go straight to hell. Appparently this is a common belief of most Christians, something I had never realised. As a result I consulted James on this matter. I asked him straight out: 'As I am not a Christian, do you think I am going to hell?'. His response was a direct: 'Yes you are going to hell'.

The questions I have which I seem unable to answer are as follows and I'm sure that many other non-Christians have the same questions. I posed all these questions to James - and in my opinion his responses to them were very weak.

1. How do you know that Christianity is right and that all other religions are wrong? - James' response appeared arrogant to me. It was 'I just know. As you aren't a Christian you don't realise - it's just something you KNOW. And I know I am right.'

2. How do you explain things like the Twin Towers disaster? A lot of the people in the tower were Christians. Why did God let that happen to them? - 'It is repayment for all the sins around the world and in the end, the Christians in there have gone to a better place'. To me that is not an explanation.

3. I am a gay man. As I am gay I should go to hell? What if I was a Christian and gay? Surely as a Christian I should go to heaven but as a gay man I should go to hell? - 'That's a really difficult question' - there was no real response to that.

4. If you like me (which he does, we are good friends) why aren't you trying to save me from hell? Why aren't you trying to make me see it is right to be a Christian? - 'Because it is for you to see yourself' - To me this just seems a copout. How can you really like someone (as James liked Sarah so much) and just let them live their life and go to Hell?

The questions go on - and the answers are rarely sufficient to make me stop asking questions. What makes a Christian believe they are right? Why is everyone else wrong? I fail to
see answers and this opinion has merely turned into a confused rambling. Hopefully though it has come across as honest and I also hope that a number of you can relate to the questions I have posed here.

I know this is a pretty bad opinion - but at least it's honest!

Summary: