Atheists DO Go to Heaven

In fairness, if you read back on what he originally said, it was that "salvation is for everyone, even atheists."

That merely implies that everyone can become Catholic.

 

Um, no. What he said was: "But father, isn't it only for catholics? No, it is for everyone, even atheists."

 

Which is how it has been imparted to the laity for over a century. He's right; his handlers are wrong. This should get interesting.

 

I do not believe the overwhelming majority of members of my own church go to heaven, so I will never believe atheists do.

 

Even those who spend their lives doing good works and trying to help their fellow man?

 

Absolutely not.

The Bible teaches that Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and not by works of men.

If it were possible to be saved by works, then Christ was crucified in vain.

 

The Bible teaches both of those things, and many others. Trying to distil a single "correct" message out of its various books is futile.

 

That is pretty much down the line from the New Testament.

You do not "earn" your way into heaven. Though many people (from EVERY church) tend to instinctively believe that.

 

No, it most certainly does not.

 

The book of the New Testament that emphasizes "works" (doing good deeds) is James.

But even James points out that "works" are a way of showing a Christians "faith" and not a method of salvation in and of themselves.

 

Sorry, but 20 centuries of bullshitting and retconning doesn't change what the words say. The very concept of "salvation" is a late invention, dreamed up to justify how Jesus' batshit millenial predictions did not come to pass.

 

I find Preterism does a pretty good job of tying up those loose ends.

 

The RCC has been "bullshitting and retconning" for about 10 to 15 centuries, but the bulk of Evangelical Protestants today believe just as the Apostles and early Christians did.

Your hatred clouds your mind and fuels your ignorance.

Repent and believe, before it's too late.

 

A Catholic would answer: If it were still not possible to be saved by works, just as it wasn't before the crucifixion, then Jesus would have died in vain.

Well, a Catholic on a bad day, that is. A real Catholic back in the Church's heyday would not argue, but simply have you sent to the gallows, the pit, or Spanish America as a heretic.

 

Suck it, sanctimonious prat.

 

Including yourself.

 

You've gone off the deep end, my friend.

 

So in other words, "It must be this way, because I want it to be."

I can see how this philosophy could be very comforting to some people, though. You can be a dick to people and never do anything to help those around you, but it's OK -- you never have to compare yourself unfavorably to others, because as long as you believe in the right God, you're going to heaven, and who knows about them?

 

Not really. Salvation ought to come with a changed heart. A renewal of the inner man. Someone who is continually a dick to people is not showing much evidence of such a regeneration.

That's why I worry about Dayton and Ron Paul.

 

Not quite correct.

Believe in the "right God" (in this case the God and Jesus described in the New Testament and relevant parts of the Old) inevitably means "obedience". And such "obedience" inevitably means being a better moral person than the rest of the herd.

But if "going good" and "giving to those who need" then one could make a strong argument that only selected rich people will go to heaven.

Because the billions that people like Bill Gates give to worthy charities inevitably does more earthly "good" than the efforts of the common person

 

Which is why you focus so much of your energy on trying to heal them instead of on damning the rest of us.

 

Therefore ... what?

Not being Bill Gates is hardly an excuse for not doing good works. I imagine an all-knowing God would be capable of judging people's deeds by something other than dollar value.

 

Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4 dumbass.

 

I don't have the power to "heal" anyone. God alone has that power.

I have no interest in your damnation. None whatsoever. In fact, I eagerly desire your salvation.

 

Why do you think a person should be judged according to their deeds? Aside as it indicates their change before God that is?

 

Actually, you just kind of proved his point.

Dayton is saying that such works do NOT save, and you just confirmed it with scripture.

The poor woman wasn't justified because she gave, she was justified because she had faith.

 

Wow. You really managed to twist that around?

Dayton claimed that if good works saved then salvation would be biased towards the rich as they would have more disposable income to do more good works.

But Jesus actually answered that exact question. Pretty straightforwardly too. How you managed to pull the opposite out of it is beyond me but speaks volumes.

 

Why would you not think a person should be judged according to their deeds? Intentions without action might as well not be intentions at all.

What other measure could possibly be as meaningful than making a positive difference in the lives of those around you?