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Originally Posted by willravel
That's dangerous language. This suggests your interpretation of the bible is correct and someone else's interpretation is wrong. There are plenty of deeply faithful Christians who would call themselves "true Christians" who attempt to do the right thing in order to get into heaven.
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No, Will, I did not say that "my interpretation was correct," especially since I don't particularly believe in the Bible anymore (a fact which I thought was a foregone conclusion, given every other thread I've posted on). I specifically said that this was MY 2 cents of understanding, not anyone else's.
And when I say "true Christians," I am talking exactly about those people who are "attempting to do the right thing in order to get into heaven." That's the only "true" Christian I know. But what Christian is going to argue with me, about the idea that you have to accept Jesus in order to go to heaven, and that once you do so, you are no longer going to hell? Isn't that the central doctrine of Christianity, or did I miss something entirely???
Again, my 2 cents on the Christian thing: the whole point of the Jesus-dying business is so that sin no longer matters... but the effort of AVOIDING sin (not because of hell, but because it causes God to weep and it corrupts the soul, etc) is one of the aims of the Christian life. In that sense, Christians are moral because they *want* to be, not because they are *afraid* of punishment. Huge difference.
Now, I'm very open to any of this being wrong, feel free to point it out. (If so, then my whole notion of Christian doctrine was clearly off base, but that's fine.)
