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Old 11-13-2007, 07:04 AM   #48 (permalink)
asaris
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Location: Washington, DC
Abaya -- the Eastern Orthodox use the creed. I don't know about Coptics or the other smaller eastern sects, but from what I know about them, even if they don't use the creed, they wouldn't disagree with anything in it.

I happen to believe that hell exists (or perhaps will exists some time in the future). As far as reason to try and convert people -- if you're a bit more easy going about the whole thing, you still have reason, but you're likely to be less of an asshole about it. So here's what I think. Obviously, I think this is all compatible with Christianity, but not all of it is what Christians have traditionally believed.

What do we, as Christians, know? We know that Christ is the only way to salvation. We don't know if an explicit belief in Christ is required. We don't know if people get one last chance after they die. We don't know what happens to those who never hear the gospel. We know that, if you hear the gospel and believe you will be saved; that's why there's still motivation to convert, even if we're agnostic about what happens to everyone else.

I tend to be pretty strict about my 'afterlife agnosticism'. Not only do I believe what I listed above, but I also believe that many 'Christians' will be unpleasantly surprised at the final judgment. So I don't know who will be in heaven. I don't know if I'll go to heaven. I don't know if Hitler or Mother Theresa is in heaven. I certainly don't know whether the Dalai Lama is in heaven or not.
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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."

"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche
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