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Christianity is not the only way to God

Starlight

Spiritual but not religious, new age and omnist
Emmanuel Swedenborg was right about God and religion.

He believed this:

The path to salvation is simple: live well, believe rightly, and you will be saved. We believe that all people who live good lives, no matter what their religion, have a place in heaven

Salvation is not dependent on the doctrinal specifics of the religion you have followed on earth. As long as you have lived a life acknowledging God and refraining from evil because it is against Him, you will be saved.

(Source: Salvation – the New Church perspective | New Church)
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Christianity is not the only way to God

I have evidence from the Bible itself:

God is love, whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him, 1 John 4:16

What do you think about that?
It seems like you're assuming that because you've found one verse that supports your opinion, the rest of the Bible will be consistent with your opinion.

I would question that assumption. There's a reason why they call it the Big Book of Multiple Choice: it would be hard to find a position that some verse in the Bible doesn't support.
 

Starlight

Spiritual but not religious, new age and omnist
It seems like you're assuming that because you've found one verse that supports your opinion, the rest of the Bible will be consistent with your opinion.

I would question that assumption. There's a reason why they call it the Big Book of Multiple Choice: it would be hard to find a position that some verse in the Bible doesn't support.
It is also common sense. Remember God created us with the ability to reason. I think God wants us to use it
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Christianity is not the only way to God

I have evidence from the Bible itself:

God is love, whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him, 1 John 4:16

What do you think about that?

By he bible, it is.

Just because you/people can quote scripture doesn't mean your.life is changed and you live by it. Bahai believe the bible and so do muslims. They depict the bible differently so if you're talking of christianity, no...whosoever believes and follows the bible are christian. The bible doesn't support other depictions of god.

That doesn't mean you Have to see it that way. Try not to believe why others believe. Make it your own. I'm sure god won't get mad.
 

WalterTrull

Godfella
I think we are there. I also think that understanding will allow us to walk upright. I'm really tired of this hands and knees thing.
 

Brian2

Veteran Member
Christianity is not the only way to God

I have evidence from the Bible itself:

God is love, whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him, 1 John 4:16

What do you think about that?

Good quote.
How about when the Bible tells us that every person will be judged by Jesus. That means that nobody can come to the Father except through the Son, Jesus.
 

pearl

Well-Known Member
What do you think about that?

Song of Songs
Describing the relation between God and his people in terms of married love in Hebrew Scripture, for example, in Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The use of marriage as a symbol is found also the NT (Matt. 9:15; 25:1-13; John 3:29; Eph. 5:23-32; Rev. 19:7ff).
Literally, it is a love poem, full of powerful imagery and symbolism, singing the praises of sexual love between a man and a woman.
Allegorically the lover and his beloved stand for God and his people.
 

A Vestigial Mote

Well-Known Member
Why not just look at the whole context and not pick out a single Bible passage and play around with it?
The OP was likely trained by professional users of the book. In my experience, all users of this book do it at various times, to support any number of positions. The Bible is like a soup du jour as regards its use as support for argumentation.
 

1213

Well-Known Member
Christianity is not the only way to God

I have evidence from the Bible itself:

God is love, whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him, 1 John 4:16

What do you think about that?

Bible tells eternal life is for righteous. I believe it is possible that person is righteous, even if he has not heard of God and Jesus. Still, the eternal life is by God’s words, though Jesus.

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it isn't the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified (for when Gentiles who don't have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.
Romans 2:12-16
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
As others have noted, the Bible is full of contradictions.

What someone finds there says a lot about the finder. The OP statement that there are many ways to God says a lot positive about who @Meandflower is.

It's natural to look for confirmation about what one's heart says and that Bible quote represents that.

I find confirmation for the OP thesis in many places such as a children's song:

Life is a rainbow
and every color is precious
in God's eyes.
Every color is
a ray of
God's pure light.
 

YoursTrue

Faith-confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11)
Christianity is not the only way to God

I have evidence from the Bible itself:

God is love, whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him, 1 John 4:16

What do you think about that?
I think it's written for those who can meditate on it, hopefully. One must then decide what love it. :)
 

YoursTrue

Faith-confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11)
It is also common sense. Remember God created us with the ability to reason. I think God wants us to use it
OK, you say God created us. I'll go with that, because for one (important) thing, I believe it for the first man and woman. Adam and Eve. They were not told about love...they were not given statues and images and lots of way to reason on things or worship. While I might quote Isaac Newton about knowing gravity by its existence, I'll also mention that Adam and Eve knew life because they were alive. Without all the surroundings we have today, since they were the first man and woman. :) Genesis 2 helps to explain this: "And both of them continued to be naked, the man and his wife; yet they were not ashamed." (So they were alive, conscious. But they also had instruction and help on living.) Thanks for your question, it's very interesting and I enjoyed doing some research and thinking about it.
 

Windwalker

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Good quote.
How about when the Bible tells us that every person will be judged by Jesus. That means that nobody can come to the Father except through the Son, Jesus.
Does that mean that they need to convert to the Christian religion and use and believe in all the doctrines of the church? What exactly does following Christ mean? Didn't Jesus say, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."? I don't see conditions of religious associations stipulated there, do you?
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
Why not just look at the whole context and not pick out a single Bible passage and play around with it?

The current by far dominant belief among Christians is yes in one form or another Christianity is the only way to God regardless of one citation or another. The context of the whole Bible is the tribalism of the Hebrews in the OT (Tanakh), and the tribalism of Christianity claiming to be the fulfillment and successor to Judaism, the new universal Covenant, and no other.
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
Christianity is not the only way to God

I have evidence from the Bible itself:

God is love, whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him, 1 John 4:16

What do you think about that?

As said by others, there are many ways we can understand the Bible as a whole. Some perspectives are inclusive as you see it, others very much exclusive. Many Catholics these days along with more liberal Christians and Baha’is position themselves at the more liberal end of the spectrum. So my understanding of the God of Abraham and 1 John 4:16 is similar to your view.
 
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