August 17
Hell, heaven, Sikhs and Christian education for kids
By Kay CampbellPage:
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“Late that evening the kid came back. He wanted to talk about the nightmares he had been having, how he was worried about what would happen to him after he died, and worried what would happen to our family after we died (as nonbelievers). He said he had been waking up crying.
“My conclusion is that the church is a hostile and poisonous entity in the community. As far as I know, they don’t do any other kind of charity work in the neighborhood.”
Yikes. “Hostile and poisonous entity.” Are we Christians really like that?
I know John quotes Jesus as saying, in John 14:6, that “no one comes to the Father except through me.” But Jesus also says, in John 6:45, “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me,” reversing the order of learning.
It’s interesting, in this week of the hate-based killings in the Wisconsin temple, to contrast the teachings of Sikhism with the need of some believers of any stripe to assist God with the divine saved-lost lists.
Sikhs — the word means “student” — spend early morning hours daily studying, praying and meditating to nurture and recognize the divine in themselves and in all creation. Learning about the one God of all creation, combined with a life of service to others and a dedication to justice and equality for all, means that Sikhs concern themselves not with heavenly passwords, but with earthly hospitality.
In the wake of that awful shooting in Wisconsin last Sunday, while bodies of the people they had just prayed beside were being carried away, a reporter friend of mine told me that some of the members of the gurdwara stayed behind to offer journalists and police officers food and water, the “langar” community meal that concludes every Sikh service.
Consider this boy in Knoxville who scavenges for security despite his grandmother’s death, mother’s neglect and father’s absence. Using the Sikh measure, wasn’t it the “casual atheist,” as Elly calls herself — who offered a Popsicle on a hot summer’s day and the patience of a listening ear that evening — and not the preacher who showed divine love?
In fact, Elly’s credo is probably more life-building for those around her than that of many people of faith. As Elly puts it: “We believe in the power of love, the miracle of beauty, the wonder of creation, the awesome unknowability of the universe.”
And even though my personal creed is more detailed than that, to her statement and to her life of service to her neighbors, I say, “Amen.”
Kay Campbell is faith and values editor and reporter at The Huntsville (Ala.) Times and an ordained elder in Presbyterian Church (USA) because, obviously, they’ll take anyone. Most recently, she was awarded the 2011 Award for Commentary from the Religion Newswriters Association. You can reach her via email at kay.campbell@htimes.com. This blog post is provided thanks to our partnership with Red Letter Christians.
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Comments
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An Inuit hunter asks a christian missionary: "If I didn't know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" The missionary says: "No, not if you didn't know." To which the Inuit replies: "Then why did you tell me?"
If God only condemns those who reject the gospel after they are made aware of it, then missionary preaching itself is the catalyst which moves unbelievers from a state of grace to a state of condemnation. In which case missionaries are responsible for far more souls being lost than saved. Wouldn't it be best to leave unbelievers alone, in their state of grace, in the first place?
From the Manifesto of the Mennonite Anti-Mission Association (MAMA) (look for our Facebook page, and "like" us).
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“My conclusion is that the church is a hostile and poisonous entity in the community. As far as I know, they don’t do any other kind of charity work in the neighborhood.”
Yikes. “Hostile and poisonous entity.” Are we Christians really like that?
There is a broad spectrum of personalities in both Christianity and atheism, but the single event in this story has been used generalize "we Christians" very negatively and use the good example of Elly the "casual atheist" to generalize all atheists as more kind and loving in practice than Christians. In my experience, the church does make a positive impact on the community. I also have atheist friends who, with the best of intentions, have tried to undermine my faith and thus "save me" from what they consider irrational nonsense. They assume I would be happier and better off if they could talk me out of being a Christian. In that regard they are just as insensitive as the "fire and brimstone" preacher in this story since they don't consider that if they did convince me to change, that I could be worse off rather than better off after losing my sense of identity, sense of community with other believers, etc.
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What an ideal teaching opportunity for a Godly mother and father of this 7 year old boy to explain Bible truths about Heaven and Hell. Yes, these are two eternal places created by God. One for those, who by faith, have accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour and are birthed into the everlasting family of God and are on the narrow way. These are people who have had their hearts and lives cleansed by the shed blood of Jesus and now have the Holy Spirit residing within them. They are now new creatures in Christ. Hell is for those who have rejected the blood atonement of Jesus and are on the broad way.
Hell is referred to 23 times in the New Testament, many references by Jesus. If the Bible refers to Hell, it is not mean to teach the truth about it. If this 7 year old refers to Hell, it is mean for the parents to not discuss it from a Biblical perspective.
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Dale, did you read the story?? This boy didn't have a "Godly mother and father time explain," that was a crucial factor in his predicament.
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Christian education is good to make the student obedient and well-educated.this is the best education to teach the core values and make them self-respectful.
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