Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: djohnson@ucsd.edu (Darin Johnson) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Non-Christians in Heaven (was: Original sin of infants) Message-ID: Date: 10 May 91 07:22:34 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: CSE Dept., UC San Diego Lines: 37 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu >The problem I have is that if even one person can get to heaven without Christ >then Christ's whole trip to Earth was a waste. I don't very much that God is >real into wasteful practices such as that. It's probably a matter of viewpoint, and opinions on this will stretch to both extremes. However, assuming one can get to heaven without knowing of or acknowledging Christ, this does not imply that it is done without Christ. The sins of all were paid for on the cross (the controversy being whether or not only those who accept him can take advantage of it). Also, if a single person can get to heaven without Christ does not mean that whatever method they used is available to everyone else. -- and now, on a slightly different track -- if anyone is still keeping track of jokes... A man arrives at the pearly gates, and is warmly greeted by St Peter. The man is shown around to all the marvelous sites, music playing everywhere and people are congradulating him. Eventually, St Peter leads the man down a narrow street and cautions him to be very quiet. As the tiptoe along, from behind a tall wall they hear very solemn hymn being played, rather boring compared to the joyous music that was played elsewhere. So they rounded a corner, and St Peter began talking again, pointing out new sites. The man, overcome by curiosity, speaks up: "Pardon my asking, but why did we have to be so very quiet just now?" To which St Peter replied: "Oh that. That's just the Presbyterian area - they think they're the only ones here." (disclaimer - told by a Presbyterian minister :-) -- Darin Johnson djohnson@ucsd.edu - Luxury! In MY day, we had to make do with 5 bytes of swap... [This joke has been told with various different groups as the butt. --clh]