Pure Luck

How lucky it is for someone to come from the womb of a Christian mother. Chances are that if you came out of a Hindhu mother you would become a Hindhu. Same with any other religious womb outside of being Christian. I know some people convert from the religion they were born into, but not many. Most stay with the comfort of what family and friends are. The sad part about this whole thing is that all those that stay non Christian go to Hell. Count your lucky stars if you were born into the correct religion, and then you can go to Heaven with the others of similar mind. How I pity those that will Burn in Hell for not becoming Christian .

Originally posted by buckky
How lucky it is for someone to come from the womb of a Christian mother. Chances are that if you came out of a Hindhu mother you would become a Hindhu. Same with any other religious womb outside of being Christian. I know some people convert from the religion they were born into, but not many. Most stay with the comfort of what family and friends are. The sad ...[text shortened]... the others of similar mind. How I pity those that will Burn in Hell for not becoming Christian .

or for now becoming muslim.

Originally posted by buckky
How lucky it is for someone to come from the womb of a Christian mother. Chances are that if you came out of a Hindhu mother you would become a Hindhu. Same with any other religious womb outside of being Christian. I know some people convert from the religion they were born into, but not many. Most stay with the comfort of what family and friends are. The sad ...[text shortened]... the others of similar mind. How I pity those that will Burn in Hell for not becoming Christian .

Ya really what are the realistic odds for someone born into a non-christian religion outside the western world, where their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and their other role models including teachers, police, leaders, etc. are non-christian and teach a non-christian belief system. You are just screwed and going to burn in hell.

And the hypotherical of being born and raised stranded on an island your entire life and never being exposed to christianity. From the time you are born till you die, your entire life, the term "Jesus Christ" is never mentioned to you. Never told that you must accept Jesus as your savior to get into heaven. Have no idea even what that would mean. No cognizance of it at all. No choice to make. Sorry dude. You burn in hell.

Originally posted by moon1969
Ya really what are the realistic odds for someone born into a non-christian religion outside the western world, where their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and their other role models including teachers, police, leaders, etc. are non-christian and teach a non-christian belief system. You are just screwed and going to burn in hell.

And the hypothe ...[text shortened]... t would mean. No cognizance of it at all. No choice to make. Sorry dude. You burn in hell.

According to whom?

Originally posted by buckky
How lucky it is for someone to come from the womb of a Christian mother. Chances are that if you came out of a Hindhu mother you would become a Hindhu. Same with any other religious womb outside of being Christian. I know some people convert from the religion they were born into, but not many. Most stay with the comfort of what family and friends are. The sad ...[text shortened]... the others of similar mind. How I pity those that will Burn in Hell for not becoming Christian .

The black sheep syndrome is becoming more and more prevalent in our society than say 20-30 years ago where you could definatly say that most people became the same religions as their parents, but these days there is a genuine shift away from just following mum and dad. There are many factors for this not the least of which is 50% divorce rates. Young people are becoming more intelligent , and while they have respect for their parents, I reckon they figure that if 50% of families are splitting then maybe their parents brand of christianity is not the way to go. They may still choose chrsitianity, but I reckon they are CHOOSING more, rather than just blindly following (out of fear and rejection?) .
In my real life world surrounding me I would say that at least 25% if not 50% of people turn away from being christian precisely because their parents are. I did.I did consider christianity and even asked my dad about it and he just confirmed what I already suspected.

Whether this can be said the same of hindu society (some 750 million people) is hard to say. Perhaps rvsakhadeo could answer that one.
But in my culture , as in voting , young people are making more informed choices about their religion .
i suspect this trend will continue as the old '50's ways die out and people (and kids ) can make choices out of love and info rather than fear and lack of info.
Remember I was raised a hungarian where I would say that generally, when we came to australia we were about 20-30 years behind the rest of australia which was about 10 years behind europe and america (as a general geusstimate)

Originally posted by moon1969
Ya really what are the realistic odds for someone born into a non-christian religion outside the western world, where their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and their other role models including teachers, police, leaders, etc. are non-christian and teach a non-christian belief system. You are just screwed and going to burn in hell.

And the hypothe ...[text shortened]... t would mean. No cognizance of it at all. No choice to make. Sorry dude. You burn in hell.

Paradoxically not to have heard ,or more importantly,heard or understood of Zen

Originally posted by karoly aczel
The black sheep syndrome is becoming more and more prevalent in our society than say 20-30 years ago where you could definatly say that most people became the same religions as their parents, but these days there is a genuine shift away from just following mum and dad. There are many factors for this not the least of which is 50% divorce rates. Young p ...[text shortened]... est of australia which was about 10 years behind europe and america (as a general geusstimate)

Everyone chooses. It is not necessarily blindly following out of "fear" or a "lack of info". If one chooses not to choose, then they still have made a choice.

Turning away from being Christian simply because your parents are Christian seems more like a really blindly uninformed choice. These people are still defining themselves by their parents' choice instead of their own. Juvenile rebellion? Probably. A bold decision? Probably not.

Originally posted by Suzianne
According to whom?

Jesus:

John 14
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Jesus:

John 14
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ...[text shortened]... I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Lord save me from those who think that the Holy Scripture contains all that is needed to ensure a place in our Father's Kingdom. An open mind and some small measure of intelligence is required also.

This passage is utterly true. It also is not the full story in relation to the post I quoted. How fair is it to condemn a man to death for never even hearing about Christ in his lifetime? Do you not imagine that such a man would be taught about Christ and asked to make a decision about Him, perhaps in the hereafter?

John 10:16 says:
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd."

To me this means that Christ's offer of eternal life is not just for one man, or a few, but for ALL. Yes, even that one guy who lives his entire life on a deserted island and never hears of Jesus Christ. Do you put limitations on God and His ability to offer ALL men the same deal? I do not.

Originally posted by Suzianne
Everyone chooses. It is not necessarily blindly following out of "fear" or a "lack of info". If one chooses not to choose, then they still have made a choice.

Turning away from being Christian simply because your parents are Christian seems more like a really blindly uninformed choice. These people are still defining themselves by their parents' choice instead of their own. Juvenile rebellion? Probably. A bold decision? Probably not.

I see young people questioning their parents decisions and concluding that they themselves have "blindly" followed in their own parents footsteps.

I see the younger generations making wise well thought out decisions rather than the uninformed, indoctrinated highly propagandized thoughts of religious decisions that are based on some old history book that has little relevence on the contemporary world today.
Time to wake up and smell the coffee.
They may well still turn to christianity , but not to the church and it's stale ,dead dogma, but the living spirituality that they are discovering inhabiting them and indeed everyone that wants to get in touch with these relatively new spiritual ideas-beit christian or otherwise.

Om Shiva Om Namoa

Originally posted by SwissGambit
Jesus:

John 14
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ...[text shortened]... I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

6: no one comes to the Father except through my example

Originally posted by Suzianne
Everyone chooses. It is not necessarily blindly following out of "fear" or a "lack of info". If one chooses not to choose, then they still have made a choice.

Turning away from being Christian simply because your parents are Christian seems more like a really blindly uninformed choice. These people are still defining themselves by their parents' choice instead of their own. Juvenile rebellion? Probably. A bold decision? Probably not.

I think you should re-read my post, i think you have missed the essence of it

Originally posted by Suzianne
Lord save me from those who think that the Holy Scripture contains all that is needed to ensure a place in our Father's Kingdom. An open mind and some small measure of intelligence is required also.

This passage is utterly true. It also is not the full story in relation to the post I quoted. How fair is it to condemn a man to death for never even hear ...[text shortened]... t. Do you put limitations on God and His ability to offer ALL men the same deal? I do not.

I have reason to think that membership in heaven will be quite exclusive.

Matt 7
13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (my emphasis)

Luke 13
23Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, 24“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

I found this summation interesting as well.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Enter ye in at the strait gate - Christ here compares the way to life to an entrance through a gate. The words "straight" and "strait" have very different meanings. The former means "not crooked;" the latter, "pent up, narrow, difficult to be entered." This is the word used here, and it means that the way to heaven is "pent up, narrow, close," and not obviously entered. The way to death is open, broad, and thronged. The Saviour here referred probably to ancient cities. They were surrounded with walls and entered through gates. Some of those, connected with the great avenues to the city, were broad and admitted a throng; others, for more private purposes, were narrow, and few would be seen entering them. So, says Christ, is the path to heaven. It is narrow. It is not "the great highway" that people tread. Few go there. Here and there one may be seen - traveling in solitude and singularity. The way to death, on the other hand, is broad. Multitudes are in it. It is the great highway in which people go. They fall into it easily and without effort, and go without thought. If they wish to leave that and go by a narrow gate to the city, it would require effort and thought. So, says Christ, "diligence" is needed to enter life. See Luke 13:24. None go of course. All must strive, to obtain it; and so narrow, unfrequented, and solitary is it, that few find it.

Originally posted by karoly aczel
6: no one comes to the Father except through my example

Is this a personal translation?

Interestingly enough, I found it here, not in any translation, but in Barnes' Notes at the bottom of the page.

http://bible.cc/john/14-6.htm

Originally posted by SwissGambit
I have reason to think that membership in heaven will be quite exclusive.

Matt 7
13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and [b]only a few find it. (my emphasis)

Luke 13
2 ...[text shortened]... n it; and so narrow, unfrequented, and solitary is it, that few find it.

[/b]

A small narrow club of the choosen people . Sounds like a Country Club that would not want me . Something just stinks about the narrow gate thing . Very non inspirational thinking . Reminds me of the mind set of the Klan .