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[Maria da Klea]

I've decided to love other people, but I think the concept of God existing is used to manipulate the ignorant and the vulnerable. If I'm wrong and heaven exists, will I still make it into heaven? I ask because there's a contradiction. It's written in the bible that "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." But then the bible says the main two commandments are to love both "God" and "your brother and sister". I reject the first and accept the second.

I feed homeless people. I care for orphans. I help the elderly. I think the concept of a god is ridiculous and is used to emotionally manipulate the vulnerable and desperate to give them a sense of false hope so they can prevent from obtaining any real financial hope or lasting stability. I not only hate religion, but I hate the people who promote the idea. The leaders of a church, and the congregants who follow it (while I don't hate specifically, I most certainly hate the complacency. In my estimation they would certainly all burn in the Christian hell for praying on Sunday instead of actually doing anything every Sunday morning - which I did by feeding the homeless in my area.)

So given my hatred of Christians and Christianity and the Christian God, and given my actions and willingness to help people, do you think it's enough to make it into the eternal Christian paradise I hear about in churches?

[jimwalton]

Your comment is very strange. The will of the Father is to feed the homeless and care for orphans (James 1.27; Mt. 25.25.31-46). In a seminal and now classic book, "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger," by a Christian (Ronald J. Sider), Dr. Sider correctly says that the Bible speaks of caring for the poor, advocating for justice for the oppressed, and ending economic oppression more than any other subject. In the Bible God identifies with the poor, and he hates an punished injustice and the neglect of the poor, and that all Christian should have a special regard for the poor, week, and disadvantaged.

So there seems to be confusion. Feeding the homeless, caring for orphans, and helping the elderly is a tremendously godly and Christian behavior. The Bible repudiates manipulating the vulnerable, and never advocates giving the poor a false sense of hope to prevent them from obtaining any real financial hope or lasting stability. On the contrary, the Bible advocates more of a socialistic approach, where the rich should freely share with the poor to bring about equitable economic states and statuses. You seem to have a tremendous misunderstanding of the Bible and of Christianity.

But, you ask, given your behavior of good will, generosity, and care, is that enough to make it into the eternal Christian paradise? No, it's not. Good works are good, and we should all be involved in them, but people enter paradise if they have the nature of Jesus in them, not just because they've been a person of good will.