Question about Salvation

[Ciabhán]

My curiosity was aroused seeing someone else's view on salvation in another thread so.......

What do others think about salvation? I was baptised so according to some folks that is all I need, according to others that does nothing for me, some think living morally is enough, some think morals don't matter. What are the views of the various religions and sects here?

EDIT: Yes I spelled Baptism incorrectly, yes I did leave out the You are just saved option.

[Vladimir Lenin]

I guess I'll start though I'm sure Ciabhan was referring to my view on salvation.

We're all forgiven Jesus, the spiritual son of god, died for everyone. The impetus we have to act morally and follow God's laws is that we do not want to disappoint God. Much in the same way a child tries not to disappoint his parents through bad actions.

You don't have to accept Jesus, you don't have to pray, you don't have to be baptized. You are just saved through Jesus' and God the Father's Sacrifice.

[Ciabhán]

I guess I'll start though I'm sure Ciabhan was referring to my view on salvation.

We're all forgiven Jesus, the spiritual son of god, died for everyone. The impetus we have to act morally and follow God's laws is that we do not want to disappoint God. Much in the same way a child tries not to disappoint his parents through bad actions.

You don't have to accept Jesus, you don't have to pray, you don't have to be baptized. You are just saved through Jesus' and God the Father's Sacrifice.

Yeah I was. Good of you to notice, and I appreciate the impetus to make the poll. Go vote

[Bovril]

I am of the opinion that if there is an afterlife, then everyone eventually ends up close to God, in heaven if you like, eventually. What the mechanism for this would be, I do not know. However, since my belief in an afterlife is far from firm, and neither is my belief in or conception of God, I put unsure.

[MasterOfNone]

Choice is the critical power we have in this life. If you believe a person to be "saved" no matter what they do then one must ask the reason why choice exists in the first place.

It is my firm belief that we will all be judged according to how we exercise this power to choose in regard to finding truth, accepting it and living it. That's a process of course but always involves choice. It is in choosing the right of our own volition that makes us what we are - morally, spiritually and in every other way.

If a person is faithful in living up to the "light" they have received, they will be endowed with more of it.

We ultimately choose where we go after this life by the desires we have.

[Vladimir Lenin]

Choice is the critical power we have in this life. If you believe a person to be "saved" no matter what they do then one must ask the reason why choice exists in the first place.

It is my firm belief that we will all be judged according to how we exercise this power to choose in regard to finding truth, accepting it and living it. That's a process of course but always involves choice. It is in choosing the right of our own volition that makes us what we are - morally, spiritually and in every other way.

If a person is faithful in living up to the "light" they have received, they will be endowed with more of it.

We ultimately choose where we go after this life by the desires we have.

But how can Man an imperfect creature, earn heaven and salvation which is perfect?

[MehemtAli_Pasha]

i don't understand how people think they can just believe in Jesus and that he died for them, and then be saved.

wut makes sense to me is that i sin on earth, i pay for it at the end, no matter wut. of course there are ways to pay for ur sins on earth so u don't have to pay them at the end, but somehow u shall pay them.

i can't just go kill, rape, robe people and with one single word, i will be saved! it just doesn't make sense.

[Vladimir Lenin]

i don't understand how people think they can just believe in Jesus and that he died for them, and then be saved.

I agree, you don't need to believe in Jesus to be saved. We are all saved.

wut makes sense to me is that i sin on earth, i pay for it at the end, no matter wut. of course there are ways to pay for ur sins on earth so u don't have to pay them at the end, but somehow u shall pay them.

Nope. God all loving. He forgives you for everything, at the end you spend eternity with him.

i can't just go kill, rape, robe people and with one single word, i will be saved! it just doesn't make sense.

Yes you can, you don't have to pray, be baptized, believe in jesus, accept him as saviour or anything. You are saved through the grace of God.

[Zuwxiv]

I won't worship a malevolent god, and thus the only God I will worship is a benevolent one.

This means that God (if he even exists) did not create the planet just to doom half of the human population. More than 50% of the population must be 'saved.'

There is no unifying factor that ties the majority of the world together as far as religion goes. People believe different things. So I am left with the logical conclusion that, if a God exists, I will only worship Him if he judges on character and action, not belief.

Salvation through morals isn't exactly the right phrase - morals are cultural and transient. To see cultural bias in action, look at the poll - although inclusive, it has a heavy Christian bias. Not that that's bad; it's just a perspective. But I think what's important is being a nice person. In fact, relative morality is the best way to judge something - through the morality they experienced. I think there are suicide bombers who died blowing up a busload of children convinced it was the right thing to do - I disagree, but can God punish someone for doing something believed to be the right thing? Isn't that the basis of Faith? Isn't the real guilty person the terrorist or corrupt priest who perverted religion to let that happen?

You could put me down for unknown - I'm not sure. What do I know? I'm just 19. Hell, I'm drifting towards atheist. But I think my answer is closest to morality.

[Ciabhán]

Salvation through morals isn't exactly the right phrase - morals are cultural and transient. To see cultural bias in action, look at the poll - although inclusive, it has a heavy Christian bias.

I am actually apatheist so any Christian bias is solely based on the fact that they seem to have the most variation of beliefs, I don't know enough about the majority of Eastern religions to include specifics without possibly insulting folks, and I have pagan ancestors I already know what they would say.

[Samuel Adams]

I am saved through the Grace of Jesus Christ, God is my judge, and not all who cry "Lord, Lord" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

[MaximiIian]

Closest thing for me is the "reincarnation" option.
Although, I don't think that cycle ends or terminates. I don't believe in the concept of salvation, because I don't think there's anything that wee need to be saved from. This stems from that I don't believe in the concept of sin, especially not Original Sin as espoused by Christianity.

[Magno]

In my personal opinion we need to be saved from ourselves. The mistakes, unjust actions, and sins commited will affect us somehow when we die because I refuse to believe there after death there is nothing but darkness, I believe there is something greater that will give me life after death and that how good it is maybe determined by the actions i took while still alive.

This is just me..

[Jams79]

I believe salvation is for those who think themselves too important to just cease to be.

[Bovril]

I believe salvation is for those who think themselves too important to just cease to be.

So the key to salvation is pride. That's an interestingly unusal idea.

[Jams79]

That's not quite what I meant although I do kind of like your interpretation.

[motiv-8]

That's not quite what I meant although I do kind of like your interpretation.

He was mocking your interpretation.

[Bovril]

He was mocking your interpretation.

Not at all. I merely wanted to clarify, since my interpretation of his interpretation interested me strangley (to use a turn of phrase dear to P.G. Wodehouse). Generally speaking I try not to mock untill I think I have a good picture of what a person's belief system looks like. After that I am merciless, but also frequently wrong in my assumptions.

[Jams79]

Not at all. I merely wanted to clarify, since my interpretation of his interpretation interested me strangley (to use a turn of phrase dear to P.G. Wodehouse). Generally speaking I try not to mock untill I think I have a good picture of what a person's belief system looks like. After that I am merciless, but also frequently wrong in my assumptions.

I'll clarify myself then to supply you with the ammunition

I always saw salvation as a last gasp for those who couldn't bear the thought of their life ending, the thought that they might not really have a great impact on the universe. The same people who have trouble believing that humans might not be the centre of the universe, or that their might not be somebody/thing taking account of their lives.

[Bovril]

I'll clarify myself then to supply you with the ammunition

I always saw salvation as a last gasp for those who couldn't bear the thought of their life ending, the thought that they might not really have a great impact on the universe. The same people who have trouble believing that humans might not be the centre of the universe, or that their might not be somebody/thing taking account of their lives.

If think I understand you. Do you essentially mean that salvation is the consequence of a concern that reaches beyond the immediate to the ultimate? If so, I have a great deal of sympathy for your position. My initial guess was at a sort of litteralistic extrapolation of Nietchze's idea that the way a self respecting/self aware individual lives is the way in which they would wish to live if their lives were repeated oever and over again to infinity. Or at least something with the same spiritual implications.