Member Since: July 3, 2013
Answers: 130
Last Update: October 3, 2016
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It so hard for me to talk about these questions to people in person, mainly because I'm worried everyone will think I'm crazy. I totally feel like I'm going completely nuts, but there's something I can't get my mind off of.
Does anyone here believe testimonies of people who claim to have been to Heaven or Hell? I didn't really in the past, but there are these two girls who claim to have been taken on by Jedus on tours of hell and came back to tell about it. They both say some of the same things, like that they saw Michael Jackson there and children who watched cartoons.
The thing is that these girls messages may actually come from satan, or they may be making their stories up for whatever reason. Regardless, they are causing people to have intense fear about their eternity. They're making salvation seem impossible.
Some of what they say seems extremely random. Like, "Oh, God doesn't like blondes, God doesn't like people who own Chihuahuas, God doesn't like people who drive Ford's." They don't actually say those things, but that's how bad it can seem. Like we're all unknowingly doing things that can get a person sent to Hell. Like no one can know that they're doing anything that will condemn them later. Like we're all doomed and God tries to make salvation as hard as possible.
When one girl was giving her testimony, I thought to myself that if some of what she was saying was true, it didn't seem as if God could be the loving, gracious, and just God that some believe that he is. I know better than to believe that though. I know better than to think that he is a cruel God who likes to see people go to Hell and who makes salvation practically impossible.
I feel like God states everything you are and aren't supposed to do in the Bible, but some of these people say that you can get sent to Hell for things that the Bible doesn't mention and things that you'd never think of.
They claim that dying your hair, painting your nails, wearing makeup, and using perfume will keep you from having any hope of getting to Heaven, but my grandmother did all of these things and, at the risk of sounding crazier than I already do, I know she's in Heaven because she gives us this sign that she is and that she's watching us. I reject that these things will sent you to Hell.
The last reason I don't believe them is because their stories seem to contradict the Bible. For example, they say that they were taken to Hell and brought back to warn people, but doesn't the Bible say that if someone doesn't already believe, they still won't even if somebody comes back from the dead to tell them? Also, one girl sounds very high and mighty and says that God made her responsible for saving people, but isn't Jesus the only one who can save you?
There are plenty of other inconsistencies, but the majority of people seem to believe them. It seems like most people don't believe Colton Burpo, Alex Malarkey, or people like that, but they wholeheartedly believe these people. They say, "I don't see why any real Christian would feel the need to question this." Even though the Bible TELLS us to test these things. It's like people don't want to hear nice stories that give you hope,they only want to hear terrifying ones that make you feel hopeless.
I guess my question is am I right not to believe any of this? And also how do you KNOW you're going to Heaven?
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You're not crazy at all. The Bible instructs believers to test messages that people claim are from God. You have a responsibility to question tnem. What these girls say is completely inconsistent with the Bible and with logic. Why would God allow a breed of dog or a shade of hair to be created only to be destroyed in hell? These girls are either saying these things because they are desperate for attention or because they have some kind of imbalance. Be compassionate toward them for being foolish or confused and you will receive compassion.
People who are 100% honest with themselves will admit that there isn't any absolute way to know exactly what happens when we die, that's the role of faith. It's not easy, even Jesus on the cross felt God had forsaken Him. If it were for us to know, there would be concrete proof, but we have to use teachings, inspiration, and reason to do right regardless of whether or not we can be assured of a reward. What you believe in your heart about a loving, just God will guide you to correctly reject their foolishness.
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Rating: 5
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Thank you so much. Your advice was perfect and just what I needed to hear.
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