Even I might get to Heaven

When I was a kid, we went to church all the time. That doesn't mean there weren't other things to do. It just means I come from a rural area with small towns here and there, and each small town had a certain nationality and religious flavor. One of the towns was historically considered to be Dutch. The religion was Dutch Reformed. Another was predominately Catholic, but I don't recall if that community had a predominate national background. The small town that I lived near was predominantly German. The religion was German Lutheran. My point is that the life around me was driven by some old world believes about how to live and get along with our maker. The one striking part in all this was the fact that these different groups and faiths all felt strongly that the other groups were wrong. I grew up where everybody got along for business and social community occasions but worshiped separately. No proselytizing. That was for saving savages not your neighbor.

The overall message was clear. God created all of this and us. However, like most busy executives he was an absentee dad and landlord. His children acted up and just couldn't follow the rules, so each group created their own set. Increasing population increased the problems. God being incapable of being flexible with the rules became upset. This being upset began to occur more and more frequently. He first tried drowning everybody but an old couple and their kids, and of course there was the two-by-two thing with the ark. Then he selected a group and only helped that group. This fostered the killing of lots of others who got in their way. Not to mention the resentment towards the chosen group. This is the Old Testament.

When God realized that his children would never be able to please him, he decided to try a different tactic. He decided to form a split personality and offered up a version of himself that could spend some time trying to lead folks with stories and examples of how to please him. Even with him spending some time trying to teach and lead by example, he still wasn't pleased with the results. It became more apparent that he would have to do it for them. In the end he died, figuratively, since he was God and therefore couldn't die. This death was touted as the one and only way to get into heaven. People simply had to believe, and then they could get in.

I remember very clearly learning that to believe in Jesus Christ as my savor and follow his teaching would save me. I must admit that I'm not as strong in the faith as I once was. My behavior could have been better. However, with what I see and hear around me now, I don't feel as concerned about my behavior. While I once volunteered to go to another country and harm their people, I never bore arms against my fellow citizens. I've never thought that certain people were worth killing to make myself feel good. It never dawned on me that all of life wasn't important. That what I thought and wanted was more important than anyone else's thoughts and needs. I always thought that our ability to tolerate all our differences was what Jesus wanted. Wow, was I wrong. To be a good Christian now, for many people, is measured by who and how much you hate. Now that many Christian faiths have rejected Christ and all that goody goody stuff, I think even I can have salvation. If we really don't have to care about our neighbors and love our fellow man, then, by God, (and I say that out of respect) I've got as good a chance of getting through the pearly gates as any pedophile, money hording billionaire, or charitable con artist. My only problem is deciding if I want to spend eternity with those folks.