If only it were this simple. |
- If the Christian God existed, he would clearly communicate the criteria for salvation.
- The criteria for salvation have not been clearly communicated.
- The Christian God does not exist.
Virtually all Christians and even most nonbelievers think that Christian salvation is pretty straightforward. After all, you just have to believe in Jesus, right? Well, hold on a minute. Let's be specific and methodical about this. Which of the following are necessary or sufficient for entrance into heaven?
- Belief that God created the heavens and the earth
- Belief that the Bible is the Word of God
- Belief that the Father is God
- Belief that the Holy Spirit is God
- Belief that Jesus is God
- Belief that Jesus is God's son
- Belief that Jesus became fully human
- Belief that Jesus died on the cross
- Belief that Jesus rose from the dead
- Belief that you are sinful
- Acceptance of Jesus' forgiveness
- Lack of belief in any other gods
- Verbally confirming that Jesus is God (Romans 10:8-10)
- Avoiding blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:31-32)
- Denying oneself and following Jesus daily (Luke 9:23-26)
- Forgiving others for their sins (Matt. 6:14-15)
- Bearing children (For women only: 1 Tim. 2:14-15)
- Baptism (Believed among Catholics, Lutherans, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses: Mark 16:16; John 3:5; 1 Peter 3:21)
- Good works (Among Catholics and Orthodox Christians: James 2:14-26; Rev. 20:11-13)
- Being chosen by God (Among Calvinists: Eph. 1:4-5; Rom. 8:29-30, 9:11-22; 2 Thes. 2:11-13)
- Someone else being baptized on your behalf after death (Among Mormons: 1 Cor. 15:29)
At this point it should be obvious that a perfect God could have communicated salvation far more clearly than he did. The first premise of the PPCS deals with a different question: would he have done so if he existed? I think most people would intuitively say 'yes,' but just to be thorough, I'll try to explain exactly why an unerringly God would act in this way.
When it comes to the task of leading us on the path to salvation, the Bible is a disorganized, inconsistent mess—despite the fact that the stakes riding on it couldn't be higher. I think I've shown with reasonable certainty both that the Christian God failed to make the precise requirements for salvation sufficiently clear, and that he would in fact have done so if he existed. If we accept the two premises of the PPCS, the only possible conclusion is that this version of God does not exist.
Thanks for pointing me to this article from the last one I commented on, Tim.
ReplyDeleteI find myself wishing we were in the same city to have talks/discussions over breakfast or coffee, because I think we could go on for hours, days, weeks, and still not exhaust the conversation...
I'm sure I would not be able to change your mind by sheer debate, but whether or not one of us would change, we would both be sharpened by the conversation.
Don
You have hit the nail on the head with this post as it relates to how I feel about the christian version of God and salvation....it's all so confusing and unsettling.
ReplyDeleteThanks for summarizing your thoughgts!
Jason