But again this is one of the important questions for the atheist. You want me to believe that God is loving and kind and wonderful. But you also say that accepting his Son's sacrifice into your heart is the only way to true happiness on the mortal coil and eternal salvation after. At this point I wonder how many million people lived and died in North America before Christianity made the trek across the Atlantic. None of these people ever heard of Christ so they couldn't possibly have accepted Him in their hearts. Now, according to the fire and brimstone guys (not sure whre you sit on this issue) they're all burning in ever lasting hell. I can't accept that God is a loving kind and wonderful if people burn in hell for the sin of being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Show me a passage in the Bible that says there's a different measurement system for those who were never fortunate enough to hear The Word and I'm ziggy; but from everything I've seen (and as you point out in your story) there's one way only, it's through Christ and if you haven't ever heard of Christ that's your problem.
Pete Townsend put it rather succinctly:
And Tommy doesn't know what day it is.
He doesn't know who Jesus was
Or wat Praying is.
How can he be saved
From the eternal grave?
While you might be comfortable in your faith without that answer others aren't. If Tommy can't be saved, I don't want in.
Show me a passage in the Bible that says there's a different measurement system for those who were never fortunate enough to hear The Word and I'm ziggy; but from everything I've seen (and as you point out in your story) there's one way only, it's through Christ and if you haven't ever heard of Christ that's your problem.
Ok, here's a couple.....
1 Peter 3
18. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
19. through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison
20. who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,
21. and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22. who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Now, I figure that if Christ can do THIS, then He can ALSO make Himself known, somehow, to the 'poor natives way back in the jungle' that never heard of His Name.
"Well, then WHY wasn't it recorded in the bible how he does it?"
Valid question........
John 20
30. Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 21
24. This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
But again this [issue of whether those who never heard of Jesus is saved] is one of the important questions for the atheist. If you will answer two questions for me, then I will answer the burning issue of those who never had a chance to hear the name of Jesus for you. I will answer it from the Bible so that you will know it is Christian doctrine.
1. Are you an atheist?
2. If I answer that question, will you believe in G-d?
Shalom.