According to your religion or church, what is required to go to heaven?

[Trishie]

*Following upon those paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church"…to continue my response to you, benhur.

The following heading in the Catechism does confuse some, but it deals further with how the Church views Christians who are not Catholics and also non-Christians. All loved by God, all souls created by God.
*
“Outside the Church there is no salvation”

846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336

847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338 "

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a9p3.htm

 

[Louie1983]

Is works needed? Faith only? What are they?

Faith and works.

“a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

 

[JonNC]

Faith and works.

“a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

Amen, Louie!

Leading up to this verse, James says:

Faith Without Works Is Dead

14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what goodb is that? 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Here James is agreeing with St. Paul in Galatians 5:6, where he says:
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

And Luther’s response?

Faith must of course be sincere. It must be a faith that performs good works through love. If faith lacks love it is not true faith. Thus the Apostle bars the way of hypocrites to the kingdom of Christ on all sides. He declares on the one hand, “In Christ Jesus circumcision availeth nothing,” i.e., works avail nothing, but faith alone, and that without any merit whatever, avails before God. On the other hand, the Apostle declares that without fruits faith serves no purpose. To think, “If faith justifies without works, let us work nothing,” is to despise the grace of God. Idle faith is not justifying faith. In this terse manner Paul presents the whole life of a Christian. Inwardly it consists in faith towards God, outwardly in love towards our fellow-men.

Personally, I see no tension between James and sola fide, because sola fide is not faith without works, it is faith working through love. A true, saving faith must have works.

Jon

 

[Tarquin]

Is works needed? Faith only? What are they?

The question either limits the number and kinds of religions and churches under discussion, or assumes that all religions and churches have some teaching relevant to a heaven. To give an answer to this question to an atheist, I would draw from an unorthodox minister, who said that his doctrine was “Do what is right.” I doubt there are very many people in churches or even the wider category of “religions” who advocate the contrary. This is a doctrine even the most hard-core, closed-minded atheist can embrace. The question then is not so much how do I get to a heaven I don’t believe in, but how do I know what is “right”?

That would answer about “works,” but the question is not what kind of works are needed, but are works needed at all? And is “faith” (not defined by the poster) sufficient? If faith is “belief,” that probably doesn’t matter at all. All sorts of people believing things that are not true, do immensely charitable, beneficial works, and all sorts of people believing things that are true, commit horrible crimes. I would need to know what is meant by “faith” before I could answer that question. Even when faith is being discussed according to one definition, the word inevitably becomes used with some of its other definitions, further confusing most arguments.

If the interest is with specific religions, then the “works” that are needed differ, sometimes slightly, sometimes greatly, from church to church and religion to religion. There are so many works that are promoted as “essential to salvation” or “necessary for forgiveness” or “conditions that aid us in our path to eternal life.” Too many to discuss in detail in a single thread. They can be listed.

In “Catholic Christianity”:
repentance (deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.)
believe (Jesus is the Christ and can forgive sins)
obey (Jesus)
baptism
go to Confession
attend Mass
receive Communion
obey the Marriage laws of the Church
and so on (because not all the laws of the Decalogue are applicable today in the same form and spirit as they were in the days of Moses or of Jesus [Hebrews 3:3].)

 

[Even_So]

As a kid, I was always told that John 3:16 was the Gospel in a nutshell. Sure, there’s more to it in the details, but essentially this.

Jon

More like in a mustard seed

 

[Even_So]

Is works needed? Faith only? What are they?

Grace x faith = works.

The first few chapters of John should almost cover the basics.

 

[Even_So]

Is love necessary?

It is the the greatest of the commandments. Also see post #3.

 

[Jeannie52]

No.

Love is very necessary. The two greatest commandments are:
1.Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and
2.Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

[DelsonJacobs]

Is works needed? Faith only? What are they?

The answer lies in the fact that for Catholics heaven is not the ultimate goal, not in the sense that most think it is.

When our corporeal body dies, that which is your memory, your feelings, your desires, your emotions–that inner self you have conversations with–continues on. This aspect of humanity chooses for itself before corporeal death whether it wishes to continue on a path of a relationship with God or without. After this comes the bodily resurrection, and after this there is the “life of the world to come,” the New Heavens and New Earth, the re-creation.

Heaven is actually a choice, not a reward. It is not a place to go after you die because it transcends time and space. What many think of as some realm with clouds and angels, Catholics call the Beatific Vision. It is entering eternity to be with God and enjoying the love God has for you. Entry to the Beatific Vision is a grace and a response: an invitation to be loved by God, and agreeing to be the recipient of that love. Obedience to God’s will is but an expression of accepting this invitation. One cannot earn God’s love, and so one cannot earn entrance to the Beatific Vision.

According to Catholic doctrine, those who do not wish to live with God do not have to. So after death these people enter an existence that is absent of the God they do not wish to have interfere with their lives. As such anything that reflects God–his love, creatures that reflect his qualities, etc.–are absent from this type of “no-God-in-my-life, please” existence. Because warm fellowship, the pleasant memory of loved ones, laughter, love and the like are but reflections of God, these things are also absent from this realm of eternity. This is the “hell” that often gets spoken of as a “fiery torment.” If you can imagine it, you can see why the flames of hell are not required to be literal.

When history comes to an end with the Parousia of Christ, Judgment Day will proceed with the resurrection of the dead. This will mean a reuniting of souls with their resurrected bodies, after which each person enters the world to come of their choice, the one without God or the New Heavens and New Earth.

What the world to come will actually entail has yet to be revealed. Revelation 21 seems to imply it is something like a ‘heaven-on-earth’ scenario, but the full explanation of this eschatology does not even exist in a complete sense before the Church. Whatever this future is, for each of us it will be the one you want, the one you choose. God will not force anyone to exist in a state they do not desire or believe that which they do not wish to believe. There are no dues to pay to get there, no hurdles to jump, and any obedience asked of us is only to help those who choose eternal life with God.

In the end it isn’t as much what you believe or what you do, but Who you love.

 

[drac16]

Faith and righteous deeds. It’s important to point out, however, that neither of which can merit Heaven. Even the prophets could never have earned Paradise. One goes to Paradise by the Grace and Mercy of God, but that doesn’t negate the need for obediance. Death can occur at any time, so we teach that one must worship the Creator as if we see him (this is known as ‘ihsan’). Worship includes every aspect of life, even the way we sleep.

All is to be done for Allah’s glory. By annihilation of the ego, which is what we sufis call ‘fana’, one sees Allah as more beautiful than anything else, thus making worship natural, as opposed to burdensome. Allah induces fana once a man/woman surrenders himself/herself to Him.

 

[SalusaSecondus]

Love is very necessary. The two greatest commandments are:
1.Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and
2.Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Well, then I am screwed, because I cannot do either. How are you doing in these two commandments, are you obedient to them?

 

[rcwitness]

Mark 16

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Matthew 25

31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’

Colossians 1

22 He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, 23 provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

 

[rcwitness]

Well, then I am screwed, because I cannot do either. How are you doing in these two commandments, are you obedient to them?

The love of God moves His people to good works. When we fall, His love compells us to be reconciled to Him. Without love, we can do no good.

You are not screwed if you have a remorseful heart for lacking love. You have Reconciliation to Him who gives life.

 

[mommy_k]

In answer to the op-

We must have had the sacraments of initiation and we must not have mortal sin on our soul.

We must go to purgatory if not refined yet to meet God.

 

[SalusaSecondus]

The love of God moves His people to good works. When we fall, His love compells us to be reconciled to Him. Without love, we can do no good.

You are not screwed if you have a remorseful heart for lacking love. You have Reconciliation to Him who gives life.

How remorseful do I need to be for it to make up for my lack of love?

 

[rcwitness]

How remorseful do I need to be for it to make up for my lack of love?

Your remorse does not “make up” for lack of love. Remorse brings you to Him. He then gives grace by forgiveness. His love, in His Son Jesus, makes up what is lacking in us.

 

[SalusaSecondus]

Your remorse does not “make up” for lack of love. Remorse brings you to Him. He then gives grace by forgiveness. His love, in His Son Jesus, makes up what is lacking in us.

Sure. I can buy into that, I would say remorse is the Law working in our heart to convict of sin. Knowing that we have failed to live up to God righteous standard. We will always fail to live up to it because his standard is perfection. Thankfully Christ fulfilled that requirement for us. When I used to read Matthew Chapter 5 I used to get depressed because I know I was none of those things. Nor could I ever live up to the point that Jesus drives home “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” I don’t get depressed anymore because I know my righteousness is not mine but Christ’s which comes by grace through faith.

 

[Reuben_J]

How remorseful do I need to be for it to make up for my lack of love?

Just a thought. In reality our lack of love can often times cause hurt to others and therefore it can be a sin.

In this case, one has to recognize that one lacks that love in a given situation when it manifests. For example, not coming to aid a person in needs when you are able to do so can be due to lack of love. Or being unkind and causing harm to others. Since Jesus commands us to love our neighbor, not showing it in a given opportunity could be constituted as sin.

How remorseful one needs to be? Having recognized your lack of love, you admit it was wrong and then make a decision not to do it again. This is called repentance. Then ask God for forgiveness in a confession.

I guess that’s all to it.

Don’t worry. Most of us do lack the love of God, or way or another in our lives. When it happens, we just need to be remorseful, make a turnaround and ask God for forgiveness. The grace of God will help us to love because he would not command us to do that we cannot do.

God bless.

Reuben

 

[Reuben_J]

I find Paul’s definition of love in his epistle 1 Cor 13 a good benchmark for my own.

Am I kind, am I gentle, am I patient, etc., ? When I fail especially in a given situation, I simply need to recognize it and ask God’s help for me to love, like him. If my action has caused hurt to others by my lack of love, I have to repent and seek forgiveness.

Reuben

 

[chifen87]

Well, I can tell you what I was taught when I was a JW.
I was taught that no one other then the 144,000 would go to Heaven. Everyone else (well, namely Jehovah’s Witnesses with maybe a few exceptions) would have a chance at living on a Paradise Earth.

To obtain this and have at least a chance, you had to become an unbaptized publisher, then eventually get baptized as a JW after answering about 100+ questions and then remain in good standing as a JW and continuing to go out in service and you also have to believe the governing body is the Faithful and Discreet Slave and that the Watchtower Organization is God’s only earthly Organization.

Many JW’s I knew would always say that they hoped they would make it but weren’t very sure at all. Many become depressed because of not having much hope.
But as for Heaven, most Jehovah’s Witnesses do not expect to go to Heaven at all.

I don’t believe that anymore. I believe you must do the best you can and of course love God, Except and love Jesus. I also believe that if you Love God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit you will be moved to do good works (such as helping others as best as you can)
I’m sure I’m forgetting to mention something but I’ll leave the rest since I’ve already typed a bit