Hi,
Romans 14:23 But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
In order to do good and to please God it is necessary to have faith in Him.
I think it is at the same time true though that simply lacking the knowledge of God does not mean that a person is incapable of loving one’s neighbour. But if a person does a good in loving one’s neighbour, it could only be because God has given them the grace to do so. I think that atheists can do good things, and can be moral (but this does not mean that they are). I think therefore that in order for atheists to do the good that they do it must be because God has given them some grace by which they are able. For no person can do good without God’s grace. I think therefore that somehow atheists possess something of the faith necessary to please God even though they do not believe He exists… I’m not sure how this works, but the only alternative conclusion is that atheists never love their neighbour…and that doesn’t seem to fit with reality as far as I can tell…
No one is born with the knowledge that God exists, and it is not written on us that He is there, but it is revealed to us in this world in any number of ways that we may perceive through our reason or know to be true. God is calling all people toward Him, atheists included, and if they reject this call then they sin but if they open themselves to it than they may come to the Truth.
Can atheists go to heaven?
Simply being good in ones works is not enough to merit salvation, we need faith as well, that was why Pelagianism was condemned.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
The part I would point out here is that idolaters cannot inherit the kingdom of God… if people who turn from honouring the true God and worship idols cannot go to heaven, than I would think that people who turn from the true God and follow human knowledge are in a similar position.
The sin of polytheism and atheism are essentially the same… while they are different in appearance, they both likewise turn from belief in the One True God and believe in something else.
If a Hindu, an African animist, a person in a native american religion, a jain, or whatever other grouping we could add here which believes in something other than the True God can find a way to heaven by God’s mercy than I would think that likewise an atheist could as well. (alternatively though, if an atheist could not go to heaven, than neither could these groups either really)
(I am of the belief though, that no one enters the kingdom but through the Son, and somehow all the people who die in ignorance would need to accept the gospel, either in this life or in some way known to God, just as Abraham did before they enter heaven.)
If a person who believes in more than one god can still seek divine truth, than a person who believes in no god at all should be able to do the same, as it is the same resultant sin of not honouring the True God that they are both doing, either in ignorance or not, but both of them are being called away from their false beliefs and if they resist and refuse to turn away from their idolatries, than as St Paul wrote, they cannot enter the kingdom.
Those are my thoughts at least… If I’m wrong may the Lord correct me, if I’m right may He support me. Amen.
God Bless,
Jimmy if Athiests go to heaven we will find out when we get there.
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