Can an atheist go to heaven?

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Catholicguyteen

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So I had a friend who passed away in a car accident a few months ago. She was a really good friend, and she meant so much to me.

But something’s been eating away at me recently. She was an atheist. She was baptized though and had a catholic funeral.

Do you think it’s possible she’s in heaven? God is infinitely merciful, so do you think He took into account her young age (she was only 15)? I pray for her everyday hoping she’s in Heaven or at least in purgatory on the path to Heaven. The thought of her being in Hell really breaks my heart. She was such a good person, and so young and so innocent.
 
Catholicguyteen said:
So I had a friend who passed away in a car accident a few months ago. She was a really good friend, and she meant so much to me.

But something’s been eating away at me recently. She was an atheist. She was baptized though and had a catholic funeral.

Do you think it’s possible she’s in heaven? God is infinitely merciful, so do you think He took into account her young age (she was only 15)? I pray for her everyday hoping she’s in Heaven or at least in purgatory on the path to Heaven. The thought of her being in Hell really breaks my heart. She was such a good person, and so young and so innocent.
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I’m feeling your pain in this in all ways possible. I have to hope she’s in heaven. I mean there’s no crueler thing to think about than to imagine she isn’t.

After all. I don’t think God’s the type of guy to kick His kids out of the house over a misunderstanding.

I don’t know.

But buddy. I do know. I really do.

Peace.

-Trident
 
Catholicguyteen said:
So I had a friend who passed away in a car accident a few months ago. She was a really good friend, and she meant so much to me.

But something’s been eating away at me recently. She was an atheist. She was baptized though and had a catholic funeral.

Do you think it’s possible she’s in heaven? God is infinitely merciful, so do you think He took into account her young age (she was only 15)? I pray for her everyday hoping she’s in Heaven or at least in purgatory on the path to Heaven. The thought of her being in Hell really breaks my heart. She was such a good person, and so young and so innocent.
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Rest assured she is immersed in the Oceans of Bounty and Mercy of God and She was very fortunate to have such a caring friend.

Your prayers will have great effect and she will also be praying and thanking you for those prayers.

If it helps this is a couple of links to the topic of Life after Death as given by the Baha’i Writings, there has been much written on this subject.

bahai.org/beliefs/life-spirit/human-soul/life-death

reference.bahai.org/en/t/o/BNE/bne-153.html

With the Love you have shown her there is no Hell 😊

God Bless You and Her and All - Regards Tony
 
Catholicguyteen said:
So I had a friend who passed away in a car accident a few months ago. She was a really good friend, and she meant so much to me.

But something’s been eating away at me recently. She was an atheist. She was baptized though and had a catholic funeral.

Do you think it’s possible she’s in heaven? God is infinitely merciful, so do you think He took into account her young age (she was only 15)? I pray for her everyday hoping she’s in Heaven or at least in purgatory on the path to Heaven. The thought of her being in Hell really breaks my heart. She was such a good person, and so young and so innocent.
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I am very sorry that you lost a friend who, obviously, meant so very much to you. It is one of the great tragedies we experience in life…saying good-bye to someone we care about.

I am at the other end of my life from where you are in yours. Over those many years, I met many interesting people…including several remarkable atheists. I never met one though who was 15. Oh, I met many 15 year olds who asserted many things: what they believed and what they did not believe in. But they hadn’t lived long enough to really know…neither by learning nor by experience. I would see these 15 year olds 10, 20, 30 years later and be so pleased by who they had eventually blossomed into.

Your friend left you at a time when she was still struggling to understand herself, her world, her place in it, and so many other things besides.

Continue to pray for her soul. That will keep you always close to her and to the memories you will always cherish.

And always remember that God, who loves her with an infinite love and with a concern and tenderness no human can even comprehend, is the best possible hands for her to be in. The Lord understands her better than she understood herself. What a comfort and consolation that should be for you and for her family.

We have only to look at the nearest crucifix to see and to know the already extraordinary lengths that God went to in order to save us from being separated from Him…and His saving action does not stop with Calvary.

God bless you.
 
Yes.

Being Catholic does not give you some sort of advantage in getting into heaven. I know it is difficult for some on this website to acknowledge that atheists can get into heaven but they can. My sincere apologies for your loss and am praying your loss. As long as they led a good life and helped others Jesus will reward them with eternal life.

Peace.
 
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it is my understanding that Catholic dogma says that your friend, even if she was the kindest, most gentle soul, does not go to heaven unless she believes in Jesus as God. Despite what the others say. I also understand Catholic teachings to say that the biggest creep in the world can go to Heaven if he makes a confession at the last minute and believes in Jesus.

This is one of my problems with the Church, and one of the many reasons why I reject the Church.

I hope the Church (or my understanding of it) is wrong and that your friend is in Heaven. My own personal belief is that God judges us based on the qualities of kindness and mercy we have shown in our actions, and not on our beliefs. In which case your friend is in Heaven. Pray for her soul! May Mother Mary take her under Her care!
 
Mike where does the Church say that?

It’s my understanding as a Catholic that salvation is up to Jesus Christ, Our Savior. That said, if we’re not going in the direction towards God how can one expect to see heaven? Jesus said in Luke 18: 17 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Can works save us? No… the mercy of God saves us because we all have a fallen nature… It’s what Jesus did on the cross… That’s what saves us… Sure God is just but before that God is merciful…
 
Mike1955 said:
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it is my understanding that Catholic dogma says that your friend, even if she was the kindest, most gentle soul, does not go to heaven unless she believes in Jesus as God. Despite what the others say. I also understand Catholic teachings to say that the biggest creep in the world can go to Heaven if he makes a confession at the last minute and believes in Jesus.

This is one of my problems with the Church, and one of the many reasons why I reject the Church.

I hope the Church (or my understanding of it) is wrong and that your friend is in Heaven. My own personal belief is that God judges us based on the qualities of kindness and mercy we have shown in our actions, and not on our beliefs. In which case your friend is in Heaven. Pray for her soul! May Mother Mary take her under Her care!
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I could be wrong, but I think that the Confession has to be sincere in order for it to count. Merely going to Confession, out of a fear of hell/avoiding hell, isn’t sincere. The purpose of Confession is for you to be reunited with God, in accepting you were wrong and being truly sorry for you offenses, because it offended God. Seems like going to Confession on one’s deathbed for the sole purpose of avoiding hell, isn’t really being truly sorry for one’s sins. You’re not really showing your love in God by doing that.
 
Mike1955 said:
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it is my understanding that Catholic dogma says that your friend, even if she was the kindest, most gentle soul, does not go to heaven unless she believes in Jesus as God.
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If the woman KNEW Jesus was God and WILLFULLY rejected him regardless, then there would be a problem. But if someone has never heard of Jesus, or GENUINELY believes there is no God after careful reflection (not just because the rules of the church are inconvenient), then how could God hold it against them if they are doing the best that they can?
 
Red_James said:
I could be wrong, but I think that the Confession has to be sincere in order for it to count. Merely going to Confession, out of a fear of hell/avoiding hell, isn’t sincere. The purpose of Confession is for you to be reunited with God, in accepting you were wrong and being truly sorry for you offenses, because it offended God. Seems like going to Confession on one’s deathbed for the sole purpose of avoiding hell, isn’t really being truly sorry for one’s sins. You’re not really showing your love in God by doing that.
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It can be considered that it is God who owns and knows our heart, it is to God we confess all that we do that is not His will for us.

Only God knows who is a beleiver and deeds are an important part of Beleif, a tree without fruit is only fit for the fire.

Regards Tony
 
I have kids ranging from 10 to 16 years old, and I can tell you that when they say (or debate or argue) that there is no God, or say that they do not believe in God, it doesn’t mean much. They will say they do not believe in God but do believe in spirits and ghosts. They ask how a loving God could create a world with so much hurt. (I tell them that saints and theologians have struggled with that very question.) It doesn’t make sense to them, but they are trying to make sense of it. I am sure God is pleased at their child-like efforts to seek the truth.

Also, just as I love my children even when they say they hate me, because I know they don’t really hate me or even know what hate really is, God must surely pardon the things they say (and do) out of ignorance and confusion.

So let us pray for your friend:

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May her soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

I pray also for comfort and peace for her parents, for you, and for all who mourn.
 
Red_James said:
I could be wrong, but I think that the Confession has to be sincere in order for it to count. Merely going to Confession, out of a fear of hell/avoiding hell, isn’t sincere. The purpose of Confession is for you to be reunited with God, in accepting you were wrong and being truly sorry for you offenses, because it offended God. Seems like going to Confession on one’s deathbed for the sole purpose of avoiding hell, isn’t really being truly sorry for one’s sins. You’re not really showing your love in God by doing that.
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What you refer to is called imperfect contrition, and the Church definitively states that such contrition is sufficient for absolution when combined with sacramental confession.
 
Quite simply, we can’t and don’t judge individuals. We can judge between moral and immoral acts in a general way. Ultimately, we entrust ALL who’ve died to the mercy of God. We know well that Jesus spoke often of hell, though again, we can’t say personally who is and isn’t there. After all the devil is a liar and our God is very merciful. So don’t fall for the devils trickery or lies in taunting guilt, as often happens to me; and trust in God’s mercy. Always offer prayer for the dead as well! Very fruitful!

Thats what I’d say if I were asked. Though God fearing, I am a great sinner so I may not know or love much anyway. But if my prayers have merit I will offer them for your friend as well as for you.
 
No, I don’t believe that someone who exits this life as an atheist can go to Heaven/Paradise. Being a ‘good person’ [whatever that means] doesn’t excuse someone of responsibility to seek and submit to God. I don’t get any joy from saying that, though. I may wish that an atheist will be saved, but at some point, I have to put my emotions in the back seat and ask myself "What do the scriptures say?". That’s what it boils down to; God’s understanding of ethics is perfect, even if unpopular.

Surah 103 of the Qur’an says that one must possess faith [in Allah], otherwise such a person is lost by default.
 
drac16 said:
No, I don’t believe that someone who exits this life as an atheist can go to Heaven/Paradise. Being a ‘good person’ [whatever that means] doesn’t excuse someone of responsibility to seek and submit to God. I don’t get any joy from saying that, though. I may wish that an atheist will be saved, but at some point, I have to put my emotions in the back seat and ask myself "What do the scriptures say?". That’s what it boils down to; God’s understanding of ethics is perfect, even if unpopular.

Surah 103 of the Qur’an says that one must possess faith [in Allah], otherwise such a person is lost by default.
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So in your mind the religious extremists and mass murderers of all religions have a better chance of making it to heaven then a good atheist. In the Koran it says if a man saves on life then they save all of humanity. I guess that doesnt apply to atheists.
 
Mike1955 said:
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it is my understanding that Catholic dogma says that your friend, even if she was the kindest, most gentle soul, does not go to heaven unless she believes in Jesus as God. Despite what the others say. I also understand Catholic teachings to say that the biggest creep in the world can go to Heaven if he makes a confession at the last minute and believes in Jesus.

This is one of my problems with the Church, and one of the many reasons why I reject the Church.

I hope the Church (or my understanding of it) is wrong and that your friend is in Heaven. My own personal belief is that God judges us based on the qualities of kindness and mercy we have shown in our actions, and not on our beliefs. In which case your friend is in Heaven. Pray for her soul! May Mother Mary take her under Her care!
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How does a guy not take what you’re saying the wrong way? You want her in hell on a technicality just to score a point. I mean what’s wrong with you that you’d choose this thread to stick your finger in the Church’s eye?

Come on guy. Draw your line and have this out, sure. But do it in your own thread.
 
CatholicHero said:
So in your mind the religious extremists and mass murderers of all religions have a better chance of making it to heaven then a good atheist. In the Koran it says if a man saves on life then they save all of humanity. I guess that doesnt apply to atheists.
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Please don’t put words in my mouth. An atheist cannot perform righteousness, because righteousness comes from surrendering oneself to the will of God. God must be the centre of a person’s life if they are to be saved.
 
Catholicguyteen said:
So I had a friend who passed away in a car accident a few months ago. She was a really good friend, and she meant so much to me.

But something’s been eating away at me recently. She was an atheist. She was baptized though and had a catholic funeral.

Do you think it’s possible she’s in heaven? God is infinitely merciful, so do you think He took into account her young age (she was only 15)? I pray for her everyday hoping she’s in Heaven or at least in purgatory on the path to Heaven. The thought of her being in Hell really breaks my heart. She was such a good person, and so young and so innocent.
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I’m so sorry to hear of your loss!

Have you prayed the Divine Mercy novena for your friend? I find it to be very helpful and comforting in this type of situation.
 
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