what?
so you mean if an atheist who isn’t baptized but is really good and helps other people goes to hell? that doesn’t sound right at all!!
You make it sound like people earn their way into heaven by doing good deeds. That isn’t true. The only one who can earn someone a place in heaven is Jesus (by dying for our sins); it is up to us to accept or reject his gift of salvation.
This is not to say that the good deeds done by an atheist do not count for nothing, or that salvation for him is impossible. Consider the Catechism’s teaching on the concept of Baptism by Desire:
“Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.” Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity. (CCC #1260)
This sentence can apply to religious (but non-Christian) people as well as atheists and agnostics. But I in terms of atheists and agnostics, I think the key determining phrase is “but seeks the truth”. Only God can truly read ones heart and mind, and he knows whether or not an atheist or agnostic sincerely sought the truth or rejected the idea of the existence of God because they simply did not want him to exist. If it is the latter the hell merely becomes a continuation of the reality they desired in life.
…by your teaching only christians go to heaven,
If one defines a Christian as someone who accepts the gift of salvation from Christ then technically this is true. It’s just a question as to how someone accepts this gift. The Father sent one Savior for all humankind, so salvation only comes through that one Savior.
…which isn’t what Jesus teaches at all!
Where in the Bible did Jesus ever teach that salvation can come through means *other *than himself? He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father accept through me” (John 14:6). Notice he didn’t say, “I am
a way…” but, “I am
the way…”. And, of course, he said that no one goes to the Father “accept through me”, so there are no exceptions.
…and why were they in hades and not purgatory? is that what they got for serving God? it doesn’t seem so rewarding, moses stays in hades or purgatory for a thousand years or so and was far from God? it seems as he suffered in vain for 1000 yrs??
First of all, Monica told you that they did not suffer. If I were to “tweak” her comments a little, I would point out that people who died prior to the crucifixion of Christ went to Limbo (rather than Hades). The Jews called the upper realm of Limbo the Bosom of Abraham, or Paradise. It was a place of bliss. The lower realm of Limbo was called the Pit, and was a place of torment. Prior to the crucifixion, the righteous went to Paradise and the wicked went to the Pit. Jesus describes this place (and those in it) in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Moreover, when Jesus told the good thief that he would be with him “in Paradise” on that day, he meant the Bosom of Abraham.
According to the Creed, when Jesus died he “descended to the dead.” This meant he went to Limbo to reveal himself to everyone there and offer his gift of salvation. The gates of heaven and hell were now opened, and from that moment on they became the two ultimate destinations for every human being based on their acceptance or rejection of this gift. At this point, Limbo was emptied and closed down, having served its purpose of being the place where souls were housed after death but prior to the crucifixion of Christ. I should also point out that the gates of Purgatory were now opened as well, as a place of purification for those on the way to heaven who are in need of it.
:banghead: Jesus said that people should love one another. and yes, no one can enter heaven except through jesus, but couldn’t good atheists (who maybe knew there was a God but didn’t want to bother searching for him…) accept Jesus as their savior while in purgatory?