This touches on the CORE of why I didn't become a Christian.
If one can be a wonderful person and still go to hell, only because they didn't worship God in the right way or didn't beg forgiveness every day for the crime of living..... well then I have to say that the ultimate love they speak of associated with God is a load of manure.
I don't believe the bible, mostly because it was written by people to further their own agendas. The words of Jesus are usually not quoted in matters of hate and oppression carried out by his "followers" because it wasn't part of what he preached. But they quote everything else.
My point is this. Jesus was a great teacher. He preached forgiveness, love, and acceptance.
God is supposed to love everyone unconditionally. Then in the same breath, Christians talk about conditions for love and mercy.
We are told that we are born into sin. That we are lowly and worthless but God will forgive us if we throw ourselves at his feet and beg. This paints a picture of a sadistic God that lies to us and makes us beg for love and to escape torture.
This doesn't fit well with the teachings of Jesus. In my opinion it is the words of an ancient church that used fear to control the masses.
I don't believe Jesus would turn anyone away, just as I doubt an all loving God would either.
If Hell is real, I believe it is a place for contemplation and atonement for things you weren't able to make right in life or refused to. I don't think your God would make it an eternal torture pit.
I think everyone gets out.
The doctrine of fear holds people in the church that would otherwise leave, this is probably true. But it drives many more away, and keeps others from joining. It's not a good tactic. And most Christians I know feel the same way.
God is either all loving and we have nothing to fear, or he is sadistic and a hypocrite. In which case I feel he isn't worth worshiping.
I would like to believe he is the former, and that many of his worshipers are still misusing, twisting or selectively interpreting his words to further their own agendas.
So no, I don't think you must be Christian to be 'saved' but I also do think that the modern church and state of things would have Jesus heartbroken. So my opinion is reeeally not popular with many people.
What 'contemplation and atonement' would Jesus need to make while Jesus was in hell ? [Acts 2vs27,31]
The is a big difference between the 'non-biblical hell' that the world teaches or believes in, and the biblical hell [sheol] which is just the common grave of mankind where the unconscious dead sleep the deep sleep of death until resurrected to either heaven, or on earth during Jesus messianic [1000-year] reign over earth. Jesus taught the dead sleep at John 11vs11-14.
[Ecc 9v5; Psalm 6v5; 13v3; 115v17; 146v4; Daniel 12vs2,13]
According to Revelation [20vs13,14] everyone in the Bible's hell gets out.
Emptied-out hell is cast into second death of no further existence.
As far as Jesus turning anyone away, according to Jesus the ones that commit the unforgivable sin of Matthew [12v32] are 'turned away'.
'Turned away' in the sense of being destroyed forever. [Psalm 92v7]
Symbolically thrown into: Gehenna.
Gehenna has been translated into English as hell fire.
Gehenna was simply a garbage pit where things were destroyed, not kept burning forever. So, Gehenna [hellfire] is a fitting symbol for destruction.
That is why Matthew [20v28] could write Jesus ransom covers 'many'.
Many would be most but not: all.
- Hebrews 6vs4-6; 10vs26,27
Those alive on earth at the time of Matthew [25vs31,32],
and symbolically placed at Jesus right hand of favor,
can remain alive on earth and be 'saved' alive
[Rev 7v14] right into the start of Jesus millennial reign over earth.