lilithu said:
Hi Scott, namaste,
I understand and respect your beliefs here. My professor has said the same thing, and I appreciate how important the unique incarnation of Christ is to the Christian tradition.
However, as someone who's family hails from China, and who has aunts and uncles who are Buddhists and Taoists and Confucianists, I know that one's religious beliefs are largely influenced by the culture in which one was raised. The Son may have incarnated for the whole world, but most of the world did not hear about it until much later. And even when they did, their cultures made it more likely that they would follow their own religions.
One can argue that the Holy Spirit makes it possible for people to come to Christ regardless of their backgrounds. But it is still undeniable that there is a cultural bias as to who is Christian and who is Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist, etc. I just can't believe that a God who loves humanity would make it so that it is easier for one group to be saved over another, based on nothing more than the accident of where and when one was born.
One can also argue, as many thoughtful Christians do, that non-Christians (who are deserving) are still saved, by some mysterious means thru Christ, even tho they don't believe in Christ. I appreciate the love that is expressed in that belief, but it still does strike me as a bit patronizing. I suppose it's alright for a Christian to believe that her Hindu friend is really an "anonymous Christian"; he just doesn't realize it, as long it's ok with the Christian that her friend thinks she's really a Hindu; she just doesn't realize it.
Personally, I believe in the salvific power of the Spirit acting in all of creation. If Christians better understand God's love thru Christ, that's wonderful. Honestly. But I also believe that my 70 year old aunt is doing just fine by reflecting on Kwan Yin every day instead. As someone who respects both Christians and Buddhists (and others) equally, I believe that the love that my aunt feels from the bodhisattva of compassion is just as valid.
You have made raised some great points. As I read your post, I was astounded at how perfectly you expressed some of the same things I have tried in the past to express. Since I believe that pretty much everything you have said is valid, I wanted to just expound upon what you have already pointed out. Naturally, as I am LDS, my viewpoint will reflect the Mormon perspective. Hopefully, my comments will not be seen as proselytizing; they are not intended to be.
Although it appears that this conversation has drifted further and further away from the Trinity, I want to pursue a couple of ideas you brought up. The New Testament makes it pretty clear that salvation is through Jesus Christ and Him alone. It speaks time and time again of the need to believe in Christ, to have faith in the power of His atoning sacrifice and and to be obedient to His commandments. On the other hand, it teaches of God's immeasurable love for "the world," and says that He sent His Only Begotten Son to make it possible for all mankind to be reconciled to God. These two teachings really can present a problem for any Christian who seriously stops to consider the fate of the little boy who was raised in a remote village in Africa in the 4th century and practiced the tribal religion of his people, the young girl in 9th century Mongolia, the man or women in 15th century India or, skipping ahead to the present, the kids being indoctrated against Christianity today in many, many countries.
It's easy for us to say that the Holy Ghost could touch each of these individuals and somehow bring them to the knowlege of someone (Jesus Christ) they could not possibly have even heard of or have heard only misleading information about. To me, that idea is just about as naive as they come. There are people all over the world today, as you pointed out, whose cultures realistically get in the way of their converting to Christianity, even if they were so-inclinced. I know a lot of people simply dismiss the dilema by saying something like, "Oh, God will see that they are saved regardless of what they believed. He knows their hearts and will not require the same thing of them as He does of us." Well, to me, that's just plain un-Biblical. Some people have to accept Jesus Christ or be damned for eternity; for others, it doesn't matter in the slightest? I don't buy that.
Most Christians believe that Jesus visited (in spirit form) those who had died prior to His ministry, during the three days His body lay in the tomb. It is also commonly accepted that many of these individuals repented of their sins, acknowledged Him as their Redeemer and were subsequently saved. Why on earth didn't God just handle their situation in the same way He is supposedly going to handle the situations of the millions of Buddhists and Taoists and Confucianists (like your relatives) who are alive today? Well, to me the answer is obvious: He's not going to make the decision for them and say, "Well, had their circumstances been different, had their cultural biases and family backgrounds and a myriad of other things not got in the way, they'd have accepted Jesus Christ. That's sufficient. They're saved along with those who actually made the choice." Instead, He is going to allow them the same opportunity the people Jesus visited had. I believe that, upon death, the spirits of all men and women go to the very same Spirit World Christ visited after His death but prior to His resurrection. There they will await their own resurrections. And there, without unencumbered by all of the things that prohibited a clear understanding of Jesus' gospel here on earth, they will have the opportunity to learn of Him from those who already believe. They will be guided by the Spirit and will actually be able to make a conscious decision on their own as to whether they believe what is being taught to them.
In this way, both halves of the salvation equation are met. God doesn't condemn them to hell simply because they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time, but neither does He make the decision to accept Christ for them. That is why I believe that mortality is nothing more than a speck in the eternities. This life is far too short for one's eternal fate to be determined when there are so many, many factors influencing our decisions and understanding.
Man, I really got carried away. I'm sorry. Brevity has never been one of my talents. I just loved your comments, though, and wanted to respond.
Kathryn
the first thing he created it says...ie firstborn...as in the first born in a family...ie Son of God....
