one for the christains

[indian]

If you believe in and live like a christain, but haven't been baptised or haven't porperly converted in any ceromeny or anything, would you still go to hell?

[silly moo]

As a committed believing Christian I wouldn't have thought so - presumably if you believe in God / Christ then He knows this.
I may well be wrong, but I think RC's believe that you must be baptised to go to heaven.

[cliffsdoll]

no you would'nt go to hell, because becoming a christian means not only believing in jesus, but actually giving your life to him ans asking for forgiveness,  asking him to come into your life and accepting him as your saviour and lord, once you have done that your sins and old way of life have been wiped out and forgiven.  the reason for baptism is for christians to show their love and commitment to god to other people, cos it means so much more if you your love for the lord openly.   i am actually a drop out christian, and havent attended church for over 5 years. 

[maggie01]

I would think there is a lot of people these days who have not been baptised.

[Madison68]

Just spoken to a friend about the same sort of thing today!  She believes that unless a Christian has been 'born again' baptised, then they will not go to Heaven.

[lindapinda]

Yes I agree with madison,born again christians that I know,are adamant,that unless you are born again,it's straight to hell for you. It's not enough to believe in god and jesus,and live basically a good life,only those who are born again will go to heaven. Iv'e had many an arguement over this one!

[bracknell]

Baptisim/Christened - this is when you are a baby and your parents take you to church to receive your name in the eyes of God and the church.  Then later in life there is Confirmation/Holy Communion - which is the decision you make if you want to be a "fully paid up member" of the church.  Personally we will all get called to task on Judgement Day and it does not matter if you are Christian, Athiest, Jew, Muslim, as long as you have done good works, and lived  a clean life and not comitted mass murder then it is up to our maker.  Who are we to decide who goes where? and that is if there is a heaven and hell

[Chessman]

Jesus said, 'nobody can come to heaven except throgh me', so if your a Christian, you must believe that only someone who has accepted the Trinity, and therefore Jesus as your god, can go to heaven, I would have thought that it would make know difference at what stage of life you accept him, being baptised or Christened should make no difference, if you truly believe.

But Jesus lived and died as a Jew, so he can't be in heaven if its only for Christians.

Sorry, I felt had to put that last one in.

[Cetti]

As a born again Christian I'm on my way to hell then because I haven't been baptised either - and only go to any church if and when I feel it!

That is the beauty of God, I know I am accepted even if I don't do what is expected. Expected by other people I might add and not by God. Baptised as a baby, went to incredibly boring confirmation classes at 12 years of age. Confirmed by a Bishop of somewhere in a long flowing white dress and veil (ugh!) Wasn't allowed to eat anything before taking communion, went to church every sunday.....yawn..... Saved from all this nonsense by a Saviour who loved me where I was - and as I was. That doesn't mean we don't all need a few tweaks and changes along the way........

Chessman and cliffsdoll have put it so well. Jesus is the bridge between us and God, so if you believe Jesus is the only son of God, died for us, then ascended into heaven - that's where you will go.....no ceremony needed, it really is that simple.

[Chessman]

Jesus said 'Nobody can go to heaven, except through me', even though he was baptised, he never said anything about having to be baptised to go to heaven, he also, was never Christened. Anyway, Jesus himself wasn't Christian, he was born a Jew, and he died a Jew.

[Chessman]

Sorry about my last post, I thought i'd pressed the wrong button, so I just abridged a bit of what i'd said before.

[mullein3]

their is no such place as hell..we all go to the spirit world on passing bad people go to a lower plane until they are sorry for their deeds ..and they repent and accept..then they join their loved ones...we all make mistakes and its our own personal responsibility ..we need to learn lessons..to much is said about this church thing of heaven or hell...i am sure you will go to the same place as everyone else..some religiouse groups only believe they are the chosen ones its a load of nonsense..everyone is entitled to believe in whatever they wish to believe in..it doesnt give people the right to be so smug thinking they are special...we are all equal and all have our own paths to follow ..dont worry about it just do good whenever you can and follow your own path...if you wish to get involved with a religion group thats fine ..it wont make you better or worse as a person...their are many hypocrites in thhese religiouse groups and i am a firm believer of each to his own as long as its not forced on me..if i wanted to join a group i would...it doesnt make me bad to do my own thing as its just my choice..

[indian]

Thankyou everyone, that's helped me loads!

[AceRimmer]

You live, you die. We all end up as fertiliser. We exist whilst we are here. Life is what dictates our selfworth. Live a full and good life. Thats how we will be percieved in life after our death. Our children are our only legacy. What we instill into our children is the only afterlife we have.

[ursula62]

Chessman - Jesus *WAS* baptised, by John the Baptist, before beginning his ministry.

... And the holy spirit descended upon him saying "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased".

[WaldoMcFroog]

I find it fascinating that all these different Christians who all believe in the same story from the same book can't even agree on what is required; do you need to be baptised or don't you? It's quite a major point one would think but yet apparently not spelled out sufficiently clearly for everyone to be able to understand. Rather a significant flaw, I'd have thought.

[Chessman]

ursula62, if you read my post again, I said that Jesus was baptised, I also said that he never said you have to be baptised to go to heaven, nowhere in the Bible does he say that, all Jesus said on the subject, was that you have to accept him, again, he doesn't stipulate at what age.

[metagirl]

Roman Catholics require you to be baptized and do all the other ceremonies (sorry can't remember them!) before you can be declared saved and heaven bound.

But other Christians, especially of the "born again" variety, believe that you just need to ask Christ into your heart, believe that He is God's son and take a stab at repentance before you can be saved.

Like all religions/beliefs, faith is the key.

[tellboy]

The last answer said "Like all religions/beliefs, faith is the key. "

Wrong ...Not so, I am a Buddhist and we do not have faith as faith is believing what you are told. We have to prove it to  ourselves not believe things because  that is what we are told.

Anyway please do not worry about going to hell as it does not exist, how can it ? where is it ?

Hope tis reassures you.

Metta

[mimififi]

Jesus was baptised by John.  I think we generally are baptised because it was commanded of us by Jesus "therefore, go an be baptised" (paraphrase). 

However, I am a born again, believing, going to heaven (hurrah!) type of christian, I go to a very charaismatic church and everything, but I do not believe that if you are a committed bornagain-a, and not baptised that you wouldn't be allowed in Heaven.  God knows your heart, and looks at the inside and he knows whether or not you love him and serve him.

What if you lived in a land locked place and there was no water for baptism?  what if you became a christian in an extreme situation such as in the death camps during WWII and didn't have time to be baptised?  What if you had something wrong with your ears and couldn't be immersed in water??? there are copious anomalies that would suggest it was not a condition.

Jesus would have gone to heaven if he had suddenly died (I know impossible) before he was baptised.  I think J called us to be baptised because he knew it would be a blessing to us and a holy sacrament to illustrate publicly our shedding of our old life and our donning of the new.  he meant it for us as a gift.  If you don't want to accept it, then I think it is personaly between you and him.

I

[mimififi]

I know that the Baptist Union (UK) do not allow someone to become a member of the church if they are not baptised, but don't get me started on religous bureaurcracy.  Do you think that Jesus would have sat around having meetings to decide whether or not children over 3 were allowed to sit in the designated children's area's on the Mount, or whether a seperate area ought be supervised, etc etc, perleaassse!

I think you need to make sure you're straight and walking the narrow path.  I'm concerned about your "not properly converted" bit to your post.  If you are walking straight with the father, then generally you don't have any doubts that you'll be there in Glory one day, if you are not sure whether or not you'll go the H, then I think maybe you should go find someone to chat too personally.  find yourself a local Alpha course, or Christianity explained course, or just pop in to a service on a sunday or something.  try a baptist church as they are generally straight talking (if a little bureaucratic,) or maybe a Church of England, or an evangelical or pentecostal church.  Where abouts are you? UK?  I may be able to recommend one to you?