What Would You Say To Jesus? What Would I Say To Jesus?

"Recently, a friend of mine overheard a Christian trying to win a convert by asking a
man, "What would you say to Jesus to get you into Heaven?"

Often, this question is posed to people who are non-Christians in an effort to frighten
them into believing in Jesus. Christians who use fear think they are doing people a
service (after all, they are saving souls, aren't they?), but fail to realize the damage
they bring to others through use of fear, condemnation and guilt.

Sometimes, the question might be phrased like this: "What will you do if you have not
accepted Jesus as your savior and die in your sins, burning in Hell?" Such a question is
often coupled along with this quote from the Bible (some Christians believe Jesus will
say this to those who do not trust in him for salvation), "I never knew you. Depart
from me, you that work iniquity!"

As I mentioned, these questions are charged with fear for one purpose: to frighten
people into believing things that are false. However, since such questions are raised, I
will attempt to provide some of what I might offer to a vengeful deity in response:

1) If you are god, all-knowing and all-powerful, then why wouldn't you have made your
plan of salvation crystal clear to everyone, both past and present? Your message has
been mis-interpreted so many ways, how can we know what your plan is? If I follow
the history of Christianity closely, your plan of salvation seems to have changed over
two-thousand years, being different dependent upon the generation and the
denomination which one is privy to. What about those who never had a chance to
hear about "your plan?"

2) If you are perfect, why couldn't you personally craft a perfect, unchanging letter or
book to humanity that could not be corrupted or changed by the hands of mankind?
Better yet, how come an all-powerful god is unable to speak to each individual
personally, one-on-one? God is said to be "omnipresent," so such a task would
certainly not be insurmountable.

3) If you are perfect, how could you create imperfect people?

4) If you are truly a loving and forgiving god, how could you punish people (whom you
created) for infinity for making only finite errors in judgment - temporary mistakes?

5) If you are the Almighty, how come you are incapable of saving everyone? Jesus is
said to have stated, "The things that are impossible with men are possible with God."

6) If you are all-knowing and loving, why would you create "bad" people who you
foreknew would ultimately suffer for all of eternity? That doesn't sound very loving.
And if people are bad, how did "bad" originate from a god who is only "good?"

7) Do two wrongs make a right? In other words, if people do bad things, why would
you do bad things to them in return, such as punish them in Hell?

How could any of us find peace in Heaven, if there were others, whom we love,
suffering eternal punishment in Hell? Nope, Heaven must surely be full of tears if a
place called "Hell" exists.

These are just some of the things I would say to a god who is vengeful (if there were
such a god). I am not disputing the existence of a higher power. But to me, a divine
being that falls short of love could not be very divine at all. Love is patient, kind, does
not envy, - Louis Charles (Jesus Religion)