Ask Pastor Paul Paul: Spiritual Advice for the Real World.
Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.
Dear Pastor Paul,
When I was 8 years old I was taught two things in the same week that have forever baffled me. The first was that accepting Jesus was the only path to heaven; and the second was that there were a billion people in China who had never heard the name Jesus and would never have a chance to hear that name.
How is that possible? Are these billion Chinese throwaway people to God? Practice people in God's eyes? I asked my religious studies teacher this question and she had no answer. I'm in my 20s now and still no one has been capable of giving me an answer. Cab you shed any light on this?
Dear Friend,
Determining the eternal fate of virtuous people who are not Christians has been a puzzler for a long time. Augustine raised the question in connection to babies who died before baptism, and Dante created a whole area in his Inferno for "virtuous heathens" such as the philosopher Plato and his guide Virgil who didn't deserve hell, but who were not Christians so couldn't make it to heaven. So, people have struggled with this question since the beginning -- now it is your turn.
There is an instructive joke about a new arrival to heaven being shown around by St. Peter. While passing one door, St. Peter warns the newbie to be very quiet. Once they had gone on a distance the new arrival asks, "Why did we have to be so quiet next to that door?" St. Peter smiles conspiratorially and answers: "Oh, the Baptists are in that room and they think they are the only ones in here."
I can tell that joke because I am a Baptist, but you could substitute Baptist with just about any denomination or religious tradition. People with absolute conviction are going to insist they know all about who goes to heaven. However, most tradition has a mix of responses to this question and the important thing to remember is that nobody really knows, as we are not God. Like Dante and Augustine, you have to decide what you believe about this faith quandary.
I can tell you how I have resolved it. As someone who comes from a mixed religious background, and whose closest cousins are Jews, I will say that any place where my cousins can't come doesn't sound like heaven to me. I believe and trust in a loving God whose grace and embrace exceeds even my wildest imagination, not some punitive deity who cares about what creedal boxes have been checked, or is restricted by geography or time.
Concentrate on your own practice, love God and neighbor as Jesus mandated. Feed the hungry, liberate the poor, and visit the prisoners. Appreciate the wonder and beauty of this world. And leave the question of who gets into heaven up to God.
Dear Pastor Paul
My father was a quiet but devout Catholic. He passed away after an illness right before Christmas. He never was overt or forceful about his beliefs, but they were strong and I knew at the end of his life, Scripture in particular was of comfort to him. I was obviously raised Catholic, and I believe in God but struggle with the judgment side of the faith in particular -- I lean much more toward a loving and comforting God.
But now I am really struggling with the concept of an afterlife, of heaven, and why some people seem to suffer so much (as my Dad did) when others do not. Is my Dad enjoying his final resting place or is he just gone? People have told me I will feel him, his presence, but all I feel is emptiness and sometimes even anger.
Dear Friend,
I'm so sorry about the loss of your father and the grief that clearly comes through your question. While I believe that your father is now with God, my faith can't substitute for your own and provide you the solace you seek.
Many traditions prescribe a formal mourning ritual that offers a process through which the bereft can travel. For instance, observant Jews say prayers and wear certain clothing for up to a year after the death of a loved one. Perhaps such a ritual might be helpful to you.
During the upcoming Lenten season, I hope you will consider going to church every day and lighting a candle for your father. Spend at least 10 minutes in prayer, and read those scripture passages he found comforting. In this way you honor his memory, create a container for your grief and invite a communion with your father's spirit and God's comfort.
Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.
If you are in spiritual or emotional distress, please contact a clergy person or mental health professional who can help you. If you are in crisis, please contact the crisis hotline.
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I can't take away your grief nor would I wish to. He was your father. You have every right to feel angry and to mourn his passing.
Again, there's no god nor heaven. Your father suffered because suffering is part of life. And there was no god watching out for him, as no god would have let him suffer like that. On the bright side, joy and happiness and many other wonderful things are part of life too and I'm sure your father lived a full and happy life. Don't forget the good parts of your dad's life.
Yea, your father really is gone.
The way to look at this is not to focus on the suffering or finality of this all. Your father got to live in this wonderful world for 70 or however many years. He got to experience all of life, including joy, love, excitement, and more. Most importantly, he got to spend time with you. You should be happy for the life your father lived and try to live your own life to the fullest.
So, like the rest of them, you're making it up as you go along. Does that sound consistent with rationality?
Jeremiah 18:4 "the soul that sins, it itself shall die."
Bible states the soul does not continue living after death and Jesus referred to death as a sound deep sleep, no pain, no thoughts, until he comes back to ressurect the loved ones John 5:28,29.
Think about it, Jesus resurrected Lazarus, from the grave, not from heaven, that would have just been cruel from Jesus if that had been the case
A: "you have to decide what you believe"
Q: Dear Pastor Paul, I have legitimate questions about this life.
A: "I will tell you EXACTLY what to believe."
Religion in a nutshell - I can't point you to Heaven, only to the collection plate.
However Christianity as well as the other major religions insists that we are more than our bodies that our bodies are merely temporary vehicles to inhabit for a time. That our true essence is spirit, a spark from the all consuming fire that is God and cannot be destroyed by the death of the material body.
The Bible says that Jesus’ mission is to destroy the devil which is death and I think this makes plain the illusory nature of death, it is a figment of peoples belief in a lie that tells them to make merry today for tomorrow they die. But the prince of this world loses his grip on us when we deny the reality of death and embrace a spiritual perspective. The fear of annihilation, the fear of the unknown is put to rest when we can accept the reality of God’s Word and our intimate relationship with Him.
Lucky people.
You expressed it very well; my version was something like this. The spirit is one of those things that cannot be observed until it is recognized as a reality or at least a possibility and cultivated in the consciousness. Something can be right in front of us and entirely overlooked if we don’t have the proper eyes to see it, like the Purloined Letter left in plain sight in the old story.
The messages sent by the spirit are left unopened by those unable to receive them, it doesn’t mean they’re not there. When we want to listen to the radio we know we need a receiver designed to pick up the signal so perhaps with the spirit we have to prepare our internal receivers and actively scan the airwaves expecting to get the channel we are searching for.