Christianity is a religion that is supposed to be the only one true religion and the only religion through which one can obtain salvation, or to even be heard or recognized by God.

However…

• The religion of Christianity was created by men, not God.
• The requirement, as they define it, for salvation as a means to reach God is a concept created by man, not God.
• The requirement, as they define it, to obtain salvation is a creation of man, not God.

The men who proclaim Christianity claim that their religion is the only one that has the founder who was actually God in the flesh and that it is God who died for your sins (can God die?) and there is no other religion that can make this claim. Furthermore, it is only by accepting their god-man, by faith, that one can obtain salvation. There is no other religion on Earth that has these unique attributes.

If one did not happen to be born in a Christian country and are raised up believing a different way, or did not hear about Jesus and recieve him as their savior, they are doomed to an eternity of agonizing, relentless, eternal torture in the flames of hell! This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Their favorite verse that they like to use to prove this is John 14:6:

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.

This can only be a misinterpretation

If Jesus actually did mean that God only hears the prayers of Christians then he would be contradicting himself. Because Jesus also said that “every man who has heard from the Father and learned of the Father comes to Jesus”. How can God not hear from someone who he himself is teaching? What’s more, words are not the only prayers that God hears. “Actions speak louder than words”. God hears those who do his will and do good to others.

Joh 6:45 Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

In fact, no man can even come to Jesus unless God draws him. How can God draw a man to Jesus if he doesn’t hear his prayers or sees his heart?

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The following is the only requirement for salvation, as they interpret it:

Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

But what exactly does “believeth on me” mean? Words have real meanings. Believe on and believe in are actually the same thing, right? If you believe in a person, what does that mean? Does it mean you believe that he or she exists? That could be, but what does Jesus actually mean here? If you believe in someone it actually means that you believe what he or she says. If you believe what Jesus says that means you do it otherwise your faith is dead. And dead faith does not inherit salvation, according to Jesus and James.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

It’s not those who merely believe that “enter into the kingdom of heaven”, but those that do the will of God.

According to James, faith alone can not save:

Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Obviously, those who say, “Lord, Lord” are those who believe in him. You might say, “Well there are lots of people who are ‘Christians in name only’ and don’t really believe”.

Well, here is the clincher: it doesn’t matter whether you say you believe or don’t really believe, what REALLY matters is what you DO. Those who DO the will of his Father are those who enter into the kingdom of heaven. Someone once said, “I’ll tell you what you believe when I see what you do”. If you don’t DO what Jesus taught, it really doesn’t matter what you say you believe with your mouth if you don’t DO it. If you really believe something in your heart, it will be reflected in your actions. So many Christians go to church and say they believe, but their actions betray their words — they continue to live the same way they always did.

Joh 14:23  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

I’ve heard that it doesn’t matter how many good works you do, if you don’t have Jesus then you go to hell. Well then, why is it that “every man is judged according to their works“?

Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

And why is it that when the young man asked what he had to DO to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to keep the commandments?

And why is it that Jesus created a list of examples of works of righteousness that one must DO to be one of the righteous who “enter into life eternal“?

Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Mat 25:46 And these (the non-doers) shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous (the doers) into life eternal.

And those who did not do those things Jesus considered unrighteous, and “went away into everlasting punishment“?

Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

It is certain that there are people all over the world that have either never heard of Jesus or have not been brought up to believe in Jesus. That is not their fault. And there are billions of people who, in this very situation, who are good people and do good to others and sincerely pray to who they believe to be God, no matter what they may call him. Do you think that they go to hell for an eternity?

I can’t see that the bible teaches this. It can only be the invention of the church fathers that have made the doors of heaven exclusive to only those who profess to be of the Christian religion.

Read also:

No Man Can Come to the Father?
What is Salvation All About?
What does “Saved” Mean? 1
What does “Saved” Mean? 2