NationStates Jolt Archive

In all the major monotheistic religions, if a person was born before Islam/Christianity/Judaism were revealed to the World, do they go to Heaven or Hell?

I'm not even sure about what it says about this in Islam (considering I'm a Muslim).

Any insight?

Hell. I'd have thought that was obvious.

I believe in the Catholic tradition they went to Hell, though when Christ was crucified he went into Hell to spring the virtuous.

Either that or they went to limbo, but that doesn't exist anymore.

Except for Isiah who was taken to Heaven in a chariot before he died.

Hell. I'd have thought that was obvious.

yeah all unbelivers will rot in hell for all eternity!!!w00000000000!

Hell. I'd have thought that was obvious.
I don't think that's right.

Is it their fault that they were born before those religions were revealed?

Poor them!!

Well, I thought maybe all three religions would have decided something fairer for them considering God is just.

:confused:

Christianity seems to be Hell, with the exception of the people of Israel. Foolish, if you ask me. Judaism, as I understand it, gives them the same afterlife, but without anywhere near the privileges. Not a clue on Islam.

Like Cahnt said, they went to hell.

In Christianity, before Jesus died there was that large curtain that seperated where the civilians could go, and where they couldn't (i.e. a seperation between civilians and heaven). After the cruxification of Jesus, the curtain ripped and from that point on, those who repented could reach heaven.

Before that, everyone went to hell because they were all sinners and too imperfect to reach Heaven.

Is it their fault that they were born before those religions were revealed?

Poor them!!

Well, I thought maybe all three religions would have decided something fairer for them considering God is just.

:confused:

-Points this post out-

You won't hear a "Christian?" Fundamentalist? say this, but acording to the Christian Bible, anyone can look at nature and see a Creator. If they honor that Creator they are honoring God. What you will run into with Fundies is they don't understand that the spirit part of the one God that became Jesus didn't just live for 30 years. That part of the one God was like the hands of God. That part was the Creator. So by honoring the Creator one is honoring that which lived in Jesus for those 30 years.

Those that lived before any of the prophets could be saved by honoring the Creator of all they could observe around them.

Well, I thought maybe all three religions would have decided something fairer for them considering God is just.

:confused:
What is Justice if not pandering to our desire for revenge? In that respect, the notion of a Just God and an Exclusive religion work together quite well.

(And generally, quoting one's self is poor forum etiquette, by the way)

What is Justice if not pandering to our desire for revenge? In that respect, the notion of a Just God and an Exclusive religion work together quite well.

(And generally, quoting one's self is poor forum etiquette, by the way)

Ack, sorry, I didn't mean to, I just wanted that question answered.

Well, considering that, I do know that God says He's just, so surely He would decide something that is just for those who lived before those religions were born?

Like Cahnt said, they went to hell.

In Christianity, before Jesus died there was that large curtain that seperated where the civilians could go, and where they couldn't (i.e. a seperation between civilians and heaven). After the cruxification of Jesus, the curtain ripped and from that point on, those who repented could reach heaven.

Before that, everyone went to hell because they were all sinners and too imperfect to reach Heaven.

I'm sorry, but that is not correct at all. It specifically states in the old testament that the people started out close to God but then they drifted from him so He gave them guidelines so that they could make it to Heaven. They had to sacrifice a sheepif they sinned and things of the sort. The guidelines were very strict and dictated the entire way life was lived for the people but they did not, by any means, mean people did not go to heaven. The curtain meant they could not communicate with God directly like we can now through prayer.

I suppose they would go to heaven anyway since they didn’t know about sins if I was God I would do that because heaven would be pretty deserted for awhile and that would be a lonely place

Not that I’m God of course ;)

I, for one, think God judges by if they led a good life (for those who lived before those religions).

But obviously I'm not the one to confirm this.

What do you think?

As a jew I've never really figured out where I'm going. As a christian, I've got a spot reserved in Hell, Level 7. Ouch, even the elevator buttons are hot!

Well, considering that, I do know that God says He's just, so surely He would decide something that is just for those who lived before those religions were born?
Justice is punishment for misdeed. In order for a being to be seen as just, punishments need to be made. In order for a construct to be seen as totally just by a particular social group, it needs to punish others on the basis not of explicit wrongdoing but merely of the grievances of the target audience.

In other words, as long as a given God works in favour of whoever worships it, it doesn't matter how fair he is to others; he will be considered "Just" nonetheless.

nobody really knows.

I tend to like this (http://www.gotquestions.org/Old-Testament-believers.html)view, but I have been told time and again that it is very flawed....but they think the entire Bible is flawed too........

nobody really knows.

I tend to like this (http://www.gotquestions.org/Old-Testament-believers.html)view, but I have been told time and again that it is very flawed....but they think the entire Bible is flawed too........

That actually might fit in with revelations...or, it might not :/. I think the only really directly and literally applicable verse about this subject would probably be John 15:22,
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin"
It would seem to imply that people who had not heard Christ because He had not spoken to the world yet would not be guilty of Sin, whereas afterwards they wouldn't of been innocent. But then again, right before and after that, Jesus mentions "...for they do not know the One who sent me" and "He who hates me hates my Father as well.", and since even the Jews realized that when Christ called Himself God's son He was referring to Himself as God, it could mean that people in OT times could of been guilty anyway if they hadn't listened to God, but conversly, I can't think of any one point in the Bible where it spells out precisely what will happen to those who died in OT times without knowing Christ personally. However, the Bible does say God is definently infinitly just, so whatever happens, it has to be for the best, whether it's getting to repent whenever Christ came after you've been dead for awhile or whatever :/.

I've often asked religious people this same question and they can never come up with a straight answer. The same goes for people who believe that there are 6000 spots in heaven (or was it 600?), and they sure as heck knew they had one of those spots, even though there were more than 6000 practitioners of their faith, and millions in the past who followed it too...

In all the major monotheistic religions, if a person was born before Islam/Christianity/Judaism were revealed to the World, do they go to Heaven or Hell?

I'm not even sure about what it says about this in Islam (considering I'm a Muslim).

Any insight?

I tried to have mercy on them, but they refused to accept the religion of Chuck Norris. So what could I possibly do?

Dunno abt Judaism, but Islam does not say that people before Muhammed went to hell.

They get judged by what they did in their lifetime. Even in current times, Islam does not say that all unbelievers go to hell automatically. Only those who had known about Islam and rejected it will go to hell. So if you are in a place where you had no chance of learning about Islam, you will be judged by what you did and not whether you are a muslim or not.

Hinduism's answer to the question would be..

Meh, they get reborn.:p

The Bible starts with Adam and Eve the first humans and they had contact with God. After them all throughout the Old Testament he communicates with all those worthy of mention in the Bible and expects everyone else do the same. Being born before Christ gave his teachings means nothing. The people still knew God and they still made their choices to follow him or not because God gave man his teachings from the begining. Seems like a simple argument for the religious to make.

Limbo. So tonight, instead of praying for world peace and/or chocolate cake, pray for Cleopatra, Plato, and, of course, Achilles.

I guess the people who made Christianity up didnt think of that.

Limbo. So tonight, instead of praying for world peace and/or chocolate cake, pray for Cleopatra, Plato, and, of course, Achilles.

Didn't the Pope close down Limbo recently?

I heard that for those who where born before the revealing of the religion, or who died before the "message" was brought to them, they get judged based on how closely they lived their life to the moral code of the religion they've never heard of. Which kinda sucks - I know so much about christianity and it's vengeful spiteful god that as a matter of principle I'm against it's moral code. So if it turns out to be right (big if) it's only christianity's fault for letting me go to hell. They coulda just never told me about that guy who got nailed to a stick and I'd have probably lived a morally alright life as a blissfully ignorant heathen :p It's basically their own god's fault for sucking so much, he makes the whole religion look bad.

In all the major monotheistic religions, if a person was born before Islam/Christianity/Judaism were revealed to the World, do they go to Heaven or Hell?

I'm not even sure about what it says about this in Islam (considering I'm a Muslim).

Any insight?

Well, you've just made a MAJOR point against monotheistic religions

In Dante's Inferno, the goodly un-believers like Aristotle ("the philosopher" - they didn't have much of Platos work at the time) who lived before Christ were in the 1st layer of hell, which isn't all that bad, but still not a great place to be.

l, which isn't all that bad, but still not a great place to be.

Not a great place to be?

Now I don't have my copyon me, but it really sounds quite nice AFAIK, not "not a great place to be" in any way :confused:

In all the major monotheistic religions, if a person was born before Islam/Christianity/Judaism were revealed to the World, do they go to Heaven or Hell?

I'm not even sure about what it says about this in Islam (considering I'm a Muslim).

Any insight?

Wherever they are, I'm sure that has all been sorted out already.

On the other hand, where do people go if they've never heard of God, Heaven or Hell before?

On the other hand, where do people go if they've never heard of God, Heaven or Hell before?

Well, if they were good it used to be Limbo, but Joey Ratz got rid of that, so I have no idea.

Where did all the people already in Limbo go?

Well, if they were good it used to be Limbo, but Joey Ratz got rid of that, so I have no idea.

Where did all the people already in Limbo go?

There is nobody in Limbo. If there were, it wouldn't be Limbo. It'd just be another place.

"Indeed, Sheol in many cases does not seem to be an afterlife destination or a location at all, but merely "the grave". In Ecclesiastes, for example, it is stated that "...the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten." and "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave [Sheol], where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (Ecc. 9:5-10, NIV)"

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheol

From, my somewhat musty memory, in Catholic religious thought it works like this.

Everyone's born. Everyone dies. Bodies get buried, dumped in the sea, eaten by animals ... whatever.

Jesus was sent by God as a sacrifice to save mankind. Which he did and we are all saved 'covenant with God' and all that.

Now, on the day of the final judgment, the graves will open, the sea will give up its dead and so on. All will live with God thereafter.

Sooooo, in answer, where did the people go before Jesus? Answer: nowhere. They just died. They, like us all born after the coming of Jesus, just died. After all have died there will be a day of judgment and we will all be brought back to life and then judged. Some will go into Heaven straightaway. Others will be thrown into a big lake of burny-hot fire for an inderminate time and then let into Heaven. All are ultimately saved.

Of course there is considerable controversy / disagreement over this

Can't say about the other major religions.

All are ultimately saved.
http://www.abestweb.com/smilies/pineapple.gif

Wherever they are, I'm sure that has all been sorted out already.

On the other hand, where do people go if they've never heard of God, Heaven or Hell before?

Manchester. :eek:

http://www.abestweb.com/smilies/pineapple.gif

Dancing pineapples rule!!!

In all the major monotheistic religions, if a person was born before Islam/Christianity/Judaism were revealed to the World, do they go to Heaven or Hell?

I'm not even sure about what it says about this in Islam (considering I'm a Muslim).

Any insight?

Detroit.http://www.cohguru.com/forum/images/smilies/theyareontome_2.gif

Where did Abraham go after he died?



And heaven and hell aren't really mentioned in the religous scripts of judaism, christianity, islam, or etc. Jews believe in one same afterlife for all peope, and Christians originally believed the same. I have no clue when heaven and hell were brought in to christianity, but they were not original concepts.


But then again,

They're all myths anyway.

Not a great place to be?

Now I don't have my copyon me, but it really sounds quite nice AFAIK, not "not a great place to be" in any way :confused:

Eh, well, when compared with heaven then. Tbh i've never read Dante personally - I was taught this by a philosophy professor when discussing how Aristotle presented a challenge for the Catholic church, as they based much of Scholasticism on his work and yet he wasn't a christian.

I guess I inferred it myself, as I assumed the first layer of hell would be slightly worse than purgatory, which is pretty dull. My bad.

In all the major monotheistic religions, if a person was born before Islam/Christianity/Judaism were revealed to the World, do they go to Heaven or Hell?
They sleep in Christ until the second comming.
They can decide then.
So, most people here are full of crock.
They probably think that of me as well.