#16 Same Suit, Different God
I was outside enjoying the warm weather yesterday when I struck up a conversation with Ted — a man who lives on the third floor of my apartment building.
I don’t know much about Ted except that he loves to read. Something we have in common. He happened to be reading when I saw him, so I asked about his book, and he told me it was an English translation of a conversation between a man who lived in the 1600s and a monk who devoted his life to Christ.
I’ve never been big on religion or God, though brought up Catholic. I believe in God. I believe in right and wrong and an afterlife. But I don’t go much deeper than that. I don’t go to church or subscribe to a particular religion.
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Ted told me he believes, as all Christians do, that the key to getting into Heaven is by believing that Christ died on the cross for our sins. Without this core belief, you won’t make it into Heaven, regardless of the life you lead.
I told him I thought God would choose those who lived a good life and punish evildoers. (Murderers, rapists, etc.) He countered with the point that all sins require forgiveness. Big and small alike.
Upon further reflection, I see his point. But I don’t think of God as a cosmic judge waiting to dole out punishment. I view Him as a friend. Who’s to say there’s even Heaven and Hell? Maybe, when confronted with what we’ve done, we’ll be left to wrestle with our guilt — doing acts of penance for ourselves, so we can stand before Him, unashamed. Maybe our guilty conscience determines how long we spend in Hell if such a place exists.
Still, it made for an intriguing conversation.
