Universalism

I've written before about how I can reconcile being a Christian with believing that non-Christians aren't doomed to either eternal punishment or exile from Heaven, but I've felt a need lately to talk about it some more. Maybe it's because I keep seeing so many people—both Christians and non-Christians—talking about how exclusivity is a major hallmark of Christianity.

Christians who believe strongly that only their way is right are fond of quoting Jesus when he says: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

This, they say, proves that the only way to avoid losing your chance at Heaven (and burning in Hell forever, they sometimes add) is to believe exactly what they believe: Jesus was God's only son, and only if you believe that he came to the world to save us all can you be saved. And because this is a message people hear a lot, non-Christians often believe that this is what all Christians believe as well, and—not surprisingly—they tend to disagree, whether it's because they don't believe in a God at all (in which case, they frequently are turned off by the idea of a God that would require such a thing) or because they have a different faith.

But context matters. Jesus says this, yes, but he goes on to say: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:21)

And what were Jesus's commands? Well, as some of you may've noticed, one of my favorite passages in the Bible is Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus berates those who failed to show love and charity to their fellow man, and says that only those who did will go to Heaven, while the rest are condemened to eternal punishment. (Of course, if you've noticed that, you'll have noticed I believe eternal punishment is an eternity without Heaven rather than an eternity of literal punishment, but that's another topic anyhow.)

Strangely enough, it seems like an awful lot of Christians who are fond of John 14:6 don't seem to know much about John 14:21 or Matthew 25:31-46. And while some non-Christians may be relatively familiar with the Bible, without the example of Christians who believe the latter two parts of it are important, they aren't very likely to see anything universalist possible in Christian beliefs. What we see people do has a lot more impact on us than what people say as a rule, so it's not surprising that few see Christianity as anything but narrow and rigid on this point (among others).

It's more than that, though. It takes a special kind of arrogance—hubris, if you will—to believe that only one person ever has known any kind of truth and tried to teach what they've learned to others, and to insist you know who that person is. I obviously believe that Jesus tried to teach us some very important things, but I also believe that's true of a number of other people... that God has been trying throughout the years, in any way possible, to show us what we need to learn to be worthy of Heaven, to help us overcome our flaws, so that we can see and be welcome in that place.

Jesus was the right messenger for people like me, but who am I—who is anyone—to say that Moses or Elijah or Mohammed or Buddha or Baha'ullah (etc.) were not also able to hear God clearly and try to explain what they heard for us, so we could get a glimpse of the truth? When so many people find truth and meaning in someone's words that they are preserved throughout the years, passing on their message through many means, I think that means something. And while there are obviously differences in those messages, there is one message that shows up time and time again in many religions, and that's this: be good to one another. Love the world and all those who live in it.

That is the message I think is most important. The other details are just individual ways to help show devotion to the message and to God. He is not so narrow as to not be able to allow (or even encourage) whatever path works best for each of us, so long as we do our best to follow that one, universal message.