-DM-

Sorry for the confusion. I had read the rest of your post, but it seemed initially that you were agreeing with the idea of "works" as a way into heaven.

-Don-

Opera Nut

I became a Xtian as an adult and immediately became suicidal. Death became preferable to the living hell on earth I was living because of Xtians telling me I was a worthless horrible piece of shit all the time, even though I had "confessed my sins and accepted Christ". I couldn't handle it.

I tried to slash my wrists after one particularly traumatic phone call from a "fellow Xtian" who told me I had "no right" to charge money for typing up some halfassed sermons on tape. Then I got my BF to take me to the 24 hour emergency county mental health check in center. I spent two weeks in the county funny farm and it did me absolutely no good. The doctors looked down on the patients and couldn't deal with an educated patient that asked questions and complained about lack of things to do all day -- like me.

Now I avoid ALL churches and ALL Christians. It's a lot easier that way. I hang with atheists, Jews, Buddhists, and Unitarians.

I was raised Presbyterian, graduated from an excellent Presbyterian university, and didn't know about ignorant fundies till I was much older.

Postcard73

As am I...

rock_hard_cox

As of right now, I'm an atheist. However, I was raised Catholic. I went through Baptism and Confirmation. Shortly after Confirmation, I decided that the idea of an almighty god was rather foolish and that the concept lacked substabtial evidence. Let's assume that when I die, I discover that there is a heaven and a hell and all that stuff was true and that I was wrong. Would the fact that I went through those rituals be enough to get me into heaven?

-DM-

It depends on which brand of so-called Christianity--if any--is right.

Biblically speaking, you can build a case for "once saved, always saved" (and that is what some churches teach), but you can also build a case for the opposite (i.e., that you need to work on keeping your salvation). And then, of course, there is the question of exactly what brings about salvation in the first place.

To answer your question (said with tongue-in-cheek), check out: Christian Salvation by B. Steven Matthies.

-Don-

crisisGirl

i live in the bible belt, and grew up in a fundy family.
the beliefs on whether or not young children went to hell in the church where i grew up differred. some believed that they did, some believed that they didn't until they were 12. i was "saved" around 4 or 5. i don't remember it.
fundies believe that xtianity is absolute truth. they believe that being saved is absoutely necessary, as necessary as eating or drinking. therefore, they have no problem encouraging a young child to "accept jesus." in the mind of a fundy, encouraging a child to "accept jesus" is like encouraging them to eat their vegetables or go play outside. they don't really understand it now, but will need it later.

Harumi

In the Left Behind series, there's an Age of Innocence metioned in the book, where children of a certain age and below immediately go to Heaven when they die.

The guy who wrote it is a full blown fundie, which makes this encouraging kids to convert idea even more confusing.

-DM-

Although the "age of accountability" varies from denomination to denomination, and sometime even from church to church within a denomination, it is typicaly thought by the fundamentalists I know to be approx. six years of age.

-Don-

Kosh

They realize you have to get 'em when they're still very gullible, and about the time they need something to replace Santa Claus....

cydonia

Well, if there's an age of innocence, I should be let off the hook for supposedly giving my life to christ at age 6. I have no memory of it, I was young, so don't guilt trip me mom/grandma.

Anyway, young kids have no concept of the things fundies are throwing at them. It's child abuse.