Why Everyone is Going to Heaven



NOTE: This essay is from a Christian standpoint. In other words, it makes the wild assumption that the Bible is true and moves forward from there. Enjoy!

There are many features of Heaven and Hell that make them illogical or otherwise moot candidates for the realm of plausibility and (more so) sensibility. For the sake of my own sanity I will focus today on the "sensibility" side of things and examine the type of people who will supposedly go to Hell. In general, it is non-believers, or as many Christians are so hip to phrase it: "Those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior." It is this latter phrase I will utterly rip to shambles in this essay, because it requires the deranged, mentally handicapped, or otherwise mentally unstable humans to burn in Hell for their genetic flaw. The genetic flaw, incidentally, that God willed into being. And if you want to deny this, then you instead must accept all people will go to Heaven.

Who actually will be saved is quite elusive in the Bible, and in fact while reading the New Testament I am so awed by the compassion in Christ's words it's hard to imagine He would eternally damn anyone. But Christianity demands consequence, as do most (all?) faiths, and the consequence of not believing in Christ is eternal Hellfire. Despite the Bible's ambiguity, Christians are only too keen to condemn sinners and especially those who have not "accepted Jesus."

You see, "accepting Jesus" is supposed to be easy. That's the whole idea of Christianity. All that's required is accepting Jesus into your heart. No "works" are required, no trials (i.e., the Sacraments) or good deeds. Just faith. You will find that once you have accepted Jesus good deeds will flow from you without your conscious decision to be good. Let go; be enriched by His glory. Jesus is love.

Okay, so it's a no-brainer. But how about those who don't have a properly working brain? How about the severely handicapped who find it difficult to function in their daily lives. Can you imagine such a being possessing the ability to understand, grasp, and accept Jesus as their personal savior? The most severe cases cannot read or speak, and there is debate exactly how much they comprehend. I would never declare such individuals less human than myself, but it is clear that they are not given a fair shot at salvation.

The Christian answer to this is that God will make an exception. Children, permitting the parents are believers, will be saved. It is safe to say this will be the case with someone who maintains an infantile state throughout his life. Mentally handicapped individuals often cannot think beyond the 1st or 2nd grade level, many even lower if they have the ability to learn at all. I describe these individual's state of being as "lacking the capacity" to accept Jesus into their hearts. Christians will not argue with this and will quote scripture to back themselves up.

At what level of IQ does a person suddenly lack the capacity? Can we place a number on this? For argument's sake, let's say 70, as that is the diagnostically accepted number. Anyone below an IQ of 70 will lack the capacity to properly accept Jesus. Fair enough.

Is there anyone else out there who lacks the capacity? How about a schizophrenic? In severe cases the person is so disconnected with reality the entire concept of being saved is not something that will ever enter his mind. Even if they once believed, there is no method of ascertaining their current state of belief, nor will they likely admit to any such belief, or that there is a god in their fantastic illusion. Surely those so disconnected from reality as to negate the process of accepting Jesus would not be damned. Surely they cannot be expected to defy their genetics.

Genetics. Perhaps that would be a broader category we could use. Anyone with a genetic abnormality so grievous they have lost their grip on reality or cannot comprehend properly Jesus, God, and the Bible will be saved. Another example is someone who cannot hear or see. They could learn about Jesus through touch, but to what level would that comprehension exist? Likely not at all. Surely God will not punish those who He created without the capacity to even comprehend Him!

Now that a solid foundation has been built, let's try and define exactly what we mean when saying a person "lacks the capacity" to accept Jesus. We have given examples: those who are not intelligent enough, or those who are insane, or those who cannot see or hear. They lack the capacity, but what exactly do we mean by this?

A person is said to "lack the capacity to accept Jesus" if
A) all that a person is in mind and soul (genetics, upbringing, etc.), and
B) all of the input sources a person may receive information about Jesus (written word, spoken word, a feeling, etc.)
do not combine to form acceptance.

For example, if a person is blind and mute then the possible input sources for Jesus are not compatible with that person's mind. We can only come to know Jesus if we can actually comprehend that such a being exists. I would love to see a person explain Jesus to someone who has never seen or heard anything and never will. Perhaps it can be done, but I would venture to state that the general rule is that it does not work.

A simpler way to think about all of this is the tiny word "if." Thinking back on the person who is severely mentally handicapped to the point of not understanding the spoken word, we could say that "if" the person were more intelligent he could accept Jesus. Likewise, if our deaf and mute person were able to hear and speak she would be capable of accepting Jesus.

The idea behind Christianity is to remove all the "ifs" involved in keeping a person from accepting Jesus. For instance, if a person has never heard of the Bible it is the job of the Christian to present said Bible. If a person does not understand why he needs to be saved, does not understand his sinful nature, then it is the job of the Christian to teach.

However, when the "if" which needs removing is rooted in the person's psyche or mind, it becomes more difficult. Our mentally handicapped person, for instance, can be given the Bible, but he cannot read. You could read the Bible to him, but he cannot understand the words. He can be told of God and Jesus and Salvation in laymen terms, but he cannot comprehend the ideas. The "if" which needs adjusting is intelligence. It becomes a matter of "if" he were more intelligent.

So let us heap all of the "ifs" that we can control in one corner. This will include such things as the Bible, church, peers, joy of heaven, fear of hell, giving purpose to life, etc. Basically, these are all the tools a person can use to help someone understand The Christ and come to know about salvation and the love of Jesus. These are the items of (B) in my definition above -- the input.

Now let us place in the other corner a perfectly reasonable, sane, and altogether average human male. This male has grown up in the Midwest, has known of the church, but his parents were not religious and he never attended any type of service. He is like so many who know about Christ because of their surroundings but still "lack the capacity" to accept Jesus.

So we begin to use our tools on him. We teach him about sin, about the joy of heaven, about why he should fear hell. More than anything else we give him a purpose for life, because he, like most, has always felt somewhat empty and alone. And slowly, over the months, he begins to feel the love of Christ. And one day he opens up completely and lets Jesus into his heart. He is saved. It is beautiful; I will admit.

Now, the question I'd like to think about is exactly when he no longer lacked the capacity to accept Jesus. Undoubtedly when we met him he was lacking because he did not have all the tools. However, we began to use the tools on him and eventually he saw the light of Christ. Could we say he had the capacity to accept Jesus after we spoke to him on the first day? No, because if that were the case he would have accepted Jesus. There were still too many "ifs" to be removed.

The fact is that he never really had the capacity until the moment of salvation. That is to say, all of the input we gave him (information about Jesus, Heaven, Hell, Sin) did not combine with all he is (soul and mind) to form acceptance until that moment of salvation. Any moment before then he was lacking in some way. Something needed to click in his soul or in his mind. But until that click he was lacking the capacity. After all, if he had the capacity he would accept Jesus.

Something might be bothering you because you are seeing "capacity" as synonymous with "potential." To say a person has "potential" to be saved is very different than what I am proposing. Theoretically we all have potential. Clearly our hypothetical male above had potential or he never would have believed. Even the blind and deaf person has potential "if" her blindness and muteness were removed by some scientific breakthrough. We have no way of knowing if that scientific breakthrough will occur, so there is always potential (in the form of hope). However, in this moment she does not have the capacity. "Capacity" refers to all that a person is in that moment. Therefore our hypothetical average male was lacking the capacity when we met him, although he had plenty of potential.

Let's create another hypothetical person, a female this time, and give her a name, because she's special: Lucy. Lucy had the same upbringing as our previous person...Midwest, not a churchgoer but knows about God and Jesus because of her surroundings. We approach her as we did our male, we give her a Bible, teach her about Sin, Heaven, Hell. We use the same methods we always use, but for some reason she is not understanding. At least that is how we perceive it.

Lucy attends church with us every Sunday, and she sings hymns and has a beautiful voice. On Thursday nights we take her to Bible studies so that she can become even more familiar with the teachings of Jesus. What we discover is that she understands completely what Jesus is teaching. In fact, she comes to know the Bible so well that she has answers to questions that new members of our group are asking.

One Thursday Lucy arrives at our Bible study and declares she no longer wishes to come. She has enjoyed it immensely, but she thinks her time would be better used elsewhere. She hugs us all and is starting to head back out the door when a member of our group says, "see you at church on Sunday!".

Lucy turns and explains that she will no longer be going to church, either. "This just isn't for me." She says. So concerned for her well-being, another member blurts out, "but you will go to Hell!". Lucy smiles and leaves. She is no closer to believing in this all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the Universe than she was before she picked up the Bible. In fact, the more she learned the more ridiculous it all became until at last it felt she was reading an epic poem by Homer. "Why is this god different than Zeus?" she was to later ask herself.

In Christianity this is perhaps the worst scenario. If a person has seen, heard, and witnessed the Word of the Lord yet defies it regardless her destiny is Hellfire. But this, my friends, is where we must part ways. I will now pull this entire rant together and bring my point home.

Could it not be said that Lucy "lacked the capacity" to accept Jesus? Yes, it can be said, and it is the only logical statement to make. You are willing to accept that God will make concessions for a human who has an IQ of 40 and cannot comprehend the written word. So tell me, what is the difference between a person like that and someone like Lucy? Both are given all the input (Bible, Heaven, Hell, God, Church, etc), but the input will not combine with all they are in this moment (mind and soul) to form acceptance. You can scream the Bible all day and night to our mentally handicapped individual and you can do the same to Lucy, but neither will gain a lick of belief. Each could read the Bible from page one to the final Revelations, attend church on Sundays for twenty years, but neither will find truth in the words of Jesus. They neither have the capacity. That is to say, their current state of being (mind and soul) does not mesh with the input (Bible) to create a believer. Perhaps Lucy simply is not ready, and something more must happen to her in order to make a believer out of her. But that is irrelevant at this moment.

You want to hang on to "potential," I know. You don't want to concede that it has anything to do with her "capacity" -- all that she is in this exact moment. Lucy has the potential to accept Jesus because she isn't mentally challenged, and therefore she will be judged on "not reaching her potential" with Christ. Will she now? I don't think so.

God judges on capacity, not on potential. It does not matter what you "could" have been, only what you are. After all, you could have been a killer or a rapist. You could have been many horrible things, but you aren't. Surely God cannot judge you on what you could potentially become. Of course not. That would be absurd. God will judge you based on what you are when you die. When you die all potential is lost. At the moment of death a person's potential has been realized. There is no hope of a scientific breakthrough in this millisecond that will make the mentally handicapped person suddenly intelligent and able to comprehend Jesus. Therefore the person's potential exactly matches her capacity. In other words, all that she is in this moment is all that she ever will be.

All that you are in the moment of death is all that you ever will be. And that is what God judges. In that moment of death God will look at our sweet Lucy and notice that she does not currently have the capacity to accept Jesus. Clearly. After all, the words of the Lord were being screamed into her ears. She read the entire Bible (more than once). She simply lacked the capacity. Therefore, just as God pardons the deaf and mute woman, so shall He pardon Lucy. They are one-in-the-same.

And the beast growls! "If you want to declare Lucy hell-worthy, likewise you must declare the deaf-mute."

The beast is correct. Either God makes concessions or He does not. If He does, then the concession must be based on our capacity. Our capacity is all that we are in this moment. If in this exact moment we have the capacity to accept Jesus, then we will. If we do not have the capacity to accept Jesus, then we will not. Therefore, if God makes concessions everyone is going to Heaven. Anyone having the capacity to accept Jesus will have done so and will be going to Heaven. Anyone not having the capacity will be given a concession for lacking the capacity.

If God does not give concessions then poor Lucy will burn in Hell. But if Lucy burns in Hell because she lacks the capacity to accept Jesus, then so must all others who lack the capacity. This includes severely mentally handicapped people and others we have mentioned. They are the same as Lucy in that their mind and souls are incompatible with the currently available input about Jesus. And, as pointed out, God judges based on our current state, not on our potential. God must judge the handicapped person for all he is, not all he could be. Likewise he will judge Lucy based on all she is, not on what she could be.

We all lack the capacity to accept Jesus until we actually do. What brings about the acceptance is not something you can control. You can study the Bible, as I have done. You can go to church, as I have done. You can go to Bible studies, as I have done. If your mind and soul are not ready then you will not believe.

I would say quite frankly that we all lack the capacity until God's Grace is bestowed upon us. Without the Grace of God we are batting blind. Even if by luck we hit the ball squarely, its whereabouts will be a mystery until our eyes are opened by Grace. All happens according to the Will, the Grace, of God. And if all such things rely upon that Grace, it is not in our power to believe or not believe. Should the Lord provide for me the possibility of belief, then I will believe. Until then, all I can be is all that I am, a philosophical wanderer, reading and studying the Bible, but not believing in the god therein.

For further reading, see Double Predestination
"It is called double predestination because it holds that God chose both whom to save and whom to damn, as opposed to single predestination which contends that though he chose whom to save, he did not choose whom to damn."