If There Is No Heaven...

Comic found at Toothpaste for Dinner

During my undergraduate studies I took an upper division bible class in which the professor asked us, "If somehow you could be absolutely certain that there is no heaven, would you still be a Christian?" For some people a question like this might be shocking or offensive, but his point was profound and still sticks with me today. If the sole reason why many people are Christians is to gain access into heaven when we die, then I believe we have greatly missed a significant aspect of the biblical faiths.

I will make you into a great nation,

    and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

    and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

    and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

    will be blessed through you. 

Gen 12:2, NIV

Beginning with God's calling out of Israel to be a holy people set apart from the world, we see that there is a significant duty for God's people. In God's promise to Israel, blessings are bestowed unto the world through Israel's faithfulness - "and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." God set the Israelites apart from the rest of the world to become a people dedicated to sharing God's love and grace to those who do not recognize it or refuse to accept it. Failure to recognize, accept, or live a life that reflects God's love allows sin to control us, and we selfishly continue to cause pain and suffering for ourselves and others. Sin is our self-love that results in the neglect of others. When people suffer we tend to place the blame not on ourselves, but on those who are suffering. Sin causes us to speak great untruths in order to release our guilt. The person living on the street is there because of an addiction or poor choices. We should not feel bad when we ignore their request for help. The woman who was raped was asking for it by being less cautious and by wearing skimpy clothes. The person threatening to jump off the bridge on to the freeway is just a nuisance causing traffic blocks and needs to be either shot down or pushed off and scraped off the road so the rush hour traffic can get home. Who cares about the emotional or psychological distress they need help with? The terrorists just hate Americans. It has nothing to do with the fact that many are deprived of basic needs such as food and shelter. The way to take care of the threat is to fight back with violent, lethal power, which is "easier" than concerning ourselves with the economic disparities throughout the world that we benefit from.

It is this kind of sinful thinking that makes the world, God's beautiful creation, a difficult place to live in and to worship God for the mighty works God has accomplished. It is in response to the suffering and sorrow of the world and the selfish "solutions" offered that I can say that I would still be a Christian if somehow I was able to know with one hundred percent certainty that heaven does not exist. As a Christian grafted into the calling of Israel to be a people set apart, I want to set myself apart from the sinful way of thinking about the world's suffering. I am committed to the calling of the people of God to be reflections of God's image - the image of love and grace. The fulfillment of that commitment is through selfless love and service, which is often very difficult (but that is why we need the support found in a Church body), and not by believing the correct doctrine and doing our best to convince other people to adopt our beliefs. I now leave the question to you, because your response might differ from mine: "If somehow you could be absolutely certain that there is no heaven, would you still be a Christian?"

As always, I welcome and love to hear responses in the comments.