Of course I have. Both as a child (where I don't think they really count against you in the grand scheme of things) and as a more conscious adult. There are a number of sins other than lying that I've committed as well, in varying levels of severity. But even so, I don't think that sinning necessarily is an automatic indication of evil or being a bad person. It's human nature to sin. I personally live by the philosophy that one has to accept that he/she will inevitably sin, and the purpose of life should be to do the most good regardless. One can't get hung up on the fact that he/she has sinned or done bad things...it's taking the lessons learned from those experiences and doing your best to be a good person anyway. It's a vague idea, I know, but it's not really easy for me to put it into words nor does it encompass everything regarding good/evil.Great and honest answer, I admire that.
So to the next question - Have you ever told a lie?
I'd also say that, in many cases, a life without sin for a human being would not necessarily be a good thing. Sin and the consequences of it have taught me a great deal about who I am and who I want to be. Without those experiences, it would be challenging if not impossible for me to feel empathy the way I do or help others who are struggling through sin. Just a thought.
Well, I seriously hope that we aren't all judged against Mother Teresa...then there would be lots of open space in heaven I daresay. The point about our mistakes being a permanent part of history is kind of what I meant above. You have to learn to accept your mistakes and move on, and use those experiences to help you do better in the future. As much as I wish I could use my present knowledge and go back in time and redo a few things, I can't. But that just means I need to try extra hard to be a good person in the future and try my hardest not to make those mistakes again.I am also very complacent in that I could do a hellova lot more to help others, especially if I'm stacked up against someone like Mother Teresa. I've done bad, various wrongs I really wish I could take back, but no matter how much I wish they remain a permanent in my life history.
I think that's a bit of a loaded question...I don't think that the human concept of your good outweighing your bad, or having less than a certain amount of bad, is really adequate to describe it. First of all, I have no clue what the exact parameters would be, nor do I ever expect to know. Personally, I don't believe in the idea of eternal punishment in Hell, either (but that's a separate topic altogether). I guess the way I see it would be that it's not so much a matter of having a certain number of "points" when you die, or having a certain belief system either.Just wondering, what about the "God" you conceive of accepting anyone into heaven. How much "bad" in someone should God accept?
Again, I don't think that any kind of all-loving God could honestly say that a Buddhist monk who devotes his life to charity and purity and pacifism should not be allowed in heaven just because he didn't accept Jesus as his savior. Likewise, my friend knew a rather outspoken atheist (not in the "I hate all you Christians" way but simply in the "I don't care what people think about me" way). She was probably the most active young person I've seen in terms of charity, volunteerism, activism, and so on. She had great grades and treated everyone fairly and kindly. She died in a car crash. I may not have known her personally, but I'll be damned if she wasn't as good of a person as 99% of Christians out there, and I would be offended if someone told me she was burning in Hell right now because she didn't go to church every sunday and praise Jesus during all of her activities. I know not everyone would say she is going to Hell, but some sects of Christianity do, and I think that such a stance is wrong. In short, I think the whole of who you are and what you have done in your life is far more important than your religious beliefs.
