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Many cultures have legends of a creation and some type of religious belief. They might worship one or many deities and they often believe in some sort of life-after-death, or perhaps only oblivion. Most major religions in the "civilized" world teach the reality of an after-life and reward or punishment. Some teach it does not matter what you do, you'll be rewarded regardless and there is no punishment. Others teach you'll be rewarded only if you are "good enough", and if you are not then it's punishment for eternity. That is, you earn your way. Regrettably no one seems to know just how good is good enough. Still others teach that you simply keep living lives until you get it right. The view of God in different religions also varies. Frequently He is depicted as impersonal and not very loving, while others depict a plethora of gods, each one with a specific purpose or task.Christianity teaches the reality of life-after-death, reward or punishment, and the eternal existence of one God. Christianity teaches that reward, Heaven, is not received by everyone, nor do you have to earn your way. It teaches that entry to Heaven could not possibly be earned because the cost of the ticket is perfection, and none of us is perfect. In Christianity the entrance fee has been paid by Jesus Christ. All you need to do to claim your ticket is believe in Him as your personal Savior. That is, believe that He paid the price for your ticket. It's such a simple thing yet it is priceless. The Christian view of God is that He loves the world He created and is interested in each and every person. He desires to have a personal relationship with each of us, through Jesus Christ. Finally, Christianity teaches, and it makes many uncomfortable, the existence of a place of eternal punishment and that place is called Hell. Friend, eternal reward is a gift from God for simple faith in the atoning death of Christ. Eternal punishment is the penalty for rejecting that gift.There are groups who claim to be Christian but their doctrine contradicts, or claims to augment, the scriptures; those groups would include Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Unitarian(Universalists), and the Church of Christ, Scientist (not the same as L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology). Christ's claims were specific, shocking and demanding. We cannot pick and choose what we would from the scriptures; we must accept them entirely or disregard them entirely. We cannot add to them, or replace them, in claim they have been 'corrupted' in some way. I urge anyone who visits this site and is not a believer, to open your heart and read the Bible for yourself. Don't take my word, or website, for the truth about what the Bible says. Read it for yourself and God bless.
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