Of course one can't disagree with the stance of most/all atheists and 'neutrals', the guy is a model citizen of the world – almost the male version of Mother Teresa (you know what I mean), spreading nothing but joy and happiness - so why would such a great guy be doomed to the eternal fires of hell?
Here’s the thing though; the issue of God, or god. Who is this dude, and why, if he does in fact exist (in the way Christians believe in him), then why would he send such a great guy like His Holiness to hell. What kind of a god punishes good?
> World belongs to humanity, not this leader, that leader or that king or prince or religious leader. World belongs to humanity.
> The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
- Dalai Lama
So, one day God took a risk and decided to create the world, the heavens and the earth (no small feat, even for him – he did rest on the seventh day). He then took an even bigger risk: he created Man, and endowed him with the gift of free will.
Let me put it to you another way: one day, God decided to have children. With the gift of free will, his children then turned away from him and worshiped other gods and idols – this you can interpret as the most dominant aspect of your life.
This of course is no ordinary story. God loves us, all of us, and with that – taking another risk, to put his heart out there and be rejected time and time again, and to feel that pain…
It IS a relationship. When people speak of a relationship with God, they MEAN a relationship. It goes both ways. Only God has already professed his love for us, already forgiven our innumerable sins – If only we were to acknowledge him as the one true God.
So, regarding the Dalai Lama (or any good person who also happens to be a non-believer) God created a home for him and his children to live in, but let me ask this:
If heaven is our ultimate home, then why would God allow people to dwell in his house when they do not acknowledge him?
He gave us the choice. For those people (even those who do good), who worship other gods, or recognize a different ‘spiritual parent’ – so to speak, they are destined to carry on along that road. They chose NOT to live in the house (Kingdom) of God, and elect to stay in a different house.
So, if there is only a heaven and a hell, then there is only one place for those who do not dwell in heaven.
This is not easy to accept, by any means.
The thing is, even for Christians, doing good deeds and even being a regular attendee of church, will not guarantee your place in heaven. The truth is nothing we do will ever be enough, because being born into this world – means we were born into sin. Man welcomed sin into the world. And there is no room for sin in heaven. And you may have heard - NO man is without sin.
Sin
Whatever is not of God, is sin. [Romans 3:23 - everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence] This is rather hard to accept.
- Matthew 12:30 >> "{Jesus} Whoever is not with me is against me..."
- 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 >> "After all, it is none of our business to judge outsiders. God will judge them."
To be with God, we can only offer ourselves as living sacrifices. God is in love with us, he is after our hearts, but WE deserted him. Spiritually, Christians are destined to be the Bride of Christ (you've probably heard this one before), but think of it as a groom awaiting his bride who constantly cheats on him... here he is, offering and professing his Love forever and always, but we keep turning our back and him. So how are to live in the house of God when we refuse to accept him
If we only make the decision to open ourselves up to him… this will NOT ensure an easy life, not by a long shot; it means a life wherein you are at constant odds with your human nature, and the battle between the spiritual and the physical is one which is waged every day.
- In other words - were it not for Jesus and God's mercy - we would ALL be headed for one place - and that place is not heaven.
>> Recommended reading: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge<<
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.
- Winston Churchill
Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
I was at this time of living, like so many Atheists or Anti-theists, in a whirl of contradictions. I maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not existing. I was equally angry with Him for creating a world.
- C.S. Lewis
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.
- G.K. Chesterton
Some interesting reading:
Link to Athet Pyan Shinthaw Paulu's translated testimony (from Cambodian): 'Back from the Dead'
Some debunking of the story - one needs to be skeptical about these things: Debunking Monk's resurrection
‘The story that follows is simply a translation of a taped testimony from a man with a life-changing story. It is not an interview or a biography, but simply the words from the man himself. Different people react in different ways when they hear this story. Some are inspired, some skeptical, a few will mock and ridicule, while some others have even been filled with rage and anger, convinced these words are the ravings of a mad man or an elaborate deception. Some Christians have opposed the story simply because the radical and miraculous events described herein do not fit their feeble image of an Almighty God.’
- The Asia Harvest website