What about people who spend their whole life following the wrong religion in ignorance?
Question:
People are born into other religions and live their entire lives thinking that they are following the correct religion. They live life doing good deeds but follow their own religion. How does God view these people?
Thank you for the web site and the learning that it provides to people such as myself that sometimes have tough questions with needed answers.
Answer:
Imagine being back in the first century. Millions of people have grown up their entire lives worshiping idols. They practice good deeds in the name of their religion, but this is all they have ever known. What did God ask of these people? "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).
The reason ought to be clear. Man-made religions do not save people. Though it might get twisted, people have basic ideas regarding what is right and wrong. The problem is that people don't even keep their own standards accurately.
"For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it isn't the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified (for when Gentiles who don't have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying with them, and their thoughts among themselves accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my Good News, by Jesus Christ" (Romans 2:11-16).
These days, Bibles are widespread and easily accessible. People can read them any time they want. They have minds that can analyze facts and compare what they learn to what they see being done. If a person is ignorant of what God has taught, whose fault is it?
Which is sadder, a person who never thought to question whether his religion is correct, or a person who realizes that his religion doesn't follow God's teachings but then does nothing about it?
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