Questions tagged [non-christians]
The non-christians tag has no usage guidance.
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How can non-believers, who cannot perceive nor understand the things of the Spirit, overcome their spiritual blindness?
Suppose a non-believer is open to the possibility that God and the things of the Spirit might exist, but acknowledges that for them subjectively God appears to be hidden and thus feels unable to ...
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Why would non-Christians go to hell?
If being a non-Christian is a sin, and if Jesus died for all of our sins, why should non-Christians go to hell?
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Are non-Christians buried in Christian cemeteries?
A prominent Christian cemetery in New Delhi has a grave containing the mortal remains of a former President of India, a Hindu by profession. His wife was a practicing Christian; kept some ashes after ...
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Will unbelievers continue to be unbelievers at the end of the age?
In a recent SE post on epistemic certainty about the truth claims of Christianity a helpful response was given:
Is there any way for a rational person to reach the conclusion that
Christianity is ...
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How to teach Christianity to an ESL junior high school student who knows nothing about Christianity? [closed]
I have an ESL student in Japan. His parent wants him to go to Excel Christian School in Sparks, Nevada but he knows nothing about Christianity not even that Christmas comes from Jesus Christ's birth. ...
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Does God ever answer prayers from non-believers?
Does God ever answer prayers from people that aren’t Christian or even from other religions? From what I see, it looks as if Scripture tends to say no. For example:
We know that God does not listen ...
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From a Christian perspective, what are "nonresistant nonbelievers" most likely doing wrong that prevents them from finding and believing in God?
From Nonresistant Nonbelief, by J. L. Schellenberg:
One might fail to believe in God even while God is open to a belief-entailing personal relationship if one prevents oneself from believing in God ...
user50422
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Are there any Christian groups or denominations that believe that non-Christians have access to the power of the Holy Spirit?
In response to my question How does the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in Christians, as opposed to non-Christians who don't have access to this power?, a user commented:
Perhaps this question ...
user50422
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What is the Biblical basis for the idea that non-Christians do not have access to the power of the Holy Spirit?
The question "How does the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in Christians, as opposed to non-Christians who don't have access to this power?" states
"To the best of my knowledge and ...
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Are there published testimonies from former Zen Masters or advanced Buddhist Monks in general about their conversion to Christianity?
Are there published testimonies from former Zen Masters or advanced Buddhist Monks in general about their conversion to Christianity?
To illustrate what I mean by "advanced Buddhist Monks", ...
user50422
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According to Christianity, to what extent can non-Christians develop and manifest the fruit of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV):
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those ...
user50422
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How does the power of the Holy Spirit manifest in Christians, as opposed to non-Christians who don't have access to this power?
To the best of my knowledge and understanding, access to the power of the Holy Spirit is an essential and distinctive attribute and privilege of Christians. People from other religions, as well as ...
user50422
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What are the differences between a non-Catholic Christian becoming Catholic and a Non-Christian becoming Catholic?
Personal bit here - I’m a Christian teen looking at becoming Catholic.
As I’ve studied what that would look like, I have struggled to find resources for people in my situation. All I really are ...
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What did the Early Church Fathers believe about the fate of the unreached?
Many individuals have died and continue to die without ever having heard the message of salvation. Illustrative examples of this are everyone who was born before Jesus, individuals contemporary to ...
user50422
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Do any Christians purport to make testable predictions that any unbeliever can verify in their lifetime?
Do denominations within Christianity make concrete, testable predictions that any unbeliever should be able to verify by themselves, personally, experientially, in their lifetime, provided that ...
user50422
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Do any Christianity denominations really offer something for addiction problems specifically?
I have a family member who says there is nothing in any religion of real use there for addiction. I have heard this before about Christianity in particular. She doesnt have a runaway issue but it is a ...
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What are the most challenging objections to the divine inspiration of the Bible?
What are the most challenging objections to the divine inspiration of the Bible? Are there particularly compelling arguments that skeptics of the divine inspiration of Scripture commonly bring up to ...
user50422
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How common are apparitions of Mary and/or other Saints amongst non-Catholics?
How common are apparitions of Mary and/or other Saints amongst non-Catholics? There are many testimonies about these sorts of apparitions published on the web, but people who report these experiences ...
user50422
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Is repentance of sins possible outside the Gospel?
Does every human being, at least once in their lifetime, have a genuine chance to repent of their sins, turn away from them and start living a righteous life? If so, does this also include people who ...
user50422
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Do any Christian congregations follow the example of 1 Cor 14:24-25 to win unbelievers for Christ?
In 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, Paul teaches an extraordinarily effective way to win souls for Christ, when an unbeliever or outsider steps for the first time into a Spirit-filled congregation:
24 But if ...
user50422
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Can people who don’t believe, yet don’t not believe in Jesus Christ, still make it into heaven if they’re a good person? [closed]
My boyfriend and I have gotten into many discussions. He’s mentioned “I don’t get it. I don’t not believe it him, but I can’t say I’m a whole hearted believer. Who’s to say I won’t go to heaven if it’...
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Has a notable militant non-Christian ever converted to Christianity due to a "Road to Damascus" experience?
I would like to know if there are published testimonies of notable militant non-Christians -- which could be a militant atheist or any non-Christian person who has actively waged war against the ...
user50422
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What is an overview of Christian viewpoints on the eternal destiny of individuals who die never hearing the Gospel?
Many individuals die never having heard the Gospel. Some illustrative examples are: pretty much everyone who was born before Jesus, individuals contemporary to Jesus but who were too far away at the ...
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5 meaningful contacts with Christians before considering the claims of the gospel
I've been reading a book on Church growth (Growing A Healthy Church by Dan Spader and Gary Mayes) with a chapter on evangelism that says something which I've heard in churches before:
"Typically ...
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Which Christian groups believe that Christianity is not for all humans?
In some religions, it is permissible for non-members to continue being non-members. An example would be Judaism, where non-Jews only have to follow Seven Laws of Noah. In other words, for Jews, it is ...
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Do non-Christians go to hell?
What is the official stance of various Christian denominations on whether or not non-believers go to hell? How do denominations which preach that they do, reconcile the damnation of people who grow ...
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In what work does Thomas Merton discuss atheists or people who do not accept faith?
I vaguely recall (from some lecture or reading) that supposedly somewhere in Merton's writings he comments on people who struggle with accepting faith.
I'm looking for a passage where he is ...
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Guidelines for "becoming" a believer, according to the Catholic Church
This might sound like an odd question, but I hope it's on-topic.
Say an atheist/agnostic approaches you and asks, "how can I get to believe in God?". Out of instinct/experience, you can say things ...
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What are the various beliefs about the fate of honest atheists?
Some atheists (or any explicit denier of Christian truth) claim that their disbelief in Christianity is an honest one, viz. if they had put their faith in Christ they would be lying to themselves and ...
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They will see but will remain blind
There's a verse in the Quran saying that the unbelievers will always be unbelievers because they can see the miracles, but even in this case, they won't believe.
I'm pretty sure I already read that ...
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Why aren't all unbelievers given a "Road to Damascus" moment, according to Catholicism?
As described in the book of Acts, and in lesser detail within the Pauline Epistles, Saul was a Jew who was actively persecuting Christians, notably taking responsibility for the stoning of Stephen. ...
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What is the current stance of the Catholic Church regarding the legality of non-Catholic religions?
The famous Syllabus of Errors by Bl. Pope Pius IX condemns, among others, that:
In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the ...
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According to LCMC Lutheranism, why is human imagination considered evil, when unsaved people do some amazingly good things?
According to Genesis 6:5 (NIV)
every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
According to Genesis 8:21 states similarly
... every inclination of the human ...
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According to Reformed theology, how should Christians react when a non-believer dies? [duplicate]
Several of the Scriptures seem to indicate that God's judgement is righteous, wonderful, and something to long for. Here are a few examples:
"Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O YHVH, have we ...
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According to Catholicism, how should Christians react when an unbeliever dies?
I was reading the following passages, and they seem to indicate that we should rejoice when God brings about His judgement:
"Righteous art thou, O YHVH, and upright are thy judgments." ...
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A Warning from Jesus [closed]
If Jesus really loves everyone, why does Jesus show no mercy on the non believers?
Matthew 7:21-23:
Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven.
Only the ones who ...
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When did the "upside down cross" become a symbol of anti-Christianity?
When did the "upside down cross" become a symbol of anti-Christianity? I can find no mention of it in the Bible. However there is, in Christian history, the story of Peter's execution – which really ...
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Why do non believers hate being confronted with the truth? [closed]
As I understand the bible those who do not accept Jesus into their hearts go to hell. I understand it's more than just being a "christian", you actually have to have this relationship with god. And ...
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Respect for other religions [closed]
I'd like to know, where does Christianity stand when it comes to respecting religions and spiritual beliefs of others (those not Christian).
Please give pointers to the actual biblic verses, to ...
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Accuracy of History Channel's The Bible [closed]
I am very interested in learning about Christianity and would like to purchase History Channel's The Bible.
How close is this to the actual scriptures? Is this series a good introduction to ...
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Is it generally acceptable to attend a bible study as a non Christian?
I am a bit curious about seeking out a bible study. There are several reasons for this:
A friend of mine (in another country) says she finds such a study group enjoyable, and it seems to be a good ...
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Can a non-christian be trusted to translate the Bible?
I've seen a number of comments and answers (here and elsewhere) regarding the [un]reliability of a specific translation. Occasionally, the angle of attack on a given translation is (kind of) ad ...
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Why did Pope Francis tell atheists "just be good"? [duplicate]
“Just do good and we’ll find a meeting point,” The Pope
I don't think just being good gets you in heaven. Is the Pope singling out atheists to rethink how to win them over? Is he waiting for the ...
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Does Luke 13:24 give us a more vivid picture of how many people will be saved? [closed]
I mean how many times have we said 'let me see' or 'let me try'. Or how many times have we felt like - I'm trying to be a Christian. Seems like trying is not good enough according to Luke 13:24:
...
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How to interpret the ban of unions between believers and non-believers?
Having lately studied the bible from Second Epistle to the Corinthians I have pondered whether or not unions between nonbelievers and those in faith are really fully and undisputedly condemned by the ...
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What has been said about happy unbelievers?
I've listened to many sermons, from Jerry Falwell to Tim Keller to Tullian Tchividjian. One common theme is that bad theology, that misapplication of Scripture, can be the direct cause of temporal ...
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Was Jesus' power limited relative to the belief of others?
Mark 6 4-6:
4 Then Jesus said to them, “People everywhere give honor to a prophet,
except in his own town, with his own people, or in his home.” 5 Jesus
was not able to do any miracles there ...
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Can the Word of God and God's wisdom be beneficial to an unbeliever?
More specifically I'm wondering in the way that we go to the Bible and to God about concerns or issues that we are facing for instruction and wisdom, can we think biblically about another's concerns ...
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What is the source of hatred often perceived by Christians in western society? [closed]
Not everyone hates Christians, but it seems that most Christians have felt hated at some time by someone because of their faith.
Is there a specific reason behind the hatred I've seen towards ...
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