We are living in a society where diversity dwells. There are differences in our lifestyle, language, food and religion. Diversity provides an individual with the opportunity to appreciate his/her cultural background and, at the same time, appreciate and tolerate other people who have similar or different cultural backgrounds. Unfortunately, it appears that one of the important goals of diversity is not fully manifested in our society. Ethnocentrism and racism have managed to steal from us the brotherly and sisterly love for each other and thus rip us all apart from each other.
Condemnation and hatred for people other than who we are has become a sick and addictive habit that we choose not to turn back from. This continued, unfair attitude is demonstrated in every aspect of our lives. In religion, some Christians have taken it upon themselves to condemn people who are not practicing Christian doctrine or not living up to the Christian way of life. Subsequently, I have been left to contemplate on these two important questions on behalf of some groups of people who are regarded as outcasts by some Christians: Is there a heaven for people like us–mentally ill people, Atheists, Muslims and people who haven’t heard the gospel in their life? And if not, how sure are you there isn’t a heaven for us?
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It is sad that we have people with mental disorders living among us. According to the World Health Organization, “Mental disorders comprise a broad range of problems, with different symptoms. However, they are generally characterized by some combination of abnormal thoughts, emotions, behavior and relationships with others.” Most of the time, people with mental disorders tend to act irrationally. They can even commit massive atrocities such as mass shootings if proper care is not given. For the sake of fulfilling the purpose of this article, let’s assume that a mentally disabled person dies in the process of committing an act of this nature. There will be a division of opinions on whether the dead mentally disabled person will make it to heaven or not. Some Christians who solely consider the bible as the source of truth might quickly condemn him and claim that there wouldn’t be a heaven for him. The reason they might have is that God condemns killing people, and as such, hell is the only path for him. On other hand, growing up in a Christian family, I have always been taught that humans have limited knowledge about God. I learned that our earthly thoughts, proclamation and actions can be opposite of the thoughts and ways of God. Reading through the bible, there were times Jesus refuted the generally held beliefs among the Pharisees. This can only highlight our limited knowledge of who God is, what God does and why he does it. And if that is the case, there might still be a possibility that there is a heaven for this individual.
I am a strong believer that there is supernatural being who watches over our three-dimensional world. About this same supernatural being, I will always have limited knowledge no matter how hard I try to figure him out. With this in mind, I don’t think people should attempt to condemn their fellow beings. We should strive to embrace our differences and make our world a peaceful and better place for all.
