Skeptical members of the clergy and organizations, such as the Christian Research Institute, are often highly critical of NDEs and view them as a tremendous threat to the Christian faith and their parishes. They accuse the Being of Light to be a sinister lying devil masquerading as an angel of light preaching a different gospel because he isn't interested in theology at all. Some Christian skeptics say the Being of Light only mimics the real Jesus of the Bible in order to lead the flock away from the true Jesus and the authority of Church.

As a seeker of the truth who has studied Christian theology and NDEs extensively for decades, I am saddened when I hear this kind of misrepresentation of an experience so spiritually beautiful and lovely. Personally, sometimes I feel like Apostle Paul when he said he wishes he were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of his brothers in order to win them over. These critics - who are still our brothers - servants with flames of fire are zealous defenders of the Christian tradition and this is good. But their uninformed criticism of the profound and lofty divine revelations found in the NDE is very dangerous. It is equivalent to rushing into forbidden labyrinths where angels fear to tread.

This kind of misunderstanding is often the result of judging spiritual ideas by a narrow interpretation of the Bible rather than by the method given in the Bible. The Bible teaches us to test all the spirits to see whether or not they are of God because not all spirits come from God. How do we test the spirits? When Jesus was accused of performing miracles by the spirit of the devil, Jesus replied that a tree is judged by its fruit. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Nor can a good tree bear bad fruit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. With this in mind, you can judge for yourself whether a particular spirit discussed here is a bad tree or a good tree. If there is an absence of the good fruit of love, joy and peace, then you know the spirit is not of God and is a bad tree. If there is an abundance of the good fruit of love, joy and peace, then you know the spirit is true and is a good tree. This is not a matter to be taken lightly. Either a near-death experience shows Jesus to be a demonic lying spirit of evil who bears only the rotting fruit of Satanic hatred for everyone; or, a near-death experience shows Jesus to be a good tree bearing the Holy Spirit's fruit of love, joy and peace. There is no middle ground so choose wisely. After Jesus told his accusers to judge a tree by its fruit, he then taught them about the seriousness of blasphemy and attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil.

A Debate With a Seminary Professor

The following are rebuttals against the arguments of a well-known Christian seminary professor and critic of the NDE. In his book the professor discounts all NDEs as not conforming to his narrow interpretation of the Bible and as being the work of the devil.

Argument:   Who is the Being of Light reported in NDEs?

Rebuttal:   There are many Beings of Light appearing in NDEs. The Bible declares God is light (1 John 1:5). People in the higher spirit realms emanate this light that is God. The Being of Light can be literally anyone: Jesus, Buddha, the Hindu god of death, an angel, or even a deceased loved one for example. It usually depends on the person's religious bias and cultural background. NDEs reveal that God's light is manifested within many beings in the spirit realm.

Argument:   It has been claimed by some people that one of the Beings of Light is Jesus Christ. This seems to be wrong because this being says and does things that are contrary to the Jesus in the Bible. Since Jesus never changes (Heb. 13:8) it would be impossible for this Being of Light to be the same Jesus revealed in the Bible. Some believe many of the people having NDEs encounter a counterfeit Jesus.

Rebuttal:   The Being of Light in NDEs cannot be counterfeit because this being passes the test given by Jesus. It is the test to determine whether the spirit is of God or not.

Jesus himself gives us the test. According to the gospels, Jesus was accused by the religious leaders of performing his miracles by the power of Satan. This is the same accusation the professor brings against the Being of Light in NDEs. This accusation is made even though both Jesus and the Being of Light bears incredible love, joy, peace, and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' reply to this accusation is:

Anyone familiar with NDEs knows the Being of Light gives an astonishing amount of goodness, holiness, love, joy, peace and such. Jesus made it very clear Satan cannot produce the fruit of the spirit. But what about the spirit itself? God is light. Is Satan light too? Some critics use the Bible verse below to judge the Being of Light to be Satanic.

Notice that the verse states that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. The verse does not say he actually is an angel of light. It means that Satan can look like a good tree, but he is totally devoid of light and totally devoid of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. This verse describes Satan's ability to deceive people into believing he is an angel of light. But we cannot be deceived if we use the test given by Jesus. Using this test we can ask: Is there good fruit involved with the Being of Light? If so, then it must be of God. Is there not good fruit involved? If not, then the Being of Light must be of Satan.

It should be obvious to anyone who is even slightly familiar with the Being of Light and NDEs that this test confirms the Being of Light to be of God. NDEs show an astonishing amount of unconditional love from the Being of Light. And overwhelming love is the most common and greatest characteristic found in my research of fifty NDEs I profile on this website.

God is light. There is no light in darkness. Nor is there darkness in light. Satan is no angel of light and no good tree bearing good fruit. The Being of Light reveals a tremendous amount of light and this light can only come from God. Satan cannot produce light, love, joy, peace, or any of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. NDEs do produce these fruit.

There are very serious consequences of attributing things of God to Satan. When Jesus was accused of performing miracles by the power of Satan and before he gave the test:

Jesus makes very clear the grave consequences of attributing to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit. Like the professor, many critics are quick to declare that the Beings of Light in NDEs are Satanic. They probably don't realize that they may be dangerously close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Jesus said such behavior is a sin that cannot be forgiven.

The idea that the Beings of Light in NDEs are sinister or of the devil, ignores common sense. Dr. Raymond Moody is considered the father of the NDE and he responded to this kind of criticism in his latest book entitled The Last Laugh.

To demonstrate how foolish the professor's arguments are, here is a direct quote from the professor's own book on how the Being of Light is a counterfeit Jesus:

Such statements are completely absurd. The professor errs because he limits Jesus to his own narrow interpretation of the Bible. Any NDE bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit and passing Christ's test must not be said to be of the devil. It would be blasphemous to do so.

Perhaps this explains why the NDE described in 2 Cor. 12:2-4 states these are inexpressible things which people were not permitted to talk about in those days. These matters may have simply been too high for first century Christians to understand and some twentieth century professors. We must test the spirit of NDEs - not using the test of the professor - but rather the test from Jesus. In doing so you will find NDEs do bear much fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Argument:   The Beings of Light appearing in NDEs teach the idea that death is good and is not to be feared.

Rebuttal:   This is not true. NDEs generally show that if a person is not prepared for death their experience after death is not very good and should be greatly feared. A case in point is Rev. Howard Storm and his NDE. Howard lived the life of an atheist and treated people very badly. He was not prepared for death when he died because he ends up in hell when he does. The result of death is that some people do go to hell. Hellish NDEs make up a large number of reported NDEs. It is false to claim the Beings of Light teach the idea that death is good and should not be feared. In fact, some NDEs prove otherwise.

Argument:   The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs teach that sin is not a problem. In fact, the Being of Light believed to be Jesus often responds to human sin and shortcomings with humor.

Rebuttal:   This is not true. Many NDEs show that if a person lives a sinful life their experience will be a big problem for them after death. The fact is that Jesus appears in NDEs to be very sad about the sin of humanity. Dr. George Ritchie and his NDE is a case in point. During his NDE, Dr. Ritchie notices how sad Jesus is for those in hell. To say otherwise is to display ignorance about NDEs.

Argument:   The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs teach that there is no hell to worry about.

Rebuttal:   This is not true. Dr. George Ritchie's NDE and Rev. Howard Storm's NDE are perfect examples of the reality of hell.

Argument:   The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs teach that all people are welcome to heaven regardless of whether or not they are a Christian.

Rebuttal:   This is not true. Many NDEs show that some people do go to hell. Although it is God's will for everyone to go to heaven (1 Timothy 2:3-4 and 2 Peter 3:9) many people do not. NDEs in general show that faith in Christ alone does not guarantee anyone a ticket to heaven. This is supported by scripture also:

Argument:   The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs teach that all religions are valid.

Rebuttal:   This is not true. The Jesus in NDEs states that God does not care about a person's religion - only the condition of their heart. Many NDEs show that a person's religious beliefs (or lack thereof) can make the difference in how they perceive their spiritual condition in the spirit realm. All religions have some truth in them which certain people need. But the Jesus of the NDE does not teach that all religions are valid; he teaches that religions are outward doctrines that can lead people within to true religion - the spirit of unconditional love. For example, after Rev. Howard Storm was rescued from hell by Jesus during his NDE he had this exchange with Jesus:

This information shows the goal of religion is to bring a person closer to God. It is also implied that some religions bring you closer to God than others. Although a person's religious beliefs (or lack thereof) can influence the quality of their afterlife experience a person's religious affiliation or church membership itself does not seem to matter much to Jesus. After all, if religion really mattered wouldn't everyone in heaven be Jewish?

Jesus did not come preaching some new religion. Jesus preached love. NDEs reveal that it is love, not religion, that creates spiritual growth and saves us from a hell of our own making. It is clear from the gospel accounts alone that Jesus is not concerned about a person's religious status. Jesus told the religious leaders who killed him that the prostitutes were going to enter heaven before they did (Matthew 21:31).

It is clear from NDEs that the Bible and common sense that religion is a cultural institution. On the other hand, love is universal and not limited to a particular culture. According to the Sermon on the Mount, love is the greatest religion there is. Love is also what many of the great world religions is all about. However not everyone practices this religion of love.

Argument:   In view of the fact that these ideas go against what the Jesus of the Bible taught, we have reason to conclude that the Jesus appearing in NDEs is in fact a lying spirit.

Rebuttal:   This is not true. The Jesus appearing in many NDEs does not go against what the Bible teaches. Such experiences may go against the professor's narrow interpretation of what Jesus said; but they do not go against what Jesus said. The professor has not tested the spirits properly. He is making the same mistake of the Pharisees by testing the spirits using your own narrow interpretation of scripture. The correct test is Jesus' test to judge by their fruit. If no fruit of the Holy Spirit is present, then it is safe to assume it is not of God. Jesus bore much fruit of the Holy Spirit yet was condemned by the religious leaders because he did not fit into their interpretation of scripture. Had they properly tested the spirits and judged Jesus on the basis of his fruit, he probably would not have been crucified. In the same way, if the professor would test the Jesus appearing in NDEs based on his fruit he would not be accusing him of being a lying spirit.

Argument:   The Jesus appearing in NDEs is happy to mimic the Jesus of the Bible if the end result is that he can lead people away from the true Jesus of the Bible.

Rebuttal:   The Jesus appearing in NDEs bears much fruit of the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Jesus of the Bible had this to say about testing the spirits:

Even the professor must admit that the Jesus appearing in NDEs bears much fruit of love. But since the professor is testing the spirits using his own narrow interpretation of scripture and not testing by the fruit. It is HE who is leading people astray.

Argument:   Many people who had a NDE come away from the experience with a lesser view of the Bible. One person even concluded the Lord isn't interested in theology and another said that God didn't care about church doctrine at all. The Jesus of the Bible, however, is certainly interested in correct doctrine.

Rebuttal:   Such generalities about near-death experiencers having a lesser view of the Bible is completely bogus. Common sense tells one that generalities such as this cannot be true. One cannot make a correlation between having a NDE and having a lower view of the Bible.

Notice the professor does not cite the NDEs that lead him to this conclusion. Nevertheless, the person the professor mentions who concluded the Lord isn't interested in theology is Reverend Howard Storm. It is a true statement to say that God is not interested in theology. Here is the complete account of what Howard Storm said:

If you read about the NDEs of Reverend Howard Storm and George Ritchie you will see why God does not care about theology or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

Nevertheless, NDEs do reveal a great concern for the commands of God. Love is the command of God (Rom. 13:10, John 15:12)  However, concerning theology or rules taught by men it is clear that Christ himself doesn't care about it:

Paul has this to say about rules taught by men:

Argument:   The Jesus of the Bible is certainly interested in correct doctrine. John 8:31-32 support this.

Rebuttal:   The teachings of Christ is not theology. Jesus taught unconditional love - not theology. It was theologians who had Jesus crucified. Jesus taught that love is the sign of a true disciple of Christ:

Jesus did not say, "All men will know that you are my disciples if you hold the teachings of the Church" or "hold the teachings of the Bible" or "hold the teachings of Christian theology" or even "hold the teachings of the Christian religion." It is clear Jesus taught love as the way to eternal life (Luke 10:25-28) and not theology:

Many critics are completely ignorant about NDEs. Many refuse to find out for themselves and test the spirits for themselves. Instead, ignorant things are said about the NDE because it is not judged by its fruit.

Argument:   Other people affiliated with non-Christian religions claim the Being of Light to be Buddha, or Krishna, or some other religious figure. Certainly this should raise red flags in a Christian's mind.

Rebuttal:   The only thing this proves is that there are many Beings of Light appearing in NDEs. God is the light. Many beings can manifest this light regardless of their religious affiliation or church membership. Jesus himself had this to say about Beings of Light:

The professor sounds as if he is either a religious bigot or religiously intolerant. Jesus certainly taught religious tolerance. Jesus was a Jew who was killed by religiously intolerant people.

Argument:   The Jesus appearing in many NDEs is Satan trying to keep people away from the Jesus of the Bible.

Rebuttal:   This is not true. The professor seeks to keep people away from the Jesus appearing in NDEs. Jesus' gospel of unconditional love was too dangerous for the political structure of the religious establishment in his day. Jesus' message of unconditional love found in NDEs is too dangerous for the political structure of today's religious establishment. Ignorance prevented the religious establishment from accepting the message of Christ then; ignorance is preventing the religious establishment in general from accepting the message of Christ in NDEs now.

Argument:   First off, let me suggest that you not limit your search for truth to near-death experiences only. Both spiritually and academically, that may not yield you the most success.

Rebuttal:   Yes. I do not limit my search for truth to only the NDE. This is why I believe one should also consider science, philosophy, religion and other fields of thought to find truth. It has been said beliefs can limit an open mind. It is important to keep an open mind and to be receptive to every concept and at the same time to be the pure skeptic: neither accepting nor rejecting a concept until it is proven true. It is good to have an opinion. But when talking about truth, we must leave our opinions to yourself. In this respect, it is a good idea to not believe NDEs prove life after death exists. This has not yet been proven to be true. The same is true for the Bible. Like religion, the NDE has its own limitations. Especially in that such experiences are often colored by the experiencers own religion, philosophy, cultural background and perspective. What is true for one experiencer may not be true for another experiencer. Just like here on Earth, during a NDE it is possible we generally create our own reality.

Argument:   I think God's desire is that ALL men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Coming to the knowledge of the truth occurs in only one WAY - and that Way's Name is Jesus.

Rebuttal:   This may be true for you but it may not be true for Jews, Hindus, or Buddhists for example. Even Christians do not agree on virtually every doctrine of the faith. We should understand the limitations concerning dogma and the letter of the law. After all, Jesus emphasized the spirit of the law rather than the letter. This is because it is really love - not religious dogma or rituals - that creates spirituality. Dogma can only help people come the path of spirituality; but the religious structure itself is not necessarily the way.

Jesus himself affirmed that love for God and love for your neighbors is the way to eternal life (Luke 10:25-28) John, the disciple who is claimed to know best the love of Jesus said, "Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8) Peter had this to say about it: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him." (Acts 10:34)

I am convinced that Christianity was never meant to be the personality cult it is today. I don't think Jesus was ego-centric when he said, "I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." Like everything Jesus said we must often try to understand the deeper spiritual meaning behind the literal words.

It is evident the Bible mentions that God is love, life, and light. It states that this is true for the Jew as well as the Gentile. The central focus of almost every major world religion is how to attain at-one-ment with God - in the way that Jesus and Buddha did - for example. According to many religions it is love that is the central focus - love for God and love for others. So when Jesus says he is the way, the truth and the life, I interpret this to mean that Jesus shows people the way to heaven through example. He is the example. He is a pattern for which people can follow - unconditional love through self-sacrifice and self-denial.

Argument:   Do you suggest humans can love each other enough to be saved and not need the BLOOD of Christ to cover their actions and intents that are not lovely?

Rebuttal:   Would you be pleased if someone tortured and killed your son so that you can forgive people? What about slitting the throats of thousands of innocent animals? Would you be pleased? Wouldn't you instead be horrified?

The Bible is filled with symbols. The references to blood, the lamb, sacrifice, the way, born again, baptism, etc.. are symbols that have a deeper spiritual meaning. I don't believe the Christian doctrine of salvation is through literally believing in Jesus' name or believing things about Jesus or even worshipping Jesus. My understanding is that sanctification comes by emulating the love Jesus by practicing unconditional love. Blood does not save us in a literal way. The death of Jesus has a much deeper spiritual meaning. The blood of Jesus demonstrates the self-sacrifice and self-denial we must face in attaining divine unconditional love. Jesus taught that we must all "take up our crosses and follow him." Not in a literal sense, but in a spiritual sense. It is by walking in love that we reach at-one-ment with God. Love comes from God. (1 John 4:7) Everyone who loves knows God because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8).

Argument:   You receive the testimony of men on matters of after-death experience, but you reject the Living and enduring Word of God that abideth forever?

Rebuttal:   If by Word of God you mean a book, then I have to tell you that I don't accept all of it as fact. If by Word of God you mean the divinity which was in Jesus then my answer is that I certainly don't reject Jesus. However I am very interested in what others who have been in the presence of Jesus on the other side have to say. I don't limit God to a book.

Argument:   I am coming on strong because if you know what the WORD says, and you even use parts of it in your web site ... you also know that it is better to have a millstone tied around your neck and be cast into the sea than to teach any little one to go astray. Love is great - Love is Jesus - if you leave him and what he accomplished on the Cross out of your theology - it is heresy. Just get real with him and he will be REAL to you.

Rebuttal:   Again, the Word is God and not a book. You are worshipping the Bible as the Word. The true Word is the Spirit of Jesus - love. And God is love.

Concerning the cross of Jesus there are some references to it found in NDEs. Here are some of them:

Valvita Jones - Gerard Landry - Lorraine Tutmarc - Don Brubaker - Dr. George Rodonaia

Argument:   You had a profound experience with Christ that taught you that he is not the only way of salvation? Sounds like error.

Rebuttal:   The Bible and NDEs show that God is the way to heaven. God is love. Your religion is the personality cult of Jesus. Jesus manifested love in a way that perhaps relatively few people have. Again, the way to heaven is love - just as Jesus taught in Luke 10:25-28. This love is not limited to Christians or the Bible.

Argument:   Actual first-hand experiences can only be verified if they measure up to the BOOK.

Rebuttal:   Again you are worshipping a book as the Word. The true Word is Jesus. It is not a book alone that measures truth. Jesus stated that we must measure the truthfulness or falsehood of things by the test he gave. When the religious leaders were accusing Jesus of performing miracles by the power of Satan, Jesus gave us the test. Jesus said that a tree is known by its fruit. (Matt. 12:24-37) A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. What does Jesus mean by this? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc.. (Gal 5:22-23). It is by their fruit that you will know whether they are of God or not. Since the NDE bears much fruit of the Spirit we know it is of God. Therefore it is not the Bible that we measure truth. It is by the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Argument:   If NDEs don't show that Christ shed his blood for our sins, and that the PERSON of JESUS CHRIST is the ONLY WAY to heaven, then NDEs DO NOT show the truth.

Rebuttal:   You erroneously believe that you are going to heaven because you worship Jesus. Reread the gospels and you will see that Jesus said it is not those who say, "Lord, Lord." Rather it is those who do what Jesus commands. His command is love. God is love. This is what gets you to heaven - walking in love as Jesus did. Confessing Jesus with your lips is not going to get you anywhere.

There are NDEs that deal with the sacrifice of Jesus. I already gave you all the ones I have. There are numerous reasons why Jesus' death benefited so many people. I already stated one of them and that is that Jesus' self-sacrifice and live of love shows us the way. Another reason is that Jesus' martyrdom was greatly responsible for proliferating his teachings all over the world. Jesus said that when he is lifted up he will draw all men to himself.

Another reason Christ's death helped humankind is that he presented a strong case for life after death. Another reason is that Christ's death helped demonstrate how sincere Christ was in his devotion to God and how he was willing to die for his beliefs and teachings. Only a sincere and truthful person would subject themselves to such torture for the truthfulness of his teachings. A fake would probably not die this way for a lie.

Another reason is that Jesus emphasized the fact that God has forgiven us and his life, death and teachings greatly gives us a reason to believe it.

Argument:   2 Corinthians 5:10 - "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

Rebuttal:   Although it is true that God is the "Judge of all", the Bible also states that God has already forgiven everyone. Jesus revealed in the Bible that the Father judges no one. The Bible suggests that God does not keep records of wrongs. Jesus revealed that even he does not judge anyone. The Bible suggests that people are judges of only themselves (self-condemnation).

The Judge has already forgiven everyone. The Father judges no one.

God does not keep records of wrongs:

Neither does the Son judge anyone:

We judge only ourselves (i.e., self-condemnation):

Argument:   As far back as Colosse, people were tripped up by things that seemed spiritual but really only made people focus on themselves and move away from Christ. You are high on experience and your own opinions but you don't want to "limit Jesus to the Bible." Then what Jesus do you emulate?

Rebuttal:   An experience with Jesus is what saves you. Not a book. No matter how much you limit Jesus to a book it won't do you any good unless you have an experience with Jesus.

Argument:   Upon reading your comments I was stirred to comment. You use the Holy Bible as a foundation when quoting "Jesus is the way shower." Why do you use the bible as an authority if you don't believe it is the infallible word of God?

Rebuttal:   I don't believe the Bible is God. The universe is a far greater revelation of God than any book. The Bible as it exists today was put together by the Pope. The Pope had many writings cut out which were considered scripture in Jesus' day. For example, the Book of Jude quotes from a book that was part of Hebrew canon at the time of Jesus' ministry on Earth and for many years after by early Christians. I am referring to the Book of Enoch. Here is the quote in Jude 14-15 of 1 Enoch 1:9

Now if the Bible quotes from the Book of Enoch then this means the Book of Enoch is divinely inspired and should be included in the Bible. The Book of Enoch existed centuries before the birth of Christ and is considered by many to be more Christian in its theology than Jewish. It is probably very certain that Jesus read it and believed it to be scripture. It was considered scripture by many early Christians. The earliest writings of the Church Fathers is filled with references to this book. The early second century Epistle of Barnabas makes much use of the Book of Enoch. Second and third century Church Fathers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origen and Clement of Alexandria all quote from the Book of Enoch. Tertullian even called the Book of Enoch "Holy Scripture". It was widely known and read during the first three centuries after Christ.

The Book of Enoch and many other books became discredited and declared heresy by the Pope during the Council of Laodicea. After being banned by the Catholic Church it gradually passed out of circulation. By studying more about the Roman Church's tremendous influence in developing the New Testament canon, you will agree that the New Testament was arbitrarily put together by a few men who had tremendous power in deciding what was the word of God and what wasn't. You can read more about this website.

Argument:   The Bible, if you believe the Bible, says, "There is ONE mediator between God and man ... the man Christ Jesus." Find one mention of Buddha or Mohammed or any other religion exempting Jesus Christ as the son of God in the Bible. It's not there.

Rebuttal:   You believe you are saved because you worship Jesus and read the Bible. I am saying it takes more than that. It means taking up your own cross and not relying solely on the cross of Jesus. You must walk in love as Jesus commanded. It is love - not religious dogma or the Bible - that creates spiritual growth. God is love - not a Bible. Believing the Bible and worshipping Jesus will get you nowhere. Jesus, like many other highly enlightened spiritual leaders, affirmed that love for God and neighbors is the way to eternal life. Since God is love those who teach love are teaching God.

I am convinced that Christianity was never meant to be the personality cult it has been for thousands of years. Jesus was certainly not ego-centric. Even when he claimed:

Everything Jesus taught must be understood on a deeper spiritual level. It is evident the Bible mentions that God is love, life, and light. The Bible mentions that these teachings is true for the Jew as well as the Gentile. The central focus of many religions around the world is how humans can attain at-one-ment with God. Practically every religion teaches that love is the way to at-one-ment - love for God and love for others. So when Jesus says he is the way, the truth and the life, I interpret this to mean that Jesus shows people the way to at-one-ment. He is the example and the pattern to live your life as. That life is love. Buddha and Krishna taught the same teaching that living a life of love is what matters.

As for "finding one mention of Buddha or Mohammed or any other religion exempting Jesus Christ as the son of God in the Bible," I don't believe any religion exempts Jesus as the son of God with the possible exception of Judaism, whose followers generally exempts Jesus as the Messiah. And worshipping anyone leads nowhere.

Argument:   There is only one original word of God documented back 1000's of years ago ... long before counterfeits came in to establish themselves. Jesus said the road is narrow. If you could get to heaven through any and all religions ... it would make the road WIDE and Hitler, Osama, Saddam, etc. would be saved and heaven-bound for they are "religious!"

Rebuttal:   The Word is not a book! If you think otherwise you are worshipping a book and not Jesus. Jesus himself is the Word - and the Word is God - and God is love. According to the Bible, the Word of God is the Logos, the Spirit of Jesus, the only one original Word of God (see Revelation 19:13).

Jesus taught a gospel that is love - a love that loves everyone, wills to save everyone and actually saves everyone.

Argument:   To me, religion has never saved one soul. Jesus has saved many.

Rebuttal:   But don't you see that by saying that Jesus, as a personality, is the way to heaven you are making religion a very very important part of salvation. Granted, no religion is the way to eternal life including Buddhism - Christianity - Hinduism etc., because the way to heaven is love [God]. Love is universal. It is not limited to only Christians. God does not love only Christians. God loves the whole world and it is dishonoring to God to think that God loves everyone but throws the vast majority of humanity into hell for not believing or hearing about the name of Jesus.

Argument:   Religion is man trying in vain to live a perfect life to make heaven.

Rebuttal:   I disagree. If this is true than you would have to say that the religion of taking your cross and following Jesus is in vain. Most religions teach the importance of love. Religions only point they way to heaven: love. Many religious doctrines in themselves, such as believing that Jesus died for our sins or that we must worship Jesus, are trying in vain to reach heaven. Remember, it is faith AND works. Not faith alone. Even demons believe in God.

Argument:   He is God in the flesh. And the only one!

Rebuttal:   Not so! Yes, Jesus is the son of God; but we too are sons of God. God lives in us through love. Even Jesus said that God was within us:

The main debate after the death of Christ was the nature of Christ. Was Christ God in the flesh, or was Christ as man who manifested the Spirit of God in a manner very unique. I have evidence to believe that Jesus was a man who manifested the Spirit of God in a unique manner.

Argument:   May I ask you sir, do you believe that John 3:16 is the exact message God intended? "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth (has faith) ... (opposite of doubt) ... in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Rebuttal:   Yes I believe John 3:16 is the heart of Jesus' message and the gospel. I believe it wholeheartedly. It says that God loves the world (every human being who ever lived). He gave us his Son to bring humanity the message of this unconditional love that God has for the world. Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Now, the question is this: What does it mean to "believe in him?"

I think the answer is no to all of these. Isn't Jesus saying that whosoever believes in my message by taking up their own cross and following him in a life of love for God and others? After all, if faith is all that is needed then even the demons will be saved. Faith alone is not enough. Faith without works is dead.

Some Christians believe we must be baptized to be saved. Some believe we must speak in tongues. Some believe we must believe Jesus is God. Some believe we must worship Jesus. Some believe we must be a member of a particular church. People believe religion is the way to heaven. But unless the religion you practice is unconditional love then you are not following in Jesus' footsteps.

The gospel is love - love for God and love for others. This is the way to eternal life. This is the gospel that Jesus taught (see the Sermon on the Mount)

Argument:   Do you also take the approach: I do not deny or affirm this concerning basic salvation doctrine? Because according to this particular word of God there is no option to deny or affirm.

Rebuttal:   I don't believe any religious doctrine is the way to eternal life. Only practicing what Jesus taught and lived - love for others and God - is the way to eternal life. Not a lifestyle. Not something we profess with our lips our believe in our head. Not worship. It is walking as Jesus did in unconditional love for everyone.

Argument:   Otherwise, the maybe or maybe not approach to this particular scripture would land you in hell. I pray not Kevin.

Rebuttal:   The gospel you believe is that worshipping Jesus and believing he is Lord is the way to heaven. But unless you are taking up your own cross and following Jesus - not just letting Jesus do all the work - then it is you who are going to hell. Faith alone can land you in hell. Even demons have faith in God. Instead of heaven, some people create hell within themselves because they do not live the example that Jesus gave us - a life of love for God and others. It is true that having unconditional love for everyone is a very high goal; but it is the standard that Jesus taught - love for even your enemies. Believing Jesus is Lord is no ticket to heaven. Demons know Jesus is Lord.

Argument:   I wanted to know what you make of this verse:

This clearly shows that to get to heaven you are not saved by your works - but by Jesus Christ. I do not believe in what your site states about the way to get to heaven. The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. God sent him to die on the cross so we could go to heaven to live with God when we die. If Jesus never came we would all go to hell.

Rebuttal:   In the above verse, Paul declares that salvation is by faith alone. This is in complete contradiction with the teachings of Jesus and the other apostles who knew Jesus and his teachings much more than Paul did. Paul also got into disputes with the other apostles who believed salvation was based on good works and faith, not by faith alone:

Some Bible scholars believe that Paul hijacked the Christianity taught by Jesus and his apostles. Paul was a self-appointed apostle who taught that following the law no longer applied and that Judaism is no longer relevant to Christians. However it is clear that Jesus never taught that the law no longer applied and he never repudiated Judaism or the law. Jesus was a Jew. Paul was constantly in conflict the Jews and the apostles in his day because Paul taught that the law no longer applied. But it is clear from Jesus' teachings in the gospel that Jesus taught how salvation is by good works. In fact, Jesus emphasized good works over faith all the time.

This of course means that the Bible is fallible. This agrees with the fact that there are many contradictions and errors in the Bible. In my opinion, Paul's teachings are in direct contradiction to the teachings of Jesus. And there are many contradictions between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of Paul. Again Paul never knew Jesus except in a vision. The authority of the other apostles should be held in much greater respect than Paul. Here are just a few contradictions between the teachings of Jesus and of Paul:

We can conclude from this, despite fallibility of some of Paul's letters, acts of good works and obeying the law and following the commandments of Jesus are very necessary and an important part of our salvation.