I didn't want to jack the Catholic thread again - but this comment put me in the frame of mind to do some research.

I think it is only Xtians who say they have the only answer - and it is only some Xtian churches. Can anyone else find a religion that says it? I've eliminated Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Unitarian, Bahaii - anyone know of any other religion that says it is the only path to heaven?

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

Do you have an aversion to typing the word "Christ" or do you just type X to show Christians that you have no respect for them?

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

Many of the religions you mentioned don't have a hell to begin with. Some (Buddhism) have many adherents who don't consider their faith to be religions at all, but rather practices, or simply philosophies for living a decent life. You're also not making the distinction between traditional and world religions. Then there's the fact that not all Christians believe this.

It's really somewhat intellectually lazy to take such a simplistic approach to such a complex set of ideas.

I like to go by the theory that we have to act as if all people are going to heaven because we don't know anyone else's relationship with God, but our own.

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"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
-John Calvin

I type the X as a symbol of Christ carrying the cross - it was someting I adopted from a Xtian friend. It is not meant as disrespectful - I have nothing but respect for Christ, and what he had to say. However, like Ghandi, I sometimes wish that some of those who claim to follow him actually paid attention to his words. It's a problem that can be found in all religions.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

I already pointed out that not all Xtian sects believe this. I was asking a question - are there any other religions that say theirs is the only path - to whatever you wish. I thought it would be interesting to compare some of the world views inherent in different religions.

For example, while Hindus have Nirvana as a goal, they believe life circumstances show what you did in your last life, and they also believe in predestination. I'm not certain if uncaste nonhindus rank below Dalits. But everyone has the chance of reaching Nirvana eventually, I think.

Exactly where am I being intellectually lazy?

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

Some people here seem very quick to take offense where none is meant.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

Some people have a persecution complex.

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Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

The Christians I know find "X" disrespectful...I'm sure you've heard the phrase "Keep Christ in Christmas" in response to those that choose to spell it "Xmas".

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

As a Christian, I try not to make judgements with respect to what other people must do to gain Salvation. There are various scriptures that say not to judge others. So, all I can do is read the Bible, figure out what it is telling me, and do whatever that is. I can try to convince others of my views, but I cannot say that a person is going to hell if I cannot convince him.

For example, I believe that it is sinful for me to be a homosexual. However, this is my interpretation of the Bible, and because I am but a mere human, I might be way off. So, I will not be gay, but I will not condemn those who are.

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"Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question."
-Thomas Jefferson in his first inauguration address

Maybe it was done simply for brevity.

To suggest that he has no respect for christians, though? How Kreskin-like...

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Obama's New "57 State Patriotic Pin":

Xmas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The origin of that usage lies within Christianity itself. It's not the X of our alphabet, but the Χ (chi) of the Greek alphabet.
The Oxford English Dictionary identifies 'Xmas' as informal, not as derogatory.
It's also used in e.g. Χtal for 'crystal'.

I'm offended! Offended, I tell you "Xtal" - that's funny Actually, when I saw "Xtian" for the first time I had no idea who or what people were talking about.

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Sorry

It's quite common in the Catholic Church. The labarum (see previous link) is used by the catholic youth organization Chiro, the name itself being constituted from Chi-Rho, the Greek abbreviation of JC's name.

Greetings and Felicitations,

I would just like to point out that many versions of Buddhism have hell. In fact, they have a lot of them. Hells for this and hells for that. But. You don't get sentenced to hell for eternity. How long you get put there depends on what level of violation you have commmited. The Buddhist understand that commiting sins is based on unenlightened behavior and that you can overcome that behavior with development. Once you have suffered enough to point out the danger in your actions then you get out of hell and get the chance to further your enlightenment.

Naraka (Buddhism)

Just as a side note. The Buddhist do believe in gods. They just don't believe in a main figure that most Christians believe in. The gods are stuck in the veil of illusion (maya) just like we are. However, we have a better chance to escape from our illusions than the gods do. Why? Because they are stuck more deeply in their illusions because they are always being told they are great and ascended beings. What motivation do they have for change.

In Peace,
Eglaelin

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