World Forum on Theology and Liberation

Many people will know, in general terms, what a prayer is. Some will tell you that it is a short text you use to praise the Lord and ask for a good life on Earth. Some others will tell you that by praying you will create a special bond with God, connection that will bring you happiness and harmony.

Most of the answers to this question will be somehow true, but the most meaningful definition of a prayer is that it is a way of communicating with God. When praying, you will be talking and listening to God. Within a non-verbal message, He will send you an answer to your prayers. You will feel more relaxed and at ease after praying. This is God’s way of telling you that your prayer has been heard.

Will every prayer be answered?

This question is often debated in the field of Theology. God wants us to pray as He wants to communicate with us. But, while praying, we shouldn’t just ask for things, but also offer something in return. Therefore, if a person wants to have God’s support in everything he does, that person should also lead a life under God’s rules.

Following God’s rules means:

• following the ten commandments
• leading a modest life, without excesses
• going to church regularly
• respecting the holidays

Moreover, when praying, a person should not have a hidden plan in his mind. If you have wrong reasons in your prayer, God will know your hidden plan. You should not use the holy prayers for doing bad.

Another thing you should keep in mind when and after praying is that sometimes prayers will not be answered in a short time. This might happen because God knows everything. He is aware of every step we take and he knows everything we are doing and thinking. He knows the past, the present and the future.

And because he knows what will happen in the future, he will reward your good behavior at a certain moment in your future. Every good deed and every prayer will be answered one way or another. You just need to be patient and not lose your faith. You need to be aware of God’s ways of communicating with us and you need to have faith that, even though it may seem at some point that God is not listening to your prayers, he is always by your side.

In terms of Mathematics, eternity can not be measured. One might think that eternity is a multitude of years, impossible to be counted, but eternity should not be perceived through the limited perspective of what we call time. The term “time” was invented by us, humans, in order to control a very small portion of this eternity. With time, we can understand our past somehow and we are conscious that a future awaits us, too.

But when we refer to eternity, time has no power. Because our time is being measured differently by God. There are many people that claimed they experienced eternity. Moreover, they say that God is coming soon for the Last Judgment. These mystics make people fear and act irrationally, because of what they say.

The Lord is coming, indeed, but nobody knows when, because our vision of time does not equal the Lord’s vision. For Him, a thousand years of ours might pass like a second. Just imagine how God made everything that exists in only six days. This is possible only with a different perspective regarding time. Therefore, even if these prophets did experience eternity, they will not be able to tell us when the Apocalypse will happen. Nobody can, as the Bible says.

A religious person should know that the life we live on Earth is not everything. We should all know, and believe, that Eternity waits for us. Because of this, we should all try to lead a life that respects God’s word. Only a good conduct will guarantee you the Eternity. Faith will be the key to your Eternal Life. Faith is not only agreeing with what the Bible says, but also doing everything following God’s Word. Everybody should be obedient in order to reach Eternity.

Why do we have to live this life, when Eternity is waiting for us?

People might find the life on Earth extremely difficult sometimes. God will give them great challenges to deal with, and because of this, they might find themselves at the end of their powers. Why should a person live a sad and hard life, when Eternity awaits after death?

Every person is burdened by God with different tasks. You should carry everything that was given by God, knowing that God will reward you for your Faith. A believer will never question God’s will. God offers good and bad and we should embrace everything He has to offer. We do not know the bigger picture. We do not know what will happen in the Eternity. But we can be sure that, by respecting the Lord’s commands and by loving Him unconditionally, we will have a place in Heaven.

The evangelical doctrine says in a clear way that only people that believe in the existence of Jesus Christ will be able to enter Heaven. The others, with a few exceptions, are condemned to hell.

Many Biblical texts affirm that Jesus is the way to God. No one can meet God without believing in Jesus. He is our access to God. Moreover, the people that have never believed in Him will be punished.

These things might seem unfair considering the fact that so many people in remote places of the world are not even aware of the Christian belief and Jesus’ prophecy. What happens with the people that were not aware of the Christian religion? Will they go not go to Heaven if they lead a good life?

Some evangelicals consider that even the people that didn’t come across the Christian doctrine will be damned – that they will not be able to go to Heaven even if they had no fault. Then, some other evangelicals consider that the people that have led a faithful life, even if they followed a different religion, will be accepted in Heaven. The latter examples from the Old Testament saying that there were mentioned a few godly persons that did not know Jesus and were accepted still in Heaven.

The latter evangelicals, the ones that consider that Heaven is for everybody who has led a good life, regardless of religion, are called inclusivists. The exclusivists, the evangelicals that consider Jesus to be the only way of being accepted into Heaven, dismiss the argument of their opponents by saying that Jesus’ mission was global. Jesus did not preach only in Israel, but he sent his Apostles all over the world. And thus, everybody should know about his preach.

On the other hand, the inclusivists came up with a list of people that did not know Jesus but will be accepted in Heaven:

People that did not hear the Gospel before they died will be judged according to their deeds while living.
Babies that died before being conscious will be saved – because they haven’t lived a sinful life, and because they did not live enough days to be conscious of their religious life, the infants will be accepted in Heaven.
Mentally ill people that are not able to search and learn God’s teachings will benefit from God’s mercy.

Whether you agree with the exclusivists or the inclusivists, there’s really no reason to debate too much on this topic. God is the ultimate arbiter and He will be the one giving the verdict in the day of our final judgment.