Stanley - How Good Is Good Enough?

CONTENTS

PART I
HOW DO YOU GET THERE FROM HERE?

PART II
THE ALTERNATIVE

Dedicated To Helen Waldrep,
a great grandmother in the truest sense

PART I

HOW DO YOU GET THERE FROM HERE?

The story is told of a Sunday school teacher whose assignment was to explain to the six-year-olds in his class what someone had to do in order to go to heaven. In an attempt to discover what the kids already believed about the subject, he asked a few questions.

If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?

NO! the children all answered.

If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into heaven?

Again the answer was, NO!

Well then, he said, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into heaven?

Again they all shouted, NO!

Well then, how can I get into heaven?

A boy in the back row stood up and shouted, YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!

DEAD SURE

Therein lies the problem: You gotta be dead to go to heaven. Consequently, you gotta be dead to know much about the place, as well.

The people who seem to be most confident about what heaven is like are those who claim to have died and come back to talk about itand write bestselling books on the subject. I have read a couple of those books, and Ive heard a couple of returners interviewed on television. Their stories are interesting. But they never give a straight answer to the questions we are all asking: How do you get there? What can we do on this side of death to assure ourselves a spot in heaven?

Most agree that death is a prerequisite, but thats pretty much where agreement ends and speculation begins. In these pages, we are going to look at an ancient but popular theory regarding who goes to heaven. I say ancient, because the idea has been around since the beginning of civilization. In terms of popularity, it is what most world religions espouse.

So why did I bother to write a book about it? Because in spite of its immense popularity and long standing, it doesnt make a lick of sense.

Seriously. Smart, educated, accomplished men and women from just about every nation on earth are banking their eternities on a theory that doesnt hold up under even the slightest scrutiny.

Why? Well, Im not sure. My assumption is that everybody is preoccupied with making a living, falling in love, having kids, and whatever else they are doing. Nobodys got time to think about heaven. So they dont.

THE GREAT EQUALIZER

But every now and again we are confronted with our mortality. When that happens, we mentally take hold of something that gives us assurance. For most people on this spinning ball of minerals and dirt, assurance is found in an assumption they have never tested. And it brings them the assurance they need to jump right back into the game of life.

So what is this internationally held assumption?

Good people go to heaven.

The logic flows something like this: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. This God goes by many names. He is behind all major world religions. Therefore, all major, and possibly minor, religions provide a legitimate path to God and, therefore, heaven. The criterion for making it to this good place is to be good. Each religion has its own definition for good. But what they all have in common is that men and women must do certain things, and not do certain things, in order to assure themselves a spot in this good place with a good God.

Make sense?

Actually, it doesnt really make any sense at all. In fact, if you are smart enough to read this book, you are smart enough to find the problems with the good people go view without my help. Chances are, youve never really thought it through. But you owe it to yourself to do so.

I figure it will take you about two hours to read this book. Investing two hours of your time to consider where you will spend eternity isnt really much to ask. So find a comfortable chair and prepare yourself for what may be an uncomfortable discovery.

Chapter 1

EVERYTHINGS FINE

If you are like most people, you believe that everybody lives forever somewhere, that once you die, your soul goes somewhere. Most Americans believe in heaven. A smaller percentage believe in hell. In other parts of the world, the prevailing belief is that the soul comes back around for another lapwe just start over as someone (or something) else.

In spite of all their differences and peculiarities, the religions of this world share one common denominator: How you live your life on this side of the grave determines what happens next. Western thought has all the good people going to heaven. In other parts of the world, the good people come back around as even better people, or at least with the opportunity to become better people.

THINK ABOUT IT

Heres something to think about: If God appeared to you and asked, Why should I let you into heaven? how would you answer? If youre like most people, your answer might run something along these lines:

Ive always tried to

I never

I do my best

Whether I am talking to Muslims, Hindus, or Christians, the majority of the answers I receive to that question go back to an individuals attempt to live a good life. Why? Because most people believe that good people go to heaven.

The moral? Behave yourself now and you dont really need to worry too much about what happens next. The end. Now lets get back to work, golf, Little League, PTAthe pressing issues of this life.

PACKED AND READY

But then every once in a while something happens that forces you to seriously consider the question of whats nexta funeral, a health scare, a birthday, a glance in the mirror. You dont like to think about it. You rarely ever talk about it. But it is always there. And the older you get, the more often you find yourself pushing it from your mind.

The fact is, the mortality rate for humans is 100 percent. And that bothers you. In spite of the fact that you believe there is something better on the other side of life, you are not at peace. And for good reason.

You see, as good as you areand you are pretty goodyou arent really sure if you have been good enough. You hope so. And you are certainly better thanwellthan certain people you know.

But how good is good enough?

Wheres the line? Who is the standard? Where do you currently stand? Do you have enough time left to stash away enough good deeds to counterbalance your bad ones?

And while were asking questions, Ill go ahead and throw one in that perhaps youve wondered about but were afraid to ask: Just who is in charge of this operation? God? If so, he ought to have been a bit clearer about how this whole thing works. If our eternal residence hangs in the balance based on how we live, we could certainly do with some direction. A standard. A mile marker or two. Perhaps a midterm.

But wait, you say, isnt it the job of religion to answer those questions for me? Sure. Most of the various world religions and their books do exist to answer those questions. Teachers, preachers, ulema, rabbis, priests, lamasthey are all in the business of getting us safely to the other side. Specifically, they are responsible for helping you and me understand how to live in such a way as to ensure a happy ending.