How to Get into Heaven

Someone recently asked me if it was important to believe in a certain deity/God or believe in a certain religion, in order to get into heaven or have a good afterlife.

This is what I believe and have learned…

My background: I grew up in a very devout Christian home. I was taught you HAVE to believe in Jesus and be a Christian to get into heaven. I’ve always felt a close connection to God. (And although I’ll call God a “he”, I’m pretty sure God is gender neutral. I’m just used to using those pronouns because that’s how I was raised.) I’ve been on a mystic’s path my whole life and have had multiple STEs (spiritually transformative experiences), including one where I felt completely one and interconnected with God and everyone and everything in the universe.

So what I share comes from direct personal experiences, not what any person or organization taught me to believe.

So is it required to believe in a certain religion or deity to get into heaven?

I feel this is a very important and meaningful question to ask. Because multiple different religions each teach that you “have” to believe in *their* deity and be a practicing member of *their* religion to have a good afterlife. These religions each claim to have exclusive and total ownership of The Truth.

One time some Mormon missionaries were visiting with me, telling me how their religion was “the one true religion”. They invited me to read from the Book of Mormon and to pray with an open and sincere heart and ask God if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if their church was the one true church.

I did. Because I was open minded and open hearted. I wanted to believe the truth. If I needed to convert to that religion, I genuinely wanted to know.

God’s been talking to me ever since I was a child. So “hearing” God’s answer was easy for me. But what he said surprised me.

God told me: “Any person, religion, or organization that teaches, promotes, and shares unconditional love is part of the Truth.”

It’s not about belonging to the right church or believing in the right deity. It’s about practicing, living, embodying, and expressing love. That’s what matters.

God is love.

If a particular religion helps you be more loving, great — be a part of that religion. But membership of any religion is never a requirement to get into heaven.

God is love. If you want to be near God, you have to be compatible. You have to be loving too. Focus on that. Become a more loving person. Give love. Learn about love. Increase love.

That’s the purpose of life.

God is unconditionally loving. Even if you were a mean old grumpy and hateful bastard on Earth, God still loves you and wants to be with you. He’ll work with you. He’ll help you become more loving, if that’s what you want. You just have to ask. And he’ll guide you to the right people, places, and experiences you need to learn about love and become a more loving soul yourself. Simple as that.

That might mean joining a certain religion or church. But it also might not.

There’s many paths to God — but they all have one thing in common: they’re pathways of love.