How Many People Will Go To Heaven?

[Bsix]

Based on the discussion about works on the other thread, I got to wondering what the end result of God's plan (or at least our view of it) will be on humanity. How many people will be going to Heaven?

I realize that we are not the judge of each person who goes to Heaven and cannot presume to know people's hearts. However, I think we do have general impressions of generally how the end result will come out in aggregate.

For all the people who are, have, or will live on this earth how many do you think will go to heaven?

Traditional Christainity: Please give us a guess as to what percentage who have lived on this earth will go to Heaven?

Latter-day Saint Christianity: For the sake of comparison, please give us a guess as to what percentage who have lived on this earth will go to Heaven (all kingdoms therein)?

Latter-day Saint Christianity -- bonus question: What percentage of those who have lived on this earth will go to the Celestial Kingdom?

Regards,

Six

[Bsix]

To kick things off, I'll offer my own opinions.

Having once been a traditional Christian, I'd offer a guess that less than 10 of everyone who have ever lived will go to Heaven based on traditional Christian theology.

As a Latter-day Saint, I think that based on our theology, about 99.999999% of everone who has ever lived will go to Heaven.

Also based on LDS theology I'd guess that about 40-50% of those going to Heaven will be in the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven.

Regards,

Six

[Hammer]

Based on the discussion about works on the other thread, I got to wondering what the end result of God's plan (or at least our view of it) will be on humanity. How many people will be going to Heaven?

I realize that we are not the judge of each person who goes to Heaven and cannot presume to know people's hearts. However, I think we do have general impressions of generally how the end result will come out in aggregate.

For all the people who are, have, or will live on this earth how many do you think will go to heaven?

Traditional Christainity: Please give us a guess as to what percentage who have lived on this earth will go to Heaven?

Latter-day Saint Christianity: For the sake of comparison, please give us a guess as to what percentage who have lived on this earth will go to Heaven (all kingdoms therein)?

Latter-day Saint Christianity -- bonus question: What percentage of those who have lived on this earth will go to the Celestial Kingdom?

Regards,

Six

Ummm let's see now-- 2+4+20+ um X um--divide by um-- I don't know.

[ERMD]

144,000.

I said it first!

Really, I agree.

That vast majority will receive a "reward".

[Mola Ram Suda Ram]

144,000.

I said it first!

Really, I agree.

That vast majority will receive a "reward".

awww, shucks you beat me to it.

[Bsix]

It only took the comedians three posts to derail this thread.

Six

[It occurs to me . . .]

Also based on LDS theology I'd guess that about 40-50% of those going to Heaven will be in the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven.

Despite the fact that there apparently really is no "LDS theology", I would like to ask where you come up with a 40-50% figure?

[Garden Girl]

I would be interested in the non-LDS answer... comedians aside...

For LDS though, Bsix, do you differentiate between how many of your percentage will go to the Celestial Kingdom vs. how many will be exalted... or, is your 40-50% just the Celestial Kingdom in general, all levels... not judging, but I would expect my inactive sister to go to some level within the CK, but not exalted. And I'm sure there are many who will be similar.

Garden Girl

[HiJolly]

Despite the fact that there apparently really is no "LDS theology", I would like to ask where you come up with a 40-50% figure?

Where's BCSpace when you need him? He'll argue to the death that there is such a thing. I'm doubful of it, myself.

HiJolly

[HiJolly]

For all the people who are, have, or will live on this earth how many do you think will go to heaven?

Traditional Christainity: Please give us a guess as to what percentage who have lived on this earth will go to Heaven?

Latter-day Saint Christianity: For the sake of comparison, please give us a guess as to what percentage who have lived on this earth will go to Heaven (all kingdoms therein)?

Latter-day Saint Christianity -- bonus question: What percentage of those who have lived on this earth will go to the Celestial Kingdom?

Trad. Xianity: about 1%, if that, based on doctrine of required baptism or confession, and no proxy work allowed.

LDS: 99.999% (like someone else said). Must be tickling ears, eh? Sounds good. I'm in!

LDS/Celestial: probably 50%. Parable of the 10 virgins.

HiJolly

[Bsix]

I realize that this thread asks for pure speculation. There are no incorrect answers. (comedic ones excepted)

My notion of 40-50% getting into the Celestial Kingdom is based on three factors:

-- The faithfulness of those who hear, accept and live the Gospel during the dispensations of the Gospel in this life.

-- The faithfulness of those who accept the Gospel in the Spirit World for those who did not hear the Gospel in this life.

-- Those who die before the age of accountability. According to LDS theology, they go to the Celestial Kingdom. Until modern times, the child mortality rate has been incredibly high.

As for my 99.9999% guess. That is pretty much everyone gets into one of the three kingdoms of Heaven no matter what they have done in this life.

Thanks for all you thoughts and opinions.

Six

[Connolly]

Despite the fact that there apparently really is no "LDS theology"...

Where did you get that idea? The D&C is quite explicit on who doesn't go to heaven (there are only a few - the atonement is a seriously powerful thing), and what kind of people inherit the different degrees of glory in heaven.

I would like to ask where you come up with a 40-50% figure?

This question is legit. The figure also matches my personal opinion, but that is just an opinion, I can't provide scriptural back up.

[mnn727]

LDS - as previously stated 99.9999% will make it to heaven. I do disagree with most so far about the CK, I would say its closer to 5 - 10 % but thats just an opinion - not based on anything I have seen in scripture. Observing those that actually walk the walk.

[Scottie]

Are we talking about everybody that has ever lived? Including the astronomically high infant mortality rate that claims the vast VAST majority of humans before they reach 8 years old? Are we going so far as to say that once a sperm fertilizes an egg, that is now a new spirit, and if it miscarries, well, there's one more exalted soul?

Are we limiting it to Earth, or are we counting the "worlds without number" that God has children on?

By these criteria, the amount of people that actually make it 8 years old is so infinitesimal that very few of us would even qualify to NOT go to heaven.

Of those insignificant few of us that actually qualify, I just don't understand how we're going to be in the spirit world and not know what God's plan is. I mean, it's not like we're going to have competing religions up there. There is pretty much just the one. You either accept that one, or you don't. I'll probably accept it, and I'd bet most people will too.

[kantgomo]

100% of God's elect.

[Bsix]

Are we talking about everybody that has ever lived?

Yup. That is what I said.

Including the astronomically high infant mortality rate that claims the vast VAST majority of humans before they reach 8 years old?

Yup. That is what I said.

Are we going so far as to say that once a sperm fertilizes an egg, that is now a new spirit, and if it miscarries, well, there's one more exalted soul?

No. I think we can, for the sake of discussion, limit the question to those who were actually born.

Are we limiting it to Earth, or are we counting the "worlds without number" that God has children on?

Yup. That is what I said...those who have lived on this earth.

By these criteria, the amount of people that actually make it 8 years old is so infinitesimal that very few of us would even qualify to NOT go to heaven.

Six: Yes. The mortality rate over the course of history has been quite high. (not counting fetus') That is a lot of souls going to the Celestial Kingdom.

Of those insignificant few of us that actually qualify, I just don't understand how we're going to be in the spirit world and not know what God's plan is.

Six: LDS theology teaches that those of us who have not had a chance to hear the Gospel in this life will in the Spirit world. However, we also understand that the same spirit that we possess here will be ours in the Spirit world. Thus, if we were not inclined to goodness and spirituality in this life...we won't be in the Spirit World. But, alas...that is a concept for a different thread.

100% of God's elect.

Six: I was actually hoping that one of our resident Calvinists would bring that concept to the party. So...do tell...what percentage of humankind are 'elect?'

Cheers,

Six

[ed2276]

Based on the discussion about works on the other thread, I got to wondering what the end result of God's plan (or at least our view of it) will be on humanity. How many people will be going to Heaven?

I realize that we are not the judge of each person who goes to Heaven and cannot presume to know people's hearts. However, I think we do have general impressions of generally how the end result will come out in aggregate.

For all the people who are, have, or will live on this earth how many do you think will go to heaven?

Latter-day Saint Christianity: For the sake of comparison, please give us a guess as to what percentage who have lived on this earth will go to Heaven (all kingdoms therein)?

I would think it would be a very high percentage. 99%?

Latter-day Saint Christianity -- bonus question: What percentage of those who have lived on this earth will go to the Celestial Kingdom?

Regards,

A small percentage from the 99% who make it into "heaven" will make it into the CK. I believe the CK is what Jesus is talking about when He says , to paraphrase , the way is narrow into His kingdom (the CK) and few find it. That is , the percentage of those meeting just the minimum requirement (baptism) for entry into the CK being small , it would follow that the percentage of those entering the CK making it to exaltation would be even smaller. I'd say 10% total entry into all levels of the CK. Just taking the tithing percentage as my source for the guess

[Ron Beron]

I like what G.K. Chesterton said when he was relating a dream in where he was in heaven looking at all the people. He said that he came away with a three point inspiration.

1. There were people in heaven he little suspected of ever being there.

2. There weren't people there who knew would have been there.

3. Miracle of miracles....he was there.

[Hammer]

Thinking about this I have come to the conclussion that 144,000 represents symbolically ALL.

[kantgomo]

Six: I was actually hoping that one of our resident Calvinists would bring that concept to the party. So...do tell...what percentage of humankind are 'elect?'

Cheers,

Six

I have absolutely no idea. At times, I think there are many and at other times I see all the evil in the world and think differently.

[SteubieU]

100% of God's elect.

Kantgomo... you have the only definately correct answer! Bravo! I'll stick with that answer.

As far as actual numbers, I think we should stick with Jesus' answer when asked whether many or few would make it... "Strive to enter the narrow door..." Don't worry about numbers; Jesus never gave numbers. Just make sure that you are one of them!

[SteubieU]

Six: I was actually hoping that one of our resident Calvinists would bring that concept to the party. So...do tell...what percentage of humankind are 'elect?'

Cheers,

Six

Just to be clear, election to salvation is not a Calvinistic doctrine. In fact, it was the teaching of many prominent Catholics - St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, the most famous - long before Calvin got his hands on the doctrine and mishandled it.

[Bsix]

Just to be clear, election to salvation is not a Calvinistic doctrine. In fact, it was the teaching of many prominent Catholics - St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, the most famous - long before Calvin got his hands on the doctrine and mishandled it.

Six: Okay...will any of the election-doctrine believers tell us what percentage of humankind is elect and will be going to Heaven?

Six

[paulhadik]

Bsix:

we don't know. I know you want us to say that the elect is only about 11 people but we don't know.

bunches, gobs, a whole mess of em, a slew of them, herds upon herds

more than 8 less than a goobledillionsand

and take it back a step further, election was neither a doctrine of just calvin nor augustine, it is solidly based in scripture

[rhinomelon]

Six: Okay...will any of the election-doctrine believers tell us what percentage of humankind is elect and will be going to Heaven?

I agree with Steubie and Paul and kantgomo. We don't know! Christ didn't give numbers or percentages. Any numbers we would throw out merely say more about us than it does about the truth of the matter. I'm not sure what you're playing at (unless it's another "Mormons are so much more generous with heaven than those mainstream Christians, therefore we're true" arguments or something).

Take care, everyone