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I have a few devout Christian friends. We even sometimes discuss religion. However, most of the time we keep our faiths to ourselves.
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I abide by this principle at most times (except forum threads on religion).
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why is it so important to jesus that we believe in him before we die.
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Everyone has heard of John 3:16, but the verses following it are equally important. They are Jesus' words to Nicodemus (a member of the Jewish ruling council - a 'religious' man in every sense of the word*). Bear with me, it all applies:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.
Reader's Digest version: we are separated from God because of sin. In our imperfection, we are unable to bridge the gap through any good thing we do. So, God sent a sinless replacement to pay the penalty for our wrongdoing, thus bridging the gap. The only thing we have to do to is believe that it's true. The preceding example is only one of many. You actually have to read the bible to "get" it - any quote I provide needs the context of the whole work to make complete sense. I'll put my money where my mouth is. I'll mail a bible, free of charge, to anyone who asks for one. Just pm me. I don't have any money right now, but I'll dig one up for anyone who will read it willingly, and with an open mind. If you think I'm some kind of TV preacher selling snake oil, you're wrong. Look at any of my other posts on any subject - I've been honest about my views, whether they align with Christianity or not. Am I a hypocrite? Yep. And a liar, and greedy, and lustful. And everything else bad. But I have a goal I aspire to, no matter how badly I miss it.
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If, when I die, it turns out that it IS true, and i've lived my life as a good person, and have a clear conscience, why can;t I accept Jesus when I meet him, and he tells me that "yes" he's the son of GOD, and "yes, there IS a god...that's him over there....."...??? what is it about the faith, and worship that qualifies you as eligible for eternal bliss?
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You can't have it both ways. If I spend my life rejecting God because I think Christianity takes away my freedom of choice, I can't complain to him at the end of my life because his word turned out to be true and I didn't believe it. You want choice or not?