I, too, shall weigh in.
Sinning is what sends you to Hell. Everyone sins. There's no getting around it. There's even a Bible verse in Romans that says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." It doesn't matter how big or how small, I've sinned, you've sinned, and even your saint of a grandmother has sinned. There's really no way around it. We are all imperfect human beings and will, thus, sin from time to time. That being said, there's a way to get a 'free pass.' Jesus was more than human and was able to make it his whole life without sinning. When he died, he took the sins of the world upon him, and the sin died with him. According to old Catholic doctrine, Jesus, dieing with sin upon him, went into Hell. The line "descended into Hell" was originally a part of the apostle's creed, but has since been ommitted by most sources. However, Jesus was innocent of all sin, so Hell held no power over him, and he siezed control of death and the grave from Satan, then returned to Earth for a final farewell before ascending into Heaven.
Side note: The ressurrection of Jesus is at least as important as his death. Jesus' ressurrection proves that his mission was accomplished and that he is the son of God.
Anyway, with Jesus causing our sin to die with him, we are no longer burdened by the unescapable corruption of sin. However, when God created us, he gave us free choice, a gift that he will never take back. Therefore, we could not be forced to accept Jesus' gift to all of us in the form of salvation. The way you get into Heaven is to voluntarily and sincerely ask Jesus himself for forgiveness. It's that easy.
A common fallacy projected by those who seek to undermine Christianity is that Christians think they're perfect and they'll make you do so, as well. On the other hand, Christians realize how imperfect they truly are and will accept people as they are, sin and all, though Christians also realize the corrupting power of sin and actively discourage it. Another fallacy is that Christianity is just supposed to be some set of principles that 'work for that person.' That is false. Christianity contains a set of principles, but is so much more. To limit Christianity to the set of principles that Christians try to live by would be the same as limiting the Declaration of Independance to a simple legal declaration of war.
Somehow, I doubt it.Perhaps you're right, but I have it on good authority that, contrary to popular belief, the accommodations are in fact excellent down there, the entertainment is first rate, and the wine list is unmatched.
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Originally Posted by GW in Ohio
All I know is what it takes to get to Heaven. Being in love with the Abba (NO! NOT the band! 
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