I sometimes wonder how restrictive the Celestial Kingdom will be. I know that it presents strict moral standards to those within the church, but what about those outside it? How easily could a Catholic or some other Christian enter the Celestial Kingdom?
On one hand, it would seem fairly easy. This verse basically says that if you believe in Jesus, the gate is open to you. However, no matter how open the gate is, you still have to go through it. 2 Nephi 31:17 teaches us that "the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism," and Helaman 3:28 comes right after Helaman 3:26, which describes how tens of thousands of people were baptized and united with the church of God. So, non-members can enter the Celestial Kingdom. They just have to get baptized and join the church of God first.
Thankfully, temple ordinances, including baptisms for the death, ensure that the gate stays open as long as possible, and we know that God judges individuals based mostly on how closely they followed the light that they had. This may mean that, when a Catholic dies, God will judge them based on how closely they followed Catholicism rather than how closely they followed Mormonism.
I don't know precisely what the rules are for non-members to enter the Celestial Kingdom. I know that they need Temple ordinances, since everyone does, but I'm not sure what standards they have to live by to be considered worthy of that. I am confident that God's judgments on this matter will be fair; I just don't know whether that fairness means everyone has to uphold the same standard or whether it means that everyone will get a fair chance to earn the right to enter the Celestial Kingdom.
Whatever the rules are, God doesn't seem like the kind of God that would arbitrarily turn away those who seek to enter His Kingdom. I believe that "the gate of heaven is open unto all." I just don't know how hard or how easily it will be for members of other faiths to enter through it.
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