Please excuse my following paraphrase that is sure to inflame the orthodox Behold, a certain
Jewish theologian stood up and tested Jesus, saying, "Teacher,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"
He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, [Deuteronomy 6:5]; and your neighbor as yourself [Leviticus 19:18]."
He said to him, "You have answered correctly.
Do this, and you will live."
But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"
"A certain (insert "other" of choice) was going down from Chicago to St Louis, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain Roman Catholic priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Protestant minister also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a certain agnostic, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and provided first aid. He put him in his own vehicle, and brought him to the emergency room where they took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out his credit card, and paid the ER bill, and said to them, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond this charge to my card.'
Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"
The
Jewish theologian said, "He who showed mercy on him."
Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Orthodoxy and creeds are OK even necessary I guess; but the way of Jesus is pretty simple.
He says follow me ie emulate me.
In the end God separates the wheat from the chaff so I'll reserve my judgement on who and who is not justified. I've known plenty of doctrinally sound scoundrels as well as beautiful people of compassion who didn't self describe as Christians.
My hope in Jesus, in God is also a hope for those who don't subscribe to my 'orthodoxy'. I cannot know the internal dialog with God that other people engage in and I don't want to be a hindrance to that dialog.
I believe Jesus is the way the truth and the life yet I'm not convinced that adopting creeds and orthodoxies is what that means. It's more an inward condition, a result of an acknowledgement, a relationship with the God who is here and is not silent that precedes an outward confession of belief as well is reflected in how we treat others. A small kernel of faith is more efficacious than mental assent of creeds and orthodoxies.
Those who are agnostic should really just read the gospels while trying to filter out all of the Christian cultural baggage we've come to associate with following Jesus.
I did that and my faith in God through Christ has been strengthened.