One Monk's Journey Through Faith

"Not hurting anyone" would only make you neutral, not good. A "good" person seeks to help those who are lost and who have given up on hope. The homeless, alcoholics, pregnant teens, those with terminal illnesses, people who die of hunger (thousands do every day).

Think of it this way. If you were God, and you were going to make a perfect place called Heaven, and you wanted it to be peaceful, what sort of people would you invite into this new kingdom you're building? Those who have a heart to give their lives for the benefit of others, or would you pick those who go through their own lives making no major difference one way or the other, who don't go out of their way to help or harm?

If you were God, and you were building a perfect kingdom, wouldn't you also want to pick the people on Earth who already share your vision and try to shape the world into a better place? If you were going to let humans help you build Heaven and live there with you, wouldn't you pick people who had that same dream?

Maybe the people you'd pick are not perfect in and of themselves, but you'd probably pick the people who have a heart that wants to make the world perfect. Does that make sense?

Christians aren't perfect, and good works don't make us perfect, either. However, it is through the experience of seeking God's kingdom (i.e. making the world a better place through acts of mercy and by coming together as a community) that Christians grow closer to God. We grow to resemble God more and we grow emotionally closer to Him as well.

God very earnestly desires people who seek to bring heavenly peace and harmony on earth, not just people who would think Heaven is a nice place.

Nobody plans to build a building and then hires architects based on them saying "Well, I haven't done anything to destroy buildings, really." NO! You hire people who love to build things! It's the same deal with God.