Christianity

It's been a while I know but I thought I'd kick of April with a religious post not just due to Easter but because I have been having a wee debate with a member of my family who is a devout Christian.He is young,doesn't preach,but does believe that those who do not become Christians will not go to Heaven. This is a little of what I've said to him then I promise I shall go back to discussing Corrie or Eastenders and what my love life is like at the moment. He just stirred a bit of something in me that I didn't actually know was there, so bear with me.
Part of me would love to have connection with the church ,deep down i actually do have faith but it has been tainted with a negative vision not of Christianity itself, but of the inherant faults in human nature and the distorted view that some have of the Church and what it means.
My Grandmother was a prime example. She not only was an extremely active member of the church but also of Eastern star,my Grandfather was a Mason,as was my Father.My family as a whole came from all creeds,protestant and catholic, but if any other faith or colour of person was mentioned in front of them it was met with bigotted reaction.
My Grandmother used to visit friends from the church regularly yet on her return would proceed to put down their personal lives,appearances or that of the inside of their homes,despite preaching to us how good a person she was because she went to church.I know from my dealings with the church since being a child (I also attended Girls Brigade up until I was 15) that this is not uncommon.In some ways it's goodness by association.I guess what I'm trying to say that Yes I could attend Church and declare myself Christian but I can get as much faith and understanding as I need simply by following what is written in the bible and my own sense of what life is all about. I feel sorry for people who live empty, shallow lives,with no thought for anyone but themselves and where they are going to get their next bout of excitement from, and I hope that they find what I have one day. I have self respect and respect for others,I have a lot of love in my heart,I have charity, I have forgiveness (although having your heart broken makes this process longer,but I'll get there)I have the unconditional love of being a mother and the life experiences to make me realise what is important.I don't believe that I'll go to hell simply by not being a member of a church, as I believe that all good people will be accepted to wherever we go when our bodies have expired,as long as they have followed the simple rules that the bible set out. Lets face it hypothetically. A child is born on an island in the middle of nowhere,the only person with him is his mother. There is no minister or priest and no Churches but his mother teaches him the common senses of right and wrong,of respect for his surroundings and the animals on the island. She teaches him not to be greedy or their sustainence will run out, she teaches him that in order to survive they must be active,that they must keep their home clean and tidy and free from bugs that could cause disease, she teaches him to be clean to stave off infections,she teaches him that although they sometimes have to kill an animal to survive that it should be done in a humane manner to ease any suffering of that animal,she teaches him that when she gets old and unable to do all she did before that he helps her and becomes a responsible and compassionate human being. Now will that boy be accepted in Heaven?xx