41. Hell Revisited

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

As I write this I realize that I am writing into a culture that rejects consequences.  We all feel, and I do include myself in that, that there should be no repercussions for the decisions I make.  There should be lots for the decisions you make, but not for me.

         Consider that teachers have been fired for giving a zero on an assignment that was not handed in.  Consider that all of us feel that we should be able to text and drive.  Consider that we try to keep eating the same foods while staying healthy.

          We also live in a culture where you don’t tell me what the fuck to do. So the idea that what you do in this life should have consequences is firmly rejected.  The concept that those repercussions can extend beyond death are most unwelcome.

       Yet we have the doctrine of Hell.  And, it is up to each of us to reconcile to that doctrine.

There are few concepts that underlie the doctrine of Hell.  First, even though the concept of Hell is mentioned numerous times, the bible is incredibly vague about it.  I have yet to have someone use scripture to explain to me what they believe without there being a long interpretation added. Second, the doctrine of Hell reflects what we believe about God.  As well, the doctrine of Hell reflects on the person themselves.

          Spoiler Alert:  Personally, as I read the Bible, and reflect upon God and my experience, I do not believe Hell, as being the place of eternal torturous punishment, exists.

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

Understand that I truly believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God.  But understand also that there are significant issues with it.  First, there are a multitude of authors, most scholars believe that there were at least 69 authors.  It was written in four languages.  It was written over a period of 1,500 years.  It was written into several different cultural contexts.  God, and I believe he is in the inspiration, loves allegory, poetry, and myths.  Several components of it we know could not and did not happen.  To take verses out of context, and decide that they hold more significance than the whole of the text is questionable at best.

          When I read the Bible, I see reference after reference of the Love, Mercy and Grace of God.  The doctrine of God eternally torturing people for an eternity for essentially making a bad choice, is totally incongruous with the rest of scripture.  One should also know that not all references to Hell, are actual references to a place of eternal torment. 

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

The doctrine of hell demands a belief about God.  I do not believe that God is a god of punishment.  I just don’t.  I believe that it is us, humanity, that demands punishment.  Truly, of what I have read of God, he desires for us to be reunified. 

          Christ’s death on the cross was the ultimate display of that desire, and I cannot see him using that sacrifice as justification to condemn anyone to an eternity of being punished. 

          So, if you are to believe in the doctrine of Hell, you have to accept with that a god who would be willing to actively punish people forever. 

          To put this into perspective, let’s take Hitler arguably the most terrible person that ever lived.  He is directly responsible for the murder of about 11 million people.  Let’s say we sentence him to one thousand years for every person that he murdered.  At the end of that time, he would have roasted for about 11 billion years.  Personally, I would not welcome an eternity spent with a god, being or otherwise that would conceive of such a punishment.

If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

I believe in that there will come a day that I will stand in the presence of God.  Not that I don’t now, but on that day I will be fully aware of his love for me, and of what has happened to me, and of what I have become, and what I have done.  We are told repeatedly that we will be judged.  I think to stand in the presence of God, and fully experience that love, will truly be a humbling event; even painful. The experience, though painful, is redemptive in nature. 

There is a story about Hell, that I think comes from Sufism.  The afterlife is presented as a huge banquet where there is a wide array of food presented.  The catch is that you cannot feed yourself.  Those who find this place as Heaven remark the food is wonderful, and the people spend time feeding each other.  Those who find this place as Hell complain that they went hungry because with all this food they were not allowed to eat.