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PDF versionDebunking the myth of hell
by Carol Meyer on Feb. 03, 2011
I’m writing about hell because it is an unthinkable, horrible, destructive concept that can’t possibly be true. I frankly can’t even imagine how anyone came up with something so horrific. Could any wrong merit the terrible pain of burning in fire, while fully conscious, for a week or a year, much less eternity? What kind of a monster would inflict that on anyone? How could such cruelty and sadism be consistent with a God of love? I don’t buy it for a minute.
I don’t care if scripture mentions hell or Jesus talked about it, if saints had visions of it, or if it’s a time-honored Catholic teaching. It simply can’t be justified on any level. We have no proof of its existence. It doesn’t work as a preventative for wrong. Fear is the lowest form of motivation in moral development, and has probably been more the cause of the terrible crimes of humanity than any deterrent. People laugh and joke about burning in hell and draw cartoons about it, but almost no one takes it seriously.
Believing in hell doesn’t promote righteous living or love of God, but an unhealthy fear for those brainwashed to believe it is true. It is especially cruel to inflict this terror on innocent children and the uneducated and susceptible. Didn’t Jesus go around saying over and over not to be afraid? Moving from fear to love and trust in God is a central message of the New Testament. I can’t imagine how many lives have been ruined or devoid of joy because of all the fire and brimstone hurled at them.
We can readily see the arrogant and callous self-righteousness that a belief in hell engenders. The “saved” proudly assert that they are going to heaven, with nary a care that everyone else will suffer for eternity. They might even glory in the damnation of others. Come on. Can that kind of attitude, with its smugness and indifference to (or even glee in) the pain of others, possibly have a place in heaven and be pleasing to God? I think belief in a God who sends people to hell, no matter how cloaked in theological sweetness, creates cruel people. And it’s been the justification for terrible atrocities throughout history.
The bottom line in all this is the nature of God. When we look at creation (and thus at God), we see that it is essentially benevolent, kind, and nurturing. Yes, there is some pain and certainly death, but it is part of a beautiful process of life, growth and rebirth, not some never-ending punishment for being imperfect. I’m not sure where we got the idea that the meaning of life is about judgment, that it’s some kind of cosmic test almost impossible to pass. Nature is about harmony, balance, compassion, unity, interdependence, joy, and all life coming to its fullest potential. That is surely what God wants for us, not to toss us into the trash bin of hell because we missed Sunday mass or had sex.
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It is an insult of the highest degree to think God could ever be so mean and evil as to create hell. So let’s banish the idea once and for all. And we don’t need the concept to justify the need for Christ. All arguments for hell, however reasonable they once sounded, are debunked by one single truth—God is LOVE. The end of the story.
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You are sorely lacking in
You are sorely lacking in education surrounding the justice of God. And. God is not "essentially benevolent, kind, and nurturing", His essence, in which we participate, is "True, Good and Beautiful." The right theological language is important if you are to "know" God (cf. Jn. 3:11).
might i suggest that you
might i suggest that you Tabitha are sorely lacking in education surrounding the justice of God as well. Justice is about making wrongs right, not torturing the guilt. God's justice is mercy, not unending suffering.
"It is His kindness that leads us to repentance." kindness being the emphasis here.
"He will judge the world in righteousness" right-ness being the emphasis here.
If God burns people in hell as justice, then he is a sinner, and worse than Satan himself.
if u say there is no hell
if u say there is no hell then u have just nulled jesus' command to preach the gospel to the lost
Christ command to preach the
Christ command to preach the good news had nothing to do with 'hell' and everything to do with Jesus being the savior of the world. we are not saved from God's fiery torture chamber, we are saved from sin and the wages of it which is death.
'The right theological
'The right theological language is important if you are to "know" God (cf. Jn. 3:11).'
Wow and I thought Christianity touted itself as simple enough that even a child could 'know' of God. So they REALLY have to go to seminary first... okay just so we're clear. Thanks.
Carol, WOW! I was going to
Carol,
WOW!
I was going to quote a line or two but there were so many good ideas in this article! Finally, someone has the courage to speak truth. Be warned, there will be many who will respond that you are "endangering your immortal soul"....P-U-L-eeeeee-Z-E !
I often ask folks to consider what image of God they operate out of on a daily basis? As a parent I never used God to enforce behavior--it is a disservice to God and unspeakably cruel to children as you point out!
I suspect this notion of "burning in fire while fully conscious" goes hand in hand with the Atonement theory, God's Plan B, to fix humanity's 'screw-up' also known as the Fall. A much better way to view the Incarnation is through the eyes of Don Scotus: http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac1202.asp
Well done, Carol!
Cheers,
It's possible for the
It's possible for the Incarnation of God to serve two purposes. God not only wants to redeem us, He also wants to elevate us to share in His divine life in the fullest way possible. He partook of our human nature so that we might come to share in His divine nature, as the prayer at Mass at the mixing of the water and wine says.
I also can't believe in
I also can't believe in burning in hell. Our souls are what survive and they are not matter (material). Burning in hell has to have matter. Fire has to be material and what it burns has to be material. I remember a priest in college in the 1950's say that heaven is complete happiness in the pressence of God. What we could think of as "hell" would be just the opposite. No doubt "burning in hell" was a fear mechanism. Young people could relate to "fire" and were too young to comprehend what we were taught in college and the meaning of a soul.
"Our souls are what survive
"Our souls are what survive and they are not matter (material)."
Surely you've heard of the resurrection! Our bodies are not temporary houses for our souls -- our bodies will be renewed, restored, and resurrected on the last day! We will enjoy Heaven --- or endure Hell --- in our body and our soul for eternity.
While "The Lake of Fire" may
While "The Lake of Fire" may be a metaphor, the eternal physical resurrection of our bodies is literal. Hell is eternal destruction of the entire human, just as Heaven is a place of eternal bliss in God's presence. Remember how Christ could eat in His new resurrected body. We were never created to be disembodied spirits.
Doing away with scriptural
Doing away with scriptural notions because we don't like them is not theology. I suggest you read authors like Rahner on thanatology before you decide to do away with revelation, convenient or not. The problem of evil and its consequences is not one to be taken so lightly. What would be your response to someone who said "Let's do away with the notion that God is Love"?
it is not necessary to do
it is not necessary to do away with scripture to do away with hell. the Apostle Paul makes it pretty easy, he only mentions 'hell' once, and his opinion is that Christ triumphed over it.
This little essay is so full
This little essay is so full of false premises, that it's hard to actually take any of this seriously.
This is a rather childish view of what hell is. Nothing has been debunked except the immature images put forth.
Apparently the biggest problem is that Ms. Meyer "doesn't care" what scripture or Jesus says, but that is probably because her notion needs a mature understanding of faith rather than the silly God-is-gonna-getcha notions that she puts forth.
God most certainly IS Love.
As the desert fathers of the East said, some will experience God's burning love, in eternity, as ecstasy. Others will experience God's burning love, in eternity, as hatred.
Most everyone WILL experience God's love in eternity. Unfortunately, some will choose to experience it in burning hatred.
your comment of 'experiencing
your comment of 'experiencing God's love as hatred' makes no sense... 1 Cor 13 tells us what love is like, and hell is nothing like that chapter.
the 'false premises' should be taken seriously enough to look into considering the accusation made against God is that he runs a torture chamber... pretty steep accusation.
A much better essay of hell
A much better essay of hell that is more in line with true orthodox belief can be found here:
http://aggreen.net/beliefs/heaven_hell.html
"This is not a new
"This is not a new interpretation or a secret truth. It has been there all along, held by the Church from the beginning, revealed in the languages of the Scriptures, which were spoken by the Christians of the early church era. This understanding was held by nearly all Christians everywhere for the first 1000 years of the Church's existence, and, except where influence by western theologies, continued to be held by Christians beyond Western Europe and America even up to this day (including the roughly 350 million Orthodox Christians worldwide)."
Interesting article but as one can see the logic is flawed--just because they believed from the beginning doesn't make it true.........the people and the Church also believed the world was flat.............look where that got Galileo.
Cheers,
Is this a April Fool's post?
Is this a April Fool's post? Nope. Well then let me just say, Jesus talked about Hell more than he talked about Heaven. If Jesus is your savior then what did he save you from? What did he die for? Before you say to save me from myself and to set a good example, realize then you don't really need him. He is therefore not your savior just a good guy.
God created Hell out of love and he sends people there out of love. If we all just end up in Heaven sooner or later then we are really not free to reject God. God created Hell for those that refuse his friendship through their actions. He made it for the devil and the other fallen angels who could no longer stay in Heaven because they refused to serve. God created Hell out of a mercy instead of uncreating his creation. If I refuse to follow God and to follow his commands will he force me into heaven? Or like Judas will he send me to my own place?
"If Jesus is your savior then
"If Jesus is your savior then what did he save you from? What did he die for?"
You might try this article:http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac1202.asp
"God created Hell out of love and he sends people there out of love" Is this the same argument one would use to hit our children? Sounds like the same argument dictators and tyrants use to abuse the people.
Who would love a God like the one you describe? You wouldn't love him/her you would just obey out of FEAR---that isn't a love relationship and that isn't God. Sorry to break the Good News to you :)
Cheers,
"All arguments for hell,
"All arguments for hell, however reasonable they once sounded, are debunked by one single truth—God is LOVE. The end of the story."
God IS love. I agree. What He isn't is the creepy guy who kidnaps a gal and forces her to marry him in a shack in the mountains. Everything I have read about hell seems to say that the real horror is eternal seperation from a relationship with God, not physical torture. We can hope no human is in hell (and that may be the case), but since we have free will it is reasonable to assume that we can reject God's love and choose to live apart from Him forever.
"I don’t care if scripture mentions hell or Jesus talked about it, if saints had visions of it, or if it’s a time-honored Catholic teaching. It simply can’t be justified on any level. We have no proof of its existence."
Well, if you discount all of the proof then I guess you DON'T have any proof. What would be proof if Jesus' words, Scripture's teachings, credible visions/revelations or Church teachings don't count? Your position seems irrational here.
"Believing in hell doesn’t promote righteous living or love of God, but an unhealthy fear for those brainwashed to believe it is true."
I don't know. Certainly we are called to live a life of love and joy, but fear can be a healthy first start in coming to that true life we are called to. I myself was first prompted to conversion by fear, but over time I came to realize the great love God wants to give. I now have a great joy where once I had fear, but, looking back, I think I needed that fear to get moving.
"Certainly we are called to
"Certainly we are called to live a life of love and joy, but fear can be a healthy first start in coming to that true life we are called to. I myself was first prompted to conversion by fear, but over time I came to realize the great love God wants to give. I now have a great joy where once I had fear, but, looking back, I think I needed that fear to get moving"
Well, on the surface your argument seems to be "reasonable" but I suspect that if that was a genuine path to follow Jesus would have modeled it for us, yes?
Instead of saying to the people, "Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you" he might have started with "You are all going to hell if you don't straighten up.............". It would be interesting for those who love spreading that fear as a motivational tool to conversion to examine where they first learned that method. In scripture we constantly have a God that says, "Be not afraid"......unless She didn't know what She was doing......
Cheers,
"[H]e might have started with
"[H]e might have started with "You are all going to hell if you don't straighten up............."."
Except he did: Luke 12:4-5, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 13:41-50, etc. etc. etc.
You know, I'm just as guilty
You know, I'm just as guilty as the next person of of substituting eisegesis (an interpretation, especially of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text) for exegesis
I think your Luke 12:4-5 (I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one) can be twisted to say what you want it to say but when it is read in the context of the Travel Narrative you will find that Luke, the author, through Jesus, is talking about the internal and external opposition the disciples are going through (Jerome Biblical commentary 704). Here is a quote: "Luke constructs this section mainly from Q and L. His connections are chiefly thematic and catchword. Via Luke 12:1-3 Like links the opposition that the Pharisees, whose leaven is hypocrisy, give Jesus (11:37-54) to that experiences by his disciples (12:4-12)........................ Luke alternates messages of comfort and admonition as he develops the theme: if the master's teachings met with opposition, so too will those of his disciples." So, I think it is evident that he didn't start out trying to convert people through fear (these were ALREADY his disciples and calls them friends) which is what my post was about and from where you are quoting me, yes?
Matthew 10:28 I think reinforces my point about Jesus saying, Be not afraid.......or am I missing your point? "And do NOT BE AFRAID of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" Jerome Biblical commentary notes that these verses are a "rabbinic argument (comparing a light matter to a heavy one) is used to overcome fear and to encourage the disciples to trust God" (652). So, I think when read in the context of the gospel we can see that inducing fear through a threatening of 'hell' isn't Luke's point or Jesus'............which I believe was my point!
Finally, your last quote, "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
This is APOCALYPTIC language, just like the Book of Revelation and you know how folks are still looking for the 666 tatooed somewhere :)(and probably your best verse for hell) but, when READ IN CONTEXT the JBC notes that "the details should not obscure the main point of the parable: the kingdom is a mixed body of saints and sinners on earth, until the final sifting by God's agents" (657)
John Meier in his commentary echoes the JBC, "Even without the allegorical interpretation, the main point is clear. Up until the parousia, the church will always be a mixed bag of good and evil; it should not play God by trying to purify itself completely through purges and Inquisitions" (148)
AS a side note here is a bit about apocalyptic language: Mystical symbolism is frequent characteristic of apocalyptic writing. This feature is illustrated in the instances where gematria is employed either for the sake of obscuring the writer's meaning, or enhancing its meaning further as a number of ancient cultures used letters also as numbers (i.e., the Romans with their use of 'roman numerals'). Thus, the mysterious name "Taxo," "Assumptio Mosis", ix. 1; the "number of the beast" 666, of Revelation 13:18;[13] the number 888 ('Iησōῦς), Sibyllines, i.326-330.
Thanks for the conversation,
Cheers,
No hell? Then why did God
No hell? Then why did God send His only Son to die for us (cf. John 3:16)? Wishing hell away will not make it vanish. Your thesis belongs in the vacuous theology of Unitarianism and it contains no Catholic character in it.
uhhh, hello... God sent his
uhhh, hello... God sent his Son to save the world from it's sins... the wages of sin is death, not eternal life in hell. Jesus came to give us life. He defeated death, and 'hell' when he rose from the grave.
Scott, you're partly right.
Scott, you're partly right. Death and Hades will be swallowed by the Lake of Fire, in which Sacred Scripture says the lost will be in torment "for ever and ever".
We must face this hard teaching. Sticking our heads in the sand will not make it go away.
Christy
The reality of hell is a
The reality of hell is a Defide doctrine of the Church. It cannot be denied by a Catholic. However, the concept of the fire of hell is not dogmatic. JPII denied the fire of hell. However, my book of doctrine states that the denial of the fire of hell is a concept not formally condemned by the Church. So it is close to dogmatic.
My own theory is that the souls of the damned lose consciousness when descending into the pit of fire. There is no formal Catholic teaching on the question of consciousness so far as I know. In my theory it is the descent of the soul into the pit that is the real punishment. This is one way to show the divine mercy even to the damned but it is only a theory.
Even an orthodox person such as myself can't fathom the notion of eternal "conscious" punishment. However, the question of eternal punishment in terms of exclusion from God flows from the eternal nature of the soul. In a sense that is enough punishment; the fire is kind of overkill. But I do believe in the fire of hell which is scripturally based.
Hell is for those who have
Hell is for those who have rejected God. The fires of hell are the flames of God's love which burn for eternity those who have spurned God. Hell is real and it is forever. It is a dogma of the faith. To reject it means to place oneself outside the Catholic Church through heresy and in grave spiritual danger. God is love, not sin. Sin separates us from God, and if not repented of before death, we shall be separated from God forever through our own choice, made using our own free will.
I think you're going to have
I think you're going to have to throw the baby out with that bathwater. If there is no Hell, based on your definitions of logical certainty, then there is no Heaven. If there's no Hell or Heaven then there is no sin and no need for Christ. If you're going to throw out every magisterial/scriptural teaching you don't like, then what's left but your personal fantasy world.
I don't object to you having a rich fantasy life, but it's funny that you label that fantasy life "Catholic" irrespective of what that word means.
I agree with you when you
I agree with you when you emphasize that God is LOVE. Absolutely. The implication of that is: when we love someone, we give them freedom to choose whether or not to reciprocate that love. Because God loves us so much, He gives us all free will. It's beautiful! At the end of the day, if someone decides they'd rather not spend eternity worshiping and being in union with God, they choose hell. God does not "send" people to hell; people choose to go there.
I know it's disturbing, but we've had lots of 'proof' of hell even outside of the Bible. I've read several accounts of exorcisms where demons make it clear that they want to bring people to hell. They are fallen angels that have chosen not to serve God.
Whatever prompted you to write this must have been troubling to you. I'll say a prayer for you, sister. I hope that our loving God will free you from your troubles and anxieties. May St. Michael protect you.
In the words of Mother
In the words of Mother Angelica "you will believe it when you get there."
What is truly horrific is a writer who tells people that there is no ax wielding maniac behind them. Well Satan is that ax wielding maniac and you are the mean one for telling people that there is none.
"In the words of Mother
"In the words of Mother Angelica "you will believe it when you get there."
Hmmm.....well let's consider the source...............a FEAR monger
Cheers,
I wonder if any of your NCR
I wonder if any of your NCR colleagues will chime in to provide some fraternal (sororal?) correction.
If hell does not exist, why did Jesus talk about it?
If hell does not exist, are we ALL going to Heaven? If so, why does anything matter? Why did the Father send His Son to die on a cross for our sins?
If there is no hell, is there no Satan either?
Taking hell (and Satan) out of the picture makes Jesus quite a fibber! Lying is still a sin, right?
"Taking hell (and Satan) out
"Taking hell (and Satan) out of the picture makes Jesus quite a fibber! Lying is still a sin, right?"
Well, it is all about context, historical, redaction, cultural, textual.....
Otherwise, when Jesus claims that the mustard seed is the smallest he was mistaken...or lying---what God made a mistake? Check this article.....
"By the way, this is what Jesus Christ said about the mustard seed:
With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. (Mark 4.30-32) [emphasis added]
Some have argued, despite the clear meaning of the quote, that Jesus was only referring to the seeds known to his audience. Well then, was the mustard seed the smallest seed known in Palestine? No, not even in Jesus’ time. There would be numerous plants familiar to his audience with smaller seeds, of which the best example would be the seed of the black orchid. And just for the record, the mustard seed doesn’t grow to be the greatest of all the shrubs on Earth, either."
Here is the link to this article:http://diogenesii.wordpress.com/2007/06/22/what-is-the-smallest-seed-in-the-world/
Cheers,
As for the mustard seed
As for the mustard seed passage, see here for a possible explanation.
But you bring up "context, historical, redaction, cultural, textual".
Well, I suppose you can contextualize any verse about eternal punishment away...
"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
"Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
"Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"
"If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned."
Hi Jeffrey, Thanks for that
Hi Jeffrey,
Thanks for that link. I think it makes my point though about context. Also, behind this whole question which you asked--"is it true or not?" (a paraphrase of your question). Well, how we frame a question will determine to some extent what the answer will be. It could also be that we are asking the wrong questions. Those that wish to defend, for example, Jesus' assertions that the mustard seed is, in fact,the smallest of seeds ("because Jesus said so and its in the Bible and Jesus is God and so he knows everything") reflect a certain perspective about scripture. I suspect that Jesus wasn't making that point and we can lose the essential meaning of the text. Kind of like "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?"
I'm sure you know this but we have to read scripture in the context of all of Scripture (Hebrew and Christian scriptures) and when we do this we can see certain themes surfacing. As I posted, it is about context, not to "contextualize any verse about eternal punishment away..." but rather to understand what Jesus meant. Recognize, also, that Jesus was a 1st century Jew and he grew up and was formed in a Semitic culture and that also must be taken into consideration. If you are interested you may wish to purchase or borrow from someone Richard Rohr's "Great Themes of Scripture" from St. Anthony Messenger Press http://catalog.americancatholic.org/product.aspx?prodid=A7090&pcat=304
One last comment, those who wish to have that dichotomy, heaven and hell, saved and un-saved, the 'in-group' and the 'out-group' reflect a mentality more like the Pharisees--always trying to keep people away from God and Jesus is always opening access to God. When we act out of our 'being' we aren't concerned about 'hell'.............
Cheers,
Jesus spoke of Gehenna, which
Jesus spoke of Gehenna, which is wrongly translated to 'hell'. Gehenna was the valley south of Jerusalem where children were sacrificed to the false god Molech and Israel was judged for this sin.
Jesus also spoke of 'hades' which comes from Greek mythology. so either Jesus was using 'hades' as a figurative example, or he was supporting Greek mythology. we can be sure we was not doing the second.
Yes, we will all go to 'heaven'. This is just one of the many reasons why God sent his son.
No, there is no Satan, but that is too complicated of a doctrine to unravel here.
Jesus never lied, he has only been mistranslated, and misunderstood.
I guess you will enjoy Heaven
I guess you will enjoy Heaven in the eternal company of Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld!
This is certainly the best
This is certainly the best argument against "Eco Catholicism" I have yet seen.
Surely the author is an opposition plant who snuck this bit of parody past the editors?
Carol, While I am unsure of
Carol,
While I am unsure of whether this was written "tongue in cheek" or seriously, I am going to respond as though you wrote it seriously, while praying that you were indeed writing it satirically.
I appreciate that you feel it would be the highest insult to consider that God Almighty would be so "mean" to "create" Hell. He didn't create Hell. Lucifer created Hell when he decided to rebel against God in Heaven, drag a cohort of rebellious angels along with him, and since nothing unclean can exist in Heaven, they were cast out, thus Hell was created.
God is love. Heaven is love. The Sacred Scripture, which was written by the Holy Spirit, is very clear on the concept of Heaven and Hell. There is a Heaven, a Purgatory, and a Hell. Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, speaks of Hell. I apologize if you do not want it to exist, but it is real, and it does exist. God does not want any of us to go there, as He is love. Therefore, live in His Commandments, practice His Sacraments with strength, purity of heart, and true charity, and hopefully your Guardian Angel will lead you to your judgment without delay to the gates of heaven.
But to deny what the Holy Spirit has dictated to the Sacred Authors out of fallible pride and a childish sense of "I'm a good person and God loves me so there is no Hell, because God is love" is a dangerous and foolish road to take, especially when one has been taught the truth. Satan delights in these kinds of snares, in the New Age world he has created. Don't fall into the trap, or worse lead others to it. The greatest strides he has made in the past forty years is convincing the vast majority that he does not exist.
Satan is real, Hell is real. Look at the world around you.
You need to spend some time in Adoration, my friend.
Eucharist and frequent Confession are the way.
God Bless.
??? Satan delights in the
??? Satan delights in the snares of 'God is love'... We must have to different 'Satan's' in mind, because the cross was the symbol of God's love. it is the cross that defeated 'hell'.
The trap is in thinking that Jesus failed in his mission to save the world. He most assuredly did not fail!
Now after reading this
Now after reading this article, I took a look at what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about this supposed "hell":
1035 The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, "eternal fire." The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
1056 Following the example of Christ, the Church warns the faithful of the "sad and lamentable reality of eternal death" (GCD 69), also called "hell."
1057 Hell's principal punishment consists of eternal separation from God in whom alone man can have the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.
So it seems to me that the Christ, and His Church affirm the existence of the possibility of eternal separation from God, which is Hell. This article give no proofs for the non-existence of hell, and by calling death simply part of the circle of life, along with the denial of Hell, seems to head in the direction of denying sin. It is a reality that we all sin, and if we die in mortal sin, then we end up in Hell. This article sounds an awful lot like the writer, and NCR by publishing it, are denying a key Church doctrine...
I believe it was CS Lewis (but I know others have as well) who mentioned that the first thing the devil wants us to think is that he, nor hell, does not exist. If that happens, then he will have one. We must strive daily to immerse ourselves in the Love and Mercy of Christ, knowing that only through His Grace, and not our own imperfect selves, will we dwell with Him for all eternity and be saved from eternal separation from Him.
PURGATORY (trial); HEAVEN
PURGATORY (trial); HEAVEN (bliss); HELL (misery).
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What do I know about purgatory, heaven and hell? probably about as much as you do; and what is known is more from real-life experience than from top-down indoctrination. If I read the last two popes correctly, there is something to learn that is different from traditional indoctrination. John Paul II famously said “heaven is not a place” (after life). Benedict XVI says “purgatory is not a place” (after life). And in effect they are saying, “hell is not a place” (after life); the consternation of trial, the bliss of happiness, and the torture of misery are all states of consciousness, psychical dispositions with personal/ social consequences. Experience tells us that psychical dispositions of trial, bliss and misery have existed in the past, exist in the present and surely will continue into the future.
These are common experiences in evolutionary consciousness. They are about fitness and survival, the process of evolution. They speak to us how the fit survive and how survivors become more fit. The processes of fitness and survival are a perpetual testing called purgatory. The successful gaining of happiness is called heaven; and the failed gaining of happiness and the depression of misery is hell. These dispositions of consciousness have everything to do with the personal/ social experience/ success/ failure in the perpetual here-and-now.
Intuitional consciousness is a sounding board of divine/ human dialogue. In this life we can’t know what memory contribution we make to intuitional consciousness. Beyond the present life, it isn’t for us to know personally our psychical state. The gain of personal intuition is a gain for social consciousness; the frustration of personal intuition is a social frustration all experience/ share. Consciousness and conscience call us to move beyond frustration. Happiness is the experience of overcome frustration. Ascendancy into deeper experiences of happiness is the sweet taste of heaven; the frustration of wellbeing is misery. Life is a purgatory, bouncing back and forth between experiences of elation and desperation. Heaven is ultimate entry into Divinity Consciousness, the Godhead experience of happiness meant for all to experience. www.divinicom.com
Unfortunately, you haven't
Unfortunately, you haven't followed your attempted debunking to its natural conclusion:
Far from being "love," it is the god of universalism (no Hell for anyone) that is utter monster, albeit one with a vacant smile its face.
If universalism was true, the following would also be true--the universalist god doesn't care the slightest about what its human creations do to each other or to the rest of creation. Period. Genocide, rape, stealing food meant for the starving, murder-suicides, pouring poison into drinking water--all irrelevant to the u-god, whose response is ever the same: an uncaring, vacant smile. The same, insipid faux-loving smile is dispensed upon both saints and those who spend their lives making a choking hell of the earth.
That's not the God of Jesus Christ revealed in scripture and the person of Christ Himself. That's the unknowable god of gnosticism and its demiurge, all wrapped up into one.
the 'god' of universalism (or
the 'god' of universalism (or as i refer to him, the God of the universe the Father of Jesus Christ) is the God of mercy and forgiveness. even the vilest sinners are forgiven because of his grace. The Jesus of the scriptures declared, 'i don't condemn thee' and this is true for all of us. Jesus doesn't light people on fire.
If you believe in free will,
If you believe in free will, you must then believe in a place for those who freely choose to reject God for eternity. That place is called Hell.
CS Lewis said it best: "Heaven is for those who say to God, 'Thy will be done." Hell is for those to whom God says, 'Thy will be done.'"
Good post. God bless you.
Good post. God bless you.
this article did not even
this article did not even come close to making a biblical argument against 'hell'... which would be an easy thing to do because the biblical argument against 'hell' is an easy one. but i won't get into it, because i don't imagine anyone here really wants to know.
Great article! thanks for speaking the obvious and challenging the system. If the National Catholic Reporter has guts, it will let more articles like this slip by and provoke people to actual study of the bible so they know what they believe and not just repeat rhetoric. surely the Catholic Church can handle a little debate on the subject of 'hell'.
Carol, you are doing nobody,
Carol, you are doing nobody, including yourself, a favor by espousing this false doctrine. The truth is, you *should* care what Jesus says about Hell.
"But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke 12:5)
No Carol, for your own well-being and those who listen to you, you can't make up what version of Hell you're comfortable with. God is the agent that sends people to Hell. I am Catholic, and it makes me frightened to see that the only people left willing to accept this hard teaching are fundamentalist Protestants. The Church taught this for 2,000 years. Please, for the love of God, stop spreading lies.
Christy
Thank you, Carol, for the
Thank you, Carol, for the Holy Spirit workings in your words and spirit in your article. For those given ears to hear it rings like the bells of heaven celebrating God, our Father's sovereign character of Agape' Love and "Love does not fail!" as Brother Paul stated.
The very use of the word "hell" to replace any Biblical word does great injustice, i assert, to any Bible word used by Jesus and other authors showing the correcting, saving work of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. "Gehena" [classically translated as "hell"] has a meaning to the listeners of Jesus day that has been largely lost to most modern listening ears. Please research it. Clue: It has to do with "correcting" rather that a "punishing" spirit that Jesus displayed so well while walking here on earth.
Not so clear to certain defenders of "hell" is the clear misrepresentation of the nature [name-character] of the Divine. And, i believe, those so given to such work [promoting "hell'] for the time being will be delightfully surprised as to many of "undesirables" that we will share eternity with as we see the will and working of our heavenly Father [source-Love] revealed! I weep for joy even now of that Agape' Love revealed! What a foretaste...
Finally... A person's belief or non-belief in a "hell" does not determine reality, either Bible-wise or logically, but it does determine their experience of life's flow in the Kingdom of God - be it even temporarily for the educational purposes of God/Jesus/Spirit. And, that may be as close to a "hell" experience as they will get!
Please pray for all of us to be brought y Jesus' power and work into the "Heavenly harmony" of seeing "...all things being worked out for the purposes of God". It will be Is 52:7 and Job 42:2 come to results in us all!
May Deut 29:4 NOT be your path, too...
And, the blessing of "Christ in you" [the anointing One] as your day...
eugene and "marvelous" Nora, to and as His glory i pray...Amen
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