I've been wavering back and forth for a week now about whether or not to post the below post. I wrote it about 5 days ago and its just been sitting here. But since I don't have a belly pic to share today, I figure I might as well share this with the world...
I know my blog has no real "theme" and jumps around a lot between pregnancy chatter, religion, home-renovation, travel and my random ramblings. This flow works for me as it follows my everyday life of disarray. But lately the focus clearly has been on spirituality/religion/faith and I know some of you probably have no interest in my thoughts on the matter, but as the multiple emails and comments I've received have shown, some do. And all the feedback has been wonderful and really gotten me thinking.
One friend emailed me and asked me to explain why I don't believe in Hell, which forced me to lay out my thoughts on the matter, something I've never really done before. She and I then continued a back and forth conversation about the topic and she brought up some thought-provoking points.
So in the continued interest of honesty and keeping my life an open book, I thought I'd share my email to her about Why I don't believe in Hell:
Ah, now you have me thinking! I love that I have such intelligent friends who don't let me just make flippant statements without being able to back them up (Mr. Cob kept prodding me last night). So here's my thing with hell - I really do think that God is this all-loving being. I don't think he's a vengeful God who has put us on this Earth to test us. I just don't know why he would do that. What's the point? To see if we are worthy of being allowed to enter his kingdom? Perhaps. But He has put us on this Earth and while we're here, he's given us free will to choose to live our lives however we please. I can't understand why he would give us free will if he was then going to just turn around and condemn us for choosing to lead out lives in a particular way. Why give us the choice then? Why not just have us act how He wants us to act? Which then leads to the bigger question of why are we here and is the only purpose in life to lead a God-honoring life where we praise Jesus and make every decision in our life based upon what God/Jesus thinks is the right thing? I have no clue. Yet more questions.
So then you raise a good point - what about people who lead evil lives? Hitler, for example? Surely he isn't in Heaven? Well I don't know about that. Who am I to say that what he did is "worse" in the eyes of God than any other sinner? Isn't sin, sin? Are there really degrees of sin? I think there are degrees of evilness, but in the big, Godly picture, is one sin really worse than another? Regardless, I really think God forgives everyone and does not banish anyone to Hell. And to have this view, then yes I do think that truly evil people go to Heaven as well. Which is almost assine to believe, I don't blame you for thinking that I'm crazy in this thought. It just all leads back to not thinking that God is vengeful. And in order to believe he's not vengeful, the only conclusion is that no one, no matter how evil, is "punished" by God.
So where did I get these thought about Hell? I think it stems from the Conversations with God books by Neale Donald Walsch. Basically the thought is that Hell is used to further the fear-based nature of church and religion. It's something that the church created to fear people into behaving the way it thinks God wants us to. I don't think fear should drive any of our beliefs.
I will admit though, that I wonder if I am wrong in this thought. Maybe there is a Hell and I'm going to it? I have no clue. I've done a lot of things in my life that aren't "Godly", but then again, who hasn't? And can we really avoid Hell by just accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior? I don't understand that either? I think I don't know enough about the Christian idea of Hell to be able to really further my argument for thinking it doesn't exist. I think Mr. Cob thinks it exists and would like for me to as well - he has said before that he just wants us to be together after this life and that's hard for him to think will happen if I don't believe what he believes. Does that make sense? Which is one of the reasons I've been struggling with all this, especially with the fact that we're about to have a child.
On another front, I do think there are multiple ways to Heaven. And who are we to say that Christianity/Jesus is the only way? That's for God to decide. As Brian (our minister who married us) told me, he doesn't know if Christianity is the only way, and he would be remiss to preach that it is, but what he does know is that believing in Jesus IS one way that will lead us to Heaven/salvation. He's the first person who had told me that theory and it helped open my thoughts and think that maybe I could be a Christian and reconcile some of my other thoughts on other religions. Like I could never understand how a child born in India and is Hindu would go to Hell simply because of his place of birth and the mere fact the family he was born into wasn't Christian. I couldn't understand how it can be THE ONLY way. I can see how it is definitely a way though.
All this has made me realize that I have all these thoughts/beliefs and I don't always know why I think. Some are just what seems/feels right to me. But its really hard not having the background. And just going to church each week doesn't really give you that knowledge.
I also think that for a long time I've been almost so defensive about the subject and had a hard time even listening to people try to explain why they believe what they believe, because it then brings up the fact that I don't have those beliefs. And what if in the end I'm wrong for not having them? I don't know the answer, but I'd like to try to sort some of it out!
But lets put aside what I think (or what I think I think) about Hell and assume it does exist. Who goes to Hell? (This is an honest question, because I really don't know what the Christian thought is.) Is it people who sin? What about people who sin but then "find God" and repent and accept Jesus into their hearts? Does this act of accepting Jesus wash their sin? What about a death row inmate who killed a family of 5 but finds God in his years awaiting his execution? Does he still go to Hell because of his evil actions on this earth? Or what about the man who has an affair (covets his neighbor's wife)? Does he go to Hell? I guess the ultimate question is, does accepting Jesus as the son of God wash away any sin on Earth? And what do you have to do in order to accept Jesus? (Again, these are all serious questions - I'm not trying to be difficult, I really don't have any clue?)
Post email follow-up:
After sending this to my friend and reading her response and also discussing this with another friend, I'm now questioning my belief on the matter (not yet convinced there is such a thing as "Hell" but feel like my eyes are a little more open to it). I still don't believe in a hell that is an inferno ruled by the devil and his pitchfork. However, I'm now thinking there could be some sort of "Hell". My one friend wrote to me that in her view, Hell is "eternal separation from God". What that looks like, she doesn't know. This is the first time I've heard Hell described in this way and after some thought on the matter, I can actually understand this concept of Hell and am now thinking about what that would mean.
So give me your thoughts on the subject. I told you I was open to having my mind changed.
I agree with your friend's description of hell. I don't know much about what heaven will be like, except that it means being with God. So if the ultimate reward is being with God, than the ultimate punishment must be separation from God (and by extension...all things good, all things beautiful, all things perfect). I think these descriptions are only appealing once you fall in love with God. Being with God forever probably sounds very boring/unappealing to someone who doesn't love God or understand His character. That's why I love Christianity, as it is the only major religion to offer up a picture of God as one you can enter a personal relationship with.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying the conversation you started here!
Very interesting post. I think a lot of what you are talking about lately has to do with the fact that you are very open to the interpretations of others and there being multiple paths to heaven, but are studying religions where there is a set path, and if you are wrong then you go to hell. Doesn't this seem like the biggest joke in history? To have one way to heaven, and rely on other people's words, books, beliefs, to guide you there? If there is a God, is that what he intended? What about the person who struggles with their faith and beliefs, and ultimately decides they do not believe. Does this person not deserve heaven when a person who blindly accepts everything as truth without contemplation, does? I have issues with the notion that my Muslim friend is going to hell his beliefs, even though he was raised Muslim. You tend to stick to the religion you are taught as a child, for the most part, so it seems unfair to be eternally punished for not converting religions after your most impressionable years are spent practicing something besides the "correct" religion.
ReplyDeleteI think you touched on this before, but what happens to the child who dies before he or she can understand and accept Jesus as their savior. Do they go to Hell? We can makeup exceptions for any situation, and that fact has me question the validity of the "one true path" theories. If there are strict rules to follow, but ways around them, then there really aren't rules at all, they are more like strong guidelines. I think this thinking is more inline with people of our generation who are having a harder time believing and accepting everything written in holy books, especially when there are words in the Bible that are just not applicable to our time in history. For instance, one of the commandments is you should not steal. That makes sense based on the time period the commandments were given down to Moses. If you stole something back then, it could ultimately mean death or severe hardship for the person you stole from, most likely you would steal food or cattle or something that helped you just survive. Nowadays, stealing is much easier and can be done with little impact on another. Have you ever downloaded a song off the internet without paying for it? Well that is stealing. Repent and truly mean your repentance, or you are going to Hell. Seems pretty harsh given the circumstances. Ah, now I'm on a rant!
This is the best song on the subject of questioning your faith, and having different views than those you love the most:
Curse Your Branches
Red and orange, or blue and yellow
In which of these do you believe?
If you're not sure right now,
Please take a moment
I need your signature before you leave
When I sleep, I'm usually dreaming
But more and more, it's only one
Where every hired gun I've ever fired
Is making love to you while I look on
Oh, falling leaves should curse their branches
For not letting them decide where they should fall
And not letting them refuse to fall at all
In my throat, there swells a darkness
It fills my mouth, and coats my lips
And even as the threat of Hell is disappearing,
The threat of losing you is blowing up
Oh, falling leaves should curse their branches
For not letting them decide where they should fall
And not letting them refuse to fall at all
.... and this song touches on what you were saying before about how it seems unfair to be considered a sinner at birth. Also touches on differing beliefs within a family, and the worry that causes.
ReplyDeleteHard to Be
You've heard the story
You know how it goes
Once upon a garden
We were lovers with no clothes
Fresh from the soil
We were beautiful and true
In control of our emotions
'Til we ate the poison fruit
And now it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
Wait just a minute
You expect me to believe
That all this misbehaving
Grew from one enchanted tree?
And helpless to fight it
We should all be satisfied
With this magical explanation
For why the living die
And why it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
Childbirth is painful
We toil to grow our food
Ignorance made us hungry
Information made us no good
Every burden misunderstood
So I swung my tassel
To the left side of my cap
Knowing after graduation
There would be no going back
And no congratulations
From my faithful family
Some of whom are already fasting
To intercede for me
Because it's hard to be
Hard to be
Hard to be a decent human being
So, I've been reading these posts lately and find them very interesting but it's definitely a touchy subject and one that I typically avoid around religious people. I am not religious while I don't consider myself an athiest. My opinion is that we just don't know and why on earth would I spend time at church etc. when I can't possibly know the answer to any of these questions. I appreciate my life and the world with all of it's complications and dissapointments, but I don't need to believe in god to do so. I also find it interesting that many of us feel as though there is a need to believe in heaven and hell. Why? What if there is no punishment or reward? What would that mean for us? Would we live our lives differently? I don't believe in heaven or hell, but I believe in treating people with kindness and not necessarily how I would want to be treated but how they would want to be treated. Anyway, I won't go on and on but an interesting topic for sure.
ReplyDelete