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Do you believe in hell? Do you think it's a real place? If so, what truly goes on there?
This week's Spiritual Newsletter explores the afterlife.
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Do you believe in hell? If so, what does it mean to you? Is it a physical place? A spiritual realm where souls may end up after leaving behind their bodies? Will they be stuck there for eternity, or is there a chance at redemption?
Depending on your faith it may seem obvious what hell is like, but different religions have different ideas about its reality. I grew up in the Christian faith. Various family members went to various different churches and even between them there was some disagreement about who may end up in hell and why. Some believed that if you’re a decent person trying to do the right thing it’ll all be okay in the end; others believed there are strict requirements to enter heaven and if you fall short you’re going to be tortured. Forever.
There are those who believe we are reincarnated, but may end up in hell between incarnations. Another line of thought, as a neighbour first shared with me, is that hell is not a place of eternal punishment, rather, it is being separate from God. Those who choose to believe in God, who want to join Him in heaven, will go there. Those who do not will either remain dead, or remain apart from God and heaven.
Some believe that the afterlife is not just an either/or between heaven and hell – you may end up in purgatory. Purgatory is a place where souls may make amends for the wrongs they committed during life. If they manage to do this, they may enter heaven.
Not all religions teach about a hell. Personally, I believe in (or sure hope for) the existence of an afterlife, but do not feel that hell as a place of eternal suffering is consistent with a loving God. I figure that if I, a simple human, feel that even the very worst person who has committed the very worst crimes does not deserve to be tortured forever, as forever is a time span beyond our comprehension and completely disproportionate to anything any one of us can do, then surely a loving, merciful God would never subject a soul to this. I understand that the idea of all of us finding justice in the afterlife can be comforting. That when bad people escape justice on Earth it feels right that they should pay for their crimes after death. I have been the victim of truly awful crimes, and there wasn't much in the way of justice. Still, I’m opposed to any form of torture here on Earth, and if anyone were to inflict eternal torture would that not make them worse than the worst kind of human? And if God could prevent that and chose not to, what would that say about Him? No, I do not believe that. If I wouldn’t be happy in heaven knowing that there were others out there suffering in such a place then God, who’s at least a million times better than me, would never allow it.
There are those who believe, though, that we get to choose where we end up. That if we believe in an afterlife of cute cottages and rolling hills and a reunion with family and friends and pets, that’s what we’ll get. If we believe in a place of eternal learning we shall end up surrounded by all the knowledge in existence. If, however, we feel that we deserve bad things, bad things are what we shall receive. That may sound beautiful, in a way, but if you’re someone who doesn’t feel like you deserve much that’s not a very great outcome. There are many who don’t have good mental health, and who blame themselves for all manner of things that are not their fault. It can be all too easy to believe that you deserve something bad when actually you deserve everything good…
The afterlife is complicated. That is the conclusion I draw from this. And as nobody’s come back to inform us one way or another, there will continue to be many views and opinions about where we may or may not end up.
The best that we have are the experiences of those who were briefly declared dead, but then revived. There are multiple accounts of a sense of peace, and joy. There have also been accounts of a sense of terror. I nearly died twice, back in 2019. They struggled to bring me back. My experience frightened me, because there was nothing. No lights, no peace, no joy, no horror, just a great, big nothing. I didn’t like that at all.
It had me question my faith for a while, but perhaps it’s simply because I wasn’t ready to go. It wasn’t my time, clearly, as I am still here and I hope to be here for a long while yet. When it is my time to go I sure hope I will end up somewhere nice with my loved ones, and my pets, where we’ll live happily ever after. I hope that I haven’t done anything to end up in a bad place.
I wouldn’t wish for anyone to end up in a bad place. Imagine being in a bad place until the end of time… It’s too cruel to fathom.
NaNoKit
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Spiritual: May 08, 2024 Issue [#12540]
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