Thinking about hell
that was a great post by M about the archbishop's comments about the problems with the world. it really relates to what i have been thinking about the past few days. i just finished brian maclaren's (sp?) the last word and the word after that. the whole book is dealing with the issue of hell and rethinking the traditional christian view of hell. i have not thought through the issue fully at all, i just wanted to bring the issue up to see if anyone else had any opinions on it.
some of the main points that i came away with were:
- the idea of an afterlife/heaven/hell were virtually nonexistent in the OT. the idea seemed to be a new one in the NT, and most likely influenced by many other ancient near east cultures.
- Jesus actually does not talk about hell specifically very often; he often talks about the darkness, the outside, sheol, etc, but rarely hell in the way we think of the word. (i dont have the book in front of me so this is very rough).
- Jesus' focus was on building his kingdom in this world, making the world a better place (like what M was talking about), not just making sure we all believe some very specific dogma in order to get our behinds into heaven. look at the sermon on the mount, that is all about how we act (again, not looking at the text right now).
- God's desire is to save everyone, he does not want to see some weak little humans suffer for all eternity for a finite number of sins.
- Jesus discussion of hell may have just been a response to the pharisees, who talked about how the outcasts, unrighteous, unreligious would be sent to hell. however, Jesus turned the idea of hell back on them by saying God will welcome the despised, weak, outcasts into heaven. the book suggested that many present day christians have become like pharisees, saying that only those that agree exactly with what they say get a pass into heaven.
- Jesus is about bringing God's justice to earth now, which means helping the poor, getting rid of greed, ending injustice to the weak, poor, downtrodden. christians talk about everyone being judged for all the wrongs they did; but God's justice is not something to scare us into believing some doctrine - it should be something we welcome as an expression of god's love for us and that makes the world a better place, makes the world right.
ok, that is all i can come up with right now.
any ideas?
and oh yeah, i haven't mentioned it on the blog yet, but Shen Rong and i are engaged!
4 comments:
yeah, i am going to have to think about it some more, and probably reread that book so that i really understand what he is saying. i just wanted to throw that out there for some feedback.
-elias
it seems like the glenn brohters are getting a taste of something different.
but what i have learned in alot of things that have been introduced to me through eastern thought and religion through my study last semester, meditation, taiji, my class "Early Chinese Lit." and a certian philosophical spiritual teacher - Alan Watts is that
whatever christianity you profess, develope it and search it completely to its most intimate level, therefore by searching for the true "Way" and Truth you may have a completely new understanding to what the "Christianity" you profess is. WHen you get to the point of going as far as your theology will take you, you begin to want more and seek for more of GOd, and only when you have been asking for more and seeking more, he reveals more to you that may make you feel uncertain of all the certainties and conviction you had before, but through the re-evaluation you have a new level, a new maturity in your faith that is exactly what was under your nose in all the ealry bible stories you were taught in the nursery, you just understand it completly different.
Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I had arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now that I have its very substance I am at rest. I see mountains once again as mountains, and waters once again as waters.
--Qingyaun, "Transmission of the Lamp (translated by Alan Watts)"
I think you bring up some great ideas towards hell and what it is/might be. I think what I agree with concerning all these ideas about hell, is the fact that Christians have placed way too much importance on Heaven and Hell, and it's becoming our defining factor of what makes Christianity. It's almost as if we are selling Christianity and want others to buy it...when Jesus sort of brings a different message? Anyways, yay for MG,
Lance
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