I'm starting to question the existence of Hell as a place we go to for punishment after death. I think we're already there. Before you roll your eyes because yet another person is questioning their faith, hear me out.
What could be more horrible than waking up one day unable to walk or speak or eat? What could be more upsetting than thinking your spouse is still alive and then finding out they're dead - and have been for years? How much more awful can anything be than watching yourself slowly lose your motor functions, so that people have to feed you and clean you up after you've soiled yourself like a baby? What about being constantly put in a wheelchair when you know damn well you could walk just fine, if they'd let you?
I'm sure you can think of your own horror stories.
Here's the second part of my argument: I've had a couple of dreams about people who probably should have gone to Hell, but obviously hadn't. Both had broken at least one - probably more than I knew about - of the Ten Commandments. Both had delved into at least one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In both cases, they were dressed in white and were not afraid. One was confused, but probably because he had not expected to die. The other was smiling and walking purposefully away. In both cases, if they were heading for Hell, would they not have been kicking and screaming and begging for another chance?
The first part of my argument is rock solid. You can't disagree with any of that. You could roll your eyes at the dream part as if it were some New Age mumbo-jumbo. Let me throw into the ring that I don't recall my dreams very often and that when they jar me awake, I believe that's a sign that I should pay attention. Also, the first dream was about friend. I would expect to dream about him after he died. The second was about a man I had medicated at work but I did not know him personally. There was no reason for him to show himself to me unless I was supposed to learn something from it. My last argument is that there are many stories in many religions about the gods contacting their people in dreams.
I've been trying to make sense of this since I had the second dream, about a month ago. This is the only conclusion that makes any sense to me. Until I have solid proof to the contrary, this is my Truth.
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3 comments:
I think we can be in Hell or Heaven depending on how we look at things. Many of the people and situations you presented in your first argument may or may not feel that they are in Hell already. Having worked with really sick people for years, I've slowly come to realize that they are much more resilient than I thought. (I guess that is a good thing?)
People adapt. We would have become extinct centuries ago if we didn't.
My point was more that I no longer think there's a punishment at the end of it all if you don't "toe the line". I think we're allowed to make every mistake in the book and we still get to sit with God when we cross over.
That's what my church teaches. Perhaps that's why some people never repent-- God will forgive us anyway, no? :-)
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