Friday, March 19, 2010

What is it, then???


Is it "Christian" to tell someone that they are going to Hell? If it is, then by what account are we justified in determining whether someone will go to Hell? Isn't Hell a relative term/idea? What is peace to one person may be Hell to the next, is it not? But is it "CHRISTIAN" to tell someone that they are going to that Hell of fire and despair? My opinion? No, it certainly is not, by any means, "Christian", to tell someone they are going to a place of despair and damnation once their mortal life has expired. We are looking at it solely from the view of Jesus Christ as he is portrayed in scripture. Did he condemn any one man to Hell? He did not. Did he urge us to judge others according to what we perceive of them and then pass our judgment upon them openly? No, he warned against judgment of others, saying we would receive judgment in return. Did he give us the authority to condemn others to Hell? Absolutely not.

So what IS it, then, to tell someone they are going to Hell? Is it close-minded? Self-righteous? Judgmental? Earnest effort to save? If so, save from what? Is it a reaction to something unknown? If so, is it not a reaction of fear bred from ignorance? If a person is faithful, charitable, loving, accepting, and good-hearted, are they condemned if they are not of your faith? Can people then turn and condemn you to Hell for not being of their faith? If so, when does said condemnation take place? If we feel we have the authority to condemn others to Hell, do we also have the authority to decide when it will happen? If any person on this planet feels they have that authority, they have been horribly mistaken.

I will say right now that I have found the answers to these questions, and they are answers that make sense to me and strengthen my spiritual awareness. Those answers I have found might not match up with the answers of other good, kind, loving people. But I will NEVER condemn those people to Hell for understanding something in a way seperate from my own understanding. I will NEVER condemn someone for making their own choices, and being on a spiritual level that differs from my own. I would NEVER feel myself so flawless that I have the right to compare others to myself and determine that they are doomed, because they have not found what I have found in the manner of which I found it. Whether it is done out of good or out of wretchedness, it is not a founded principle to assume the position of judge over others' spiritual welfare.

That, my friends, is the consequence of confusing religion for spirituality. Let's all remember that religion is created by man, therefore it is flawed. But spirituality is created by something pure and apart from our primal and carnal selves. When religion supports your spirit, your spirit becomes weak and ineffective. But when your spirit supports your religious findings and understanding, then you can make the progress you have been looking to make. It's called enlightenment, and we all have equal opportunity to find it.

Yes, even those who are condemned to Hell by their "Christian friends".

I believe in Christ as my Savior, Prophet, and Friend. I can therefore call myself a "Christian" to save explanation of detailed belief and understanding. The church I belong to does not make me who I am as a person. The things my spirit knows and the way I use that knowledge is what makes me the person I have become. I will not condemn friend or foe to a place of darkness. Not only do I lack the authority to do so (thank goodness, that must be a heavy burden beyond our understanding), I lack the ill-temper to feel myself justified in doing so at any rate of severity.

What is it, then, for any person to tell someone they are going to Hell? It is wrong.

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