Hell Reconsidered - Ven. Dr. Christopher Brown
Hell Reconsidered
By The Venerable Dr. Christopher Brown
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
December 24, 2012
In my late teens and early twenties I was quite hostile to Christianity. I shared John Lennon's assessment that, "Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary."
The idea of a personal God struck me as crudely anthropomorphic. But I was especially disturbed by the stark dichotomy between Heaven and Hell. What God worth believing in, I thought, would consign any creature to everlasting torment? What sort of faith is driven by the fear of eternal punishment? And where is the moral integrity of those who allow themselves to be bribed into being "good" by the promise of eternal reward? Shouldn't a person do the right thing because it's the right thing, regardless of rewards or punishments?
When I became a believer, these problems worked themselves out. This was, in part, because many of my objections were based on caricatures and oversimplifications. The God I came to believe in as a Christian, did not bear much resemblance to the God I had previously rejected. Similarly, Christian Eschatology - the Theology of Last Things - proved far more complex and nuanced than I had assumed.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
By The Venerable Dr. Christopher Brown
Special to Virtueonline
www.virtueonline.org
December 24, 2012
In my late teens and early twenties I was quite hostile to Christianity. I shared John Lennon's assessment that, "Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary."The idea of a personal God struck me as crudely anthropomorphic. But I was especially disturbed by the stark dichotomy between Heaven and Hell. What God worth believing in, I thought, would consign any creature to everlasting torment? What sort of faith is driven by the fear of eternal punishment? And where is the moral integrity of those who allow themselves to be bribed into being "good" by the promise of eternal reward? Shouldn't a person do the right thing because it's the right thing, regardless of rewards or punishments?
When I became a believer, these problems worked themselves out. This was, in part, because many of my objections were based on caricatures and oversimplifications. The God I came to believe in as a Christian, did not bear much resemblance to the God I had previously rejected. Similarly, Christian Eschatology - the Theology of Last Things - proved far more complex and nuanced than I had assumed.
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org
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