Hell (part one)

When was the last time anyone came up to you and said, “Lets talk about hell?” Instead, if the subject was brought up at all, it was probably dismissed with a kind of nervous laugh or joke that relegated it to the same scrap pile of juvenile unsophistication as the related topic of “the devil.” Of course both subjects still have their adherents: to wit, the popularity of the movies “Ghosts,” and “Ghostbusters” and the 1960’s book and movie “Damn Yankees,” and Halloween will probably retain its annual popularity.

But seriously, what about hell? What about the devil?

I will only take up the subject of hell today, and have no intention of going into it very deeply; the devil will have to wait. But, of course, that is what he has always been doing—waiting for something he will never achieve—that is, heaven. And yes, I believe in both—but certainly not in the popular conceptions. Of course, one has to believe in life after death to believe in either. I, for one, believe. In fact, I know there is life after this life. And I know that my life does not need to experience a stay in hell--there are better things in store.

First, what hell is not. Hell is not a burning cauldron stirred by devils with horns and a barbed tail established for the sole purpose of tormenting the wicked. The devil would have you believe such an absurdity so as to have you dismiss it as an absurdity—and thus dismiss the reality of a place where one has a second chance, as it were, of reforming.

That is what I believe it is—a place of reforming, a reform school, if you will, of unlearning the bad or counter-productive that we didn't unlearn and set straight here in mortality. In short,it is a place and time of repenting and getting set on the right path. There may be (and should be) some painful self-recriminations, even buffetings, until one has been cleansed, and this is what I believe holy scripture means by ‘the pains of hell’ and other related figurative language.

I believe hell is a structure, a place, a correctional institution, a construct. And God, not the devil, has established it and is in charge of the curriculum. As soon as one of the patients has made the requisite changes he is discharged. As soon as hell has fulfilled its function for all of its institutional candidates in need of reform it will be dismantled.

Since long essays are usually unread essays I will leave it at that for today.