Next, for all Christians (i.e. the “saved”) — for all of you who will one day be residing in the version of Heaven described in the book of Revelation and alluded to in the writings of the Apostle Paul, things might actually not be as wonderful as you might be tempted to believe…

 

You see, the same psychological realities that make Hell a place of torment for the damned are the ones that allow your experience in Heaven to be potentially blissful.   And by that I mean, that in order for you to truly revel in your salvation – in order for you to fully experience the overwhelming Joy & deep-seated Contentment that supposedly comes with residing forever in the presence your God, you too must remain conscious of your individual existence.  And as such, both your innate moral compass (a.k.a. your conscience – or the “Advocate within”, as Jesus describes it in chapters 14 & 15 of the Gospel of John) as well as all your memories of living on Earth “amongst sinners” must remain intact.
Under normal circumstances, this would not be a problem, and yet in the Christian Heaven  things start to become problematic … You see, as much as you might rail against its premise, every one of you has a fundamental understanding of Fairness & Justice & Kindness & Compassion.  Every single one of you deeply understands the very real & dramatic difference between a full LOVE that is truly unconditional and a hollow “love” that is based on satisfying a set of demands.

 

And as such, every one of you “up there” in Heaven will know very well that your God – either directly (by actively tossing sinners into Hell) or indirectly (by passively allowing them to be so condemned) — has sentenced billions of mostly Good Souls to an eternity of torment; most of them  merely for committing the relatively innocent “crime” of refusing to believe in a religion that is based in having devout faith in the existence of a God for whom there is absolutely no concrete evidence whatsoever.  Is such a choice a mistake – even a “sin”?  Maybe so …  And yet is such a mistake worthy of eternal punishment; a “sin” worthy of eternal torture & suffering?  Absolutely NOT!
And here’s the kicker my Friends: as one of the “saved”, you are going to be required to spend forever not only hanging out with the Celestial Dictator who sentenced all those Souls to their contemptibly cruel fate, you are going to have to actively worship & praise & honor Him while you do so.  That means that while Mahatma Gandhi & Thich Nhat Hanh & Peace Pilgrim & the Dalai Lama & Rabindranath Tagore & Lao Tsu and so many other brilliantly Kind & Noble human Souls are writhing in Hell forever, you are going to be spending your eternity openly adoring  the evil deity that condemned them to such a despicable injustice … And you better believe that your conscience is not going to let you enjoy yourself while you are doing so — not even for one minute!

 

You see, you have a Good Soul as well, my dear Friend – and not because you happened to “win the spiritual lottery” by guessing correctly about the nature of Jesus Christ, but rather because you too are Kind – because you too are Caring – because you too are Just; because when you see a brother or a sister suffering, you too – just like all other sentient beings; even all the “sinners”, even all the “heathens”, even all the “lost” – you too yearn to ease their pain … And because this yearning is so fundamental and because it is so heartfelt, it will never be possible for you to laugh fully or rest easily until you do so.
As such, if Christian theology does indeed prove to be true, if you are required to spend eternity honoring a godhead who has allowed billions of mostly Good Souls to suffer an eternity of torment, then the “Heaven” that you inherit will for you simply become another version of Hell.

And yet fear not, my Friends, for you too will have an alternative; you too will have a choice.  For while you are residing in this emotionally painful “paradise”, you will still be conscious — and thus will still have free will.  Just like all the other brave men & women throughout history who have openly challenged unjust despots & cruel dictators, you too will be able to stand before your God and bravely protest His flagrant callousness (if not His outright malice).

Yes, while those who are in Hell might not be able to escape their torment, you can set them free. You can be the ones who remind God of the latent perfection of His all-mighty Grace. You can be the ones who remind Him what it means to be Kind to the ignorant & what it is to Forgive those who trespass.  You can be the ones who remind Him of the teachings of His own son, Jesus Christ, who so nobly & who so brilliantly championed Love over condemnation and Mercy over judgment.
In essence, my Christian Friends, in those days of darkness when God no longer hears the pleas of the persecuted & the suffering of the tormented, you can speak for them … In those times of tragedy & trauma when they can  no longer save themselves, you can rain your Love down from on high and become their Salvation.

Frankly, I’m personally not too concerned about Hell, for I have faith in a very different God – a God who is not nearly as pious and not nearly as personal, and therefore also not nearly as petty.  In essence, I know how great my own Love is, and I simply assume that God’s Grace – if He exists at all – simply must be far greater than my own.

 

And yet even if I am wrong, I have even more Faith in the innate Goodness of you Christians … I have even more Faith in the courageous many of you who will go up to Heaven and make things Right again.
Amen … Let it be so.

Filed under: Preserving Paradise by Scaughdt