I feel a moral obligation to oppose the idea of hell. Hell is the most sadistic and cruel evil possible–that’s the whole point of it. Hell gives people PTSD, and it’s wrong to frighten little kids in church (or anyone) to good behavior with a genocidal ideology. When I hear people promote or defend hell, I am as offended as I am when I hear people demeaning women, or promoting racism. If god existed, the worst blasphemy would be to ascribe the idea of hell to god. Hell is on the same level as Hitler; except it’s the extermination of not only Jews, but everyone who isn’t a Christian! Hell is calling god the epitome of all evil. If you believe in god, you are making god out to be the most evil being possible. No god should ever be accused of this level of evil, and no one claiming to represent a god should carry this message of violence; especially not in the name of love. I am astonished and heartbroken that people who commit their lives to doing good (Christians) support torture. There’s no sweeping hell under the rug or interpreting it as “metaphorical torture” or mere “separation from god” or “something god does away with in Christ.” All forms of eternal punishment represent and promote only violence; they contribute nothing good to the human race or god. I implore all people of all religions to let go of this ideology. It only hurts us, it only holds us back. There’s every intellectual and moral reason not only to let go of it, but to oppose it vigorously. Pastors and teachers, you are spiritual teachers in the business of healing. You are entirely out of alignment with your vocation when you preach hell. No one deserves to be the recipient of this kind of psychologically abusive teaching. I am tempted to question the basic moral capacity of anyone who supports hell. There’s no dressing up this idea as if its tolerable just because it’s part of a religious tradition.
