I have had many conversations with Evangelical Christian friends.
One thing we have discussed is our differing views on heaven and hell.
As I understand it, the Evangelical view is that heaven and hell are
very literal, the one being the ultimate joy the other being the worst
imaginable pain and torture and that each lasts forever. The only
requirement to enjoy heaven rather than hell is to confess Jesus as your
personal savior. I am not exactly clear on what constitutes a valid
confession, but it seems that it would be very important to get it right
given the extreme difference of the two possible fates.
Every
Evangelical I have spoken with is quite confident that they are
"saved," and they speak of it in the past tense even though being saved
is presumably something that happens in the future (i.e. going the
heaven instead of hell). This is something I do not understand at all.
Apparently,
very few will actually be saved. The vast majority of humanity is
doomed to endure the fires of hell for eternity. As some have explained
it, we all deserve this fate, but God in his mercy chooses to save a
few of us if we are lucky enough to know we must confess Jesus and then
we actually do it.
I don't see how we all deserve such a
horrible fate. We did not choose to be created and we did not choose
to be a part of such a seemingly arbitrary and extreme system of reward
and punishment. Since God basically put most of humanity into a no-win
scenario, I think that he is the responsible party. (I am only speaking
about this hypothetical God as described to me, which is not the way I
personally view God.)
If this system is true, then I am
afraid that there can be no heaven for me. Here is the problem. I
would never be able to enjoy heaven with the knowledge that so many were
suffering in hell, including friends and family members. How could
parents enjoy heaven if even one of their children were not with them? I
would rather go be with them and stand beside them in their suffering,
in solidarity and silent protest of such a cruel system.
Don't
misunderstand me. The Evangelicals I have known are very good people.
They are concerned with the fate of humanity, which is why they try so
hard to convince others so they can save as many as possible from the
fate of hell. However, beliefs such as this can make people behave
irrationally and even cruelly, doing things like flying planes into
buildings, because no earthly suffering can compare with hell.
Therefore any means can be justified if it can only save some from this
fate.
My own view is that hell is mostly self
inflicted. I would rather focus on alleviating suffering, if I can,
here and now in the only world that I have any firsthand knowledge
about. Sometimes I wonder what it says about someone who is attracted
to such a cruel and exclusive world view. It probably plays right into
the natural human tendencies to want to be unique, special, and right.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Devil Incarnate
I am still officially a Mormon, but I do not practice nor do I
believe in many of the unique tenets of Mormonism. A while ago one of my
children informed me that his former bishop warned him that I was
miserable and that I wanted my children to be miserable like me. Where
did this come from? How could anyone say this about a parent's desires
for his children? Not only is everything about this bishop's statement
untrue, but it reveals something very disturbing about the Mormon mind
set. I do not believe that this man is the only Mormon who would make a
statement like this.
I believe that this former bishop was highly influenced by this passage from the Book of Mormon. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27, emphasis mine)
The italicized portion of the above passage is based on the idea that misery loves company. That phrase appears nowhere else in the Mormon scriptures. In other words, it only applies to the devil in Mormon scriptures. The implications are quite clear. This bishop was equating me with the devil. His belief is that I am miserable because I have left the fold (an idea Mormons use to scare the faithful into obedience). He also believes that I want to drag down as many people as I can to my level, even if that means causing suffering to my own children.
Happiness is very subjective, but I certainly perceive that I am happier now than I was when the Mormon church consumed a good portion of my time, money, and freedom. Furthermore, if I actually was miserable, I would do everything I could to help my children avoid making the same mistakes I have made. I would not wish my own suffering upon them, but I would only wish their health and happiness. Normal parents are strongly influenced by their genetic makeup to sacrifice for their children's welfare, and I am no different.
I might find it alarming that someone with such a responsible position in the Mormon community actually believes this except for the fact that I thought this way too not that long ago. Even more disturbing is that this bishop actually thought he was doing good by informing my son that his dad only wants him to be miserable. Maybe Mormon leaders have not led their followers to an isolated island and given them cyanide-laced Kool-aid, but this tendency to demonize those who question or leave strikes me as rather cult like. This bishop is not just some hayseed ignoramus. He holds a PhD., he is the CEO of a large business, and he is well respected in his community.
Yes, most Mormons are nice people. I believe that many of them are very good people, but they are the victims of in-bred thinking can be so far afield from reality as to be quite scary and even, at times, emotionally abusive. Most Mormons have enough sense not to reveal everything they think to the uninitiated. They are very good at putting up a front that is palatable to the general public. This is all the more reason to beware of some of the underlying philosophies that they only share among themselves.
I believe that this former bishop was highly influenced by this passage from the Book of Mormon. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." (2 Nephi 2:27, emphasis mine)
The italicized portion of the above passage is based on the idea that misery loves company. That phrase appears nowhere else in the Mormon scriptures. In other words, it only applies to the devil in Mormon scriptures. The implications are quite clear. This bishop was equating me with the devil. His belief is that I am miserable because I have left the fold (an idea Mormons use to scare the faithful into obedience). He also believes that I want to drag down as many people as I can to my level, even if that means causing suffering to my own children.
Happiness is very subjective, but I certainly perceive that I am happier now than I was when the Mormon church consumed a good portion of my time, money, and freedom. Furthermore, if I actually was miserable, I would do everything I could to help my children avoid making the same mistakes I have made. I would not wish my own suffering upon them, but I would only wish their health and happiness. Normal parents are strongly influenced by their genetic makeup to sacrifice for their children's welfare, and I am no different.
I might find it alarming that someone with such a responsible position in the Mormon community actually believes this except for the fact that I thought this way too not that long ago. Even more disturbing is that this bishop actually thought he was doing good by informing my son that his dad only wants him to be miserable. Maybe Mormon leaders have not led their followers to an isolated island and given them cyanide-laced Kool-aid, but this tendency to demonize those who question or leave strikes me as rather cult like. This bishop is not just some hayseed ignoramus. He holds a PhD., he is the CEO of a large business, and he is well respected in his community.
Yes, most Mormons are nice people. I believe that many of them are very good people, but they are the victims of in-bred thinking can be so far afield from reality as to be quite scary and even, at times, emotionally abusive. Most Mormons have enough sense not to reveal everything they think to the uninitiated. They are very good at putting up a front that is palatable to the general public. This is all the more reason to beware of some of the underlying philosophies that they only share among themselves.
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