Hell: Rethinking a Traditional Interpretation

Many in the church, throughout its history have postulated about “the afterlife” and all that it holds, both for believers and non believers.  In addition to traditional teachings on heaven, many churches, even today, espouse similar traditional teachings on hell.  Holding to literal interpretations, many will cite passages about a lake of fire, the weeping and gnashing of teeth, and a void of darkness.  While hell is often referenced in conjunction with lake of fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth and darkness, there are too many passages that cause a literal interpretation of these metaphors to present a tainted and contradictory image of God. 

            The first problem that literal interpretations present is that love and torment are two irreconcilable concepts.  The number of scripture references that mention God as loving, graceful, merciful anything of the like are too many list, but any of them would suffice!  In our society it is inconceivable that a loving father would punish his son by holding his hand onto a burning stove.  In fact, many churches might even offer ministries to foster children of such abuses.  And yet, this image of an abusive father is precisely the one portrayed by traditional and literal views on hell.   The Bible is very clear about God’s judgment and that in the end those who chose to follow Christ will be separated from those who did not.  However, the idea of God choosing to ruthlessly and eternally inflict physical pain and torment on the non believers whom He passionately loved, pursued, wept over and even died for is completely contradictory. 

Additionally, traditional views of hell portray God in a contradictory light as it betrays the law of Christ.  In the gospels there are many commandments that Jesus gives to his disciples that are violated by the traditional tenets of hell.  Among many places in the book of Matthew Jesus tells his followers to not only love their neighbor (as even the pagans do this) but to also love their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them.  Also, in Matthew Jesus teaches his disciples to turn the other cheek.  Furthermore, both Paul and Peter exhort Christians to repay evil with good and with blessing.  Traditional teachings often speak of an angry God exacting an excruciating judgment on those who have rejected Him.  While the aforementioned passages don’t negate God’s judgment (via the separation of believers and non believers), they certainly present a view of a vengeful judgment as contradictory to the teachings in the Bible. 

Third there are some basic contradictions within the ideas of hell presented by traditionalists.  First, it has been said that people exist in eternity as spirits or in soul.   If this is in fact true, then how does one even feel the torment and physical pain of hell?  These ideas would also appear to be completely contradictory.  As previously stated, hell is often taught as existing in a void or vacuum of darkness.  However, just as rampant are teachings that hell is a literal lake of fire.  Can both of these teachings be true?  A lake of fire, interpreted literally, would also appear to contradict a literal interpretation of total darkness. 

Many would reply with the common retort that people send themselves to hell and not God.  However, very few traditionalists (if any) would agree that man is sovereign over God.  It is God who ultimately determines the fate of man!  Furthermore, it should be stated that being separated eternally from our creator is a painful proposition in and by itself.  However, it is impossible to reconcile a God that subjects non believers to eternal pain, torture and torment with a God who passionately loves, pursues and who ultimately died for both believers and non believers alike.