THE NITTY GRITTY I

Have you ever thought about Hell?  Have you ever wondered what the devil looks like?  Have you ever wondered why a loving God would condemn anyone to a life of suffering?  A class of 7th graders when asked, “What color is evil?”, responded, “Black!”  Someone told me the devil was red.  As a child I was warned to fear the “boogey-man”.  My introduction to religion replaced the “boogey-man” with the devil.  One of the dictionary’s definition of the devil is “the ruler of Hell.”

Time magazine April 14, 2011 featured an article by Jon Meacham, titled, “Pastor Rob Bell; What if Hell Doesn’t Exist?”, and discussed Pastor Rob Bell’s best seller, “Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.”  The book created a controversial firestorm among Evangelical leaders.

Perhaps the politicians know more about Hell than the preachers.  Vice President Joseph Biden and Senator John McCain both referred to following someone “…to the gates of Hell…!”  How many of us knew Hell had gates?  Other dictionary definitions of Hell are “…the nether realm of the devil and demons in which the damned suffer everlasting punishment” and “…a place or state of misery, torment, or wickedness.” Could these definitions, given our current and past history, be a description of the planet Earth?  The bible states, “…and fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell. Matthew 10:28

Both before and after Jesus humankind has killed every messenger extolling love, non-violent reconciliation and universal brotherhood.  Any overture of peace has been shattered by blindly following those who teach us to hate and kill the designated enemy rather than expose and condemn those whose funds make the existing evil a reality.

Today we are a nation of people blown like the desert tumbleweed by the winds of fear.  Cameras, alarms and fences protect our homes and autos.  We have identity protection to protect our personal information, guns to protect our personal safety, and senseless invasive searches when we travel.  The media is a clarion of violence and commercials which sell sex, cars, law firm services, and bundled news.  There is seldom anyone home to rear the children because both parents, or all too often the single parent, must work two jobs or longer hours to survive.  The only escape is the television where one can watch soap opera, quiz shows, old films, or for a price new films.  Others seek release watching events at the coliseums we now call stadiums where we watch the gladiators in an attempt to obliterate the raw reality of our existence.

We have become a nation of guns, bombs and drones which kill daily, or in the case of the drones, spy upon an unsuspecting populace.  Our coins say “In God We Trust” while we worship at the altar of hate, revenge and greed.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke the truth when he gave the “Beyond Vietnam” lecture in New York.  Is not war a form of universal insanity?  Violence begets more violence.

What is Hell but a negation of peace and love.  This planet could be a proving ground for the saint and the sinner.  If earth is representative of Hell, then where is the devil?  Let us talk about that in Nitty Gritty II.

PEACE-