.The View was on when I came home from the gym. Normally, The View tends to be a show in which women discuss sappy, shallow topics. They even said it themselves. The words "new vibrators" were in the sentence. But today, I had to sit down and watch. They were discussing religion. I didn't think they did that. Barbara Walters was explaining the fact that she had a special coming on tonight at 9 in which she interviews all sorts of religious leaders. She even spoke with the Dalai Lama. I'd like to meet the Dalai Lama. He seems like a really great guy. He almost makes me want to be buddhist. Anyway... They showed a clip from an interview with a failed Muslim suicide bomber in an Israeli prison. He was telling Walters that everyone who wasn't a Muslim was going to hell. Walters and the other ladies then moved into a heated discussion that very quickly transformed into an argument. Half of them were saying that it's wrong to say that only your religion is right and that everyone else is going to hell. They thought everyone should practice some tolerance. The one who's recently lost an obscene amount of weight--I have no clue what her name is--began raising her voice to say that it is in no way wrong to say that her religion is the only true religion. She proclaimed that she knows for a fact that Christianity is the true religion (sort of like the brand). I had never seen such an argument take place on television outside of one of those disgusting "I cheated on my boyfriend 25 times" shows. All because of religion. All because people see things differently. Is this why people kill eachother? Is this what people are dying for?
.You know, the funny thing is, many religious leaders don't even accept Revelation as an actual book of the bible. It's the only book that describes hell in any actual detail. Martin Luther didn't accept it. He thought it was bunk. So where does that leave Christians? What is hell, then? True, Jesus talked about hell a little. Not nearly as much as my pastor made it out to be--"More than anything else." What a lark. The truth is, without Revelation there is no fire and brimstone. There aren't a lot of things. It's just the people without God. For without God, what do you have?
.I don't know what I believe in this area anymore. Because of my religious background, I've spent much of my life worried about hell. I don't tell a lot of people that. When I do, the baptists usually spit back, "If you were really a Christian, you wouldn't have to worry about hell." But that's just it. Who's really a Christian? According to the bible, Jesus has to "know" you to let you in. But what is knowing? And what about the people who never hear about Jesus? Do they just go to hell? And don't give me that crap that "everyone gets their chance to hear about the Lord." I'm sorry, but that is bunk. There are people in places we never thought existed. Don't tell me that missionaries have been there. I like to believe that my God is a just and merciful god. There's no fire and brimstone with my God. If you are truly evil, then yeah, you'll suffer. But my God's not going to send an innocent person who simply has never heard of him--or has been told from birth never to listen to Christians--to this dark place known as "hell". So if that's what being a Christian means to you, then I'm sorry. You can count me out.
christianity
