(at the risk of offending absolutely everyone... this is about thinking).
Imagine You Are Jesus, and You've recently arrived back in Heaven. You are looking down at the world, and You have some followers, some people who are genuinely enlightened by the golden rule, loving their neighbors as themselves, bearing fruit one hundred fold.
You also see about a million people who are just awful. Just the worst. Cruel, murdering, thieving, a million people who kill children.
Two of Your followers, named Pastor West and Pastor East, feel heartbroken by the badness. West and East both live by Your golden rule, they both give away their possessions to help the needy, and they both try to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect.
Then Pastor West speaks up. He tells the million violent and angry people that You, Jesus, spoke to him personally, and gave him a saintly prophetic vision... that You, Jesus, had told him Your plans for a place called Hell. Agonizing, atrocious, flesh eating fire which never ends, forever and ever and ever, and that you were going to throw those million sinners into a firey doom. And that you spoke of a place called Heaven, where all people who believe in You and change their ways will live in Joy and harmony.
Of course, You said no such thing. Your allegories of gnashing of teeth were intended to describe a life trying to bless itself with material goods which pass. Pastor West weeps tears of joy at the feeling of "Your" words, adding emphasis and importance to the "vision".
But... Imagine it appears to work sometimes. Of the million sinners, imagine that half of them pause, fearing death and Hell, and that they lay down their weapons and stop killing children... Hundreds of thousands are spared, as armies and gangs set down their weapons, and pray for salvation from the Vision of Hell.
On the day Your two followers meet You in heaven, they each plead their case...
You also see about a million people who are just awful. Just the worst. Cruel, murdering, thieving, a million people who kill children.
Two of Your followers, named Pastor West and Pastor East, feel heartbroken by the badness. West and East both live by Your golden rule, they both give away their possessions to help the needy, and they both try to be perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect.
Then Pastor West speaks up. He tells the million violent and angry people that You, Jesus, spoke to him personally, and gave him a saintly prophetic vision... that You, Jesus, had told him Your plans for a place called Hell. Agonizing, atrocious, flesh eating fire which never ends, forever and ever and ever, and that you were going to throw those million sinners into a firey doom. And that you spoke of a place called Heaven, where all people who believe in You and change their ways will live in Joy and harmony.
Of course, You said no such thing. Your allegories of gnashing of teeth were intended to describe a life trying to bless itself with material goods which pass. Pastor West weeps tears of joy at the feeling of "Your" words, adding emphasis and importance to the "vision".
But... Imagine it appears to work sometimes. Of the million sinners, imagine that half of them pause, fearing death and Hell, and that they lay down their weapons and stop killing children... Hundreds of thousands are spared, as armies and gangs set down their weapons, and pray for salvation from the Vision of Hell.
On the day Your two followers meet You in heaven, they each plead their case...
