From Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian:
Religious determinists have offered us another determinism we could call the “soul-sort” universe: everyone will be sorted into either the destruction/damnation or the redemption/salvation bin. Everyone is determined to end up in one or the other. That sounds good if you’re one of the chosen few, but, then again, how could good and generous people rest in peace or celebrate in bliss when they know the majority of their ancestors, friends, family members, and descendants are experiencing eternal conscious torment in hell? (p. 195)
This is a question I have really begun to wrestle with. There is no easy answer, and it’s not a debate that’s going to be settled anytime soon. But I think it is an important conversation to have—to think, share ideas, listen, ponder, read, study, wonder…It’s one of those issues that isn’t as black and white as we may want it to be.
Brian asks an interesting question in a recent blog post, responding to a question about whether or not Osama bin Laden is in hell: “Do we fear that God will be excessively merciful or excessively harsh?”
Thoughts, anyone?
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