I love Jennifer, she’s becoming one of my favorite voices in the social media sphere in regards to God, faith, the church, the state of the world - all of the things. I had her on back in June for our Pride series where she shared her story of transitioning and when I mentioned to her that I was doing a series on hell we started talking about our experiences and thoughts and I KNEW we had to have her on for this series.
And I’m so glad we did, right?
I remember crying myself to sleep in the 5th grade because I was afraid that my parents were going to go to hell and Jennifer is one of the first people who made me feel NOT crazy for having those fears as a 5th grader … and sometimes STILL having those fears TODAY.
Yes, even today I will be overcome with a flood of fears …
What if … I’m wrong?
What if … there is a hell?
What if … my family is going there?
What if … my daughter ends up there?
What if … all the people listening to the podcast end up there?
What if … it’s all my fault?
(I’m all about asking “WHAT IF” questions, but not these, HA!)
That’s the frustrating thing about traumatic experiences - you never know when the effects will pop up, you never know where they’ll pop up, you never know what might trigger them, and no matter how much inner heart and mind work you do … the effects still linger.
That last part is the most frustrating for me because I’ve done A LOT of mental and emotional work on stuff regarding this topic.
I have read COUNTLESS books on hell.
I’ve spent COUNTLESS hours studying my Bible.
I’ve had COUNTLESS conversations with people much wiser than me.
I’ve had COUNTLESS hours of counseling, soul care, etc.
And I’m at a place where I no longer believe in a place called “hell” where people who believe the wrong things about God and Jesus go to spend eternity separated from anything and everything that is good.
BUT.
Every once in a while I’ll feel a rush of fear sweep into my mind and heart as I fight off the monster of fear that tries to consume me and drag me into the ways I used to think and believe.
This is why I believe that the doctrine of hell is an abusive doctrine that does little more than give people in positions of power more of an ability to control and manipulate those beneath them. And I say that because if a pastor or the head of a denomination or the dean of a seminary or the principal of a Christian school can put the fear of God into people by telling them that …
Hell awaits them IF they don’t believe A, B, and C.
Hell awaits them IF they don’t read their Bible.
Hell awaits them IF they are gay.
Hell awaits them IF they have sex before marriage.
Hell awaits them IF they ________.
… If the fear of God is put into someone so much so that the eternal destination of their soul hangs in the balance, it’s much easier to get that person to stay in line and behave in whatever way or ways that you or the powers that be have deemed appropriate.
And so if you’ve been victimized by this doctrine, it’s my prayer that these conversations we’re having during this series can help you break free. The reality is that hell wasn’t a thing in the Old Testament, really wasn’t much of a thing in the New Testament, and was more of a Greek Philosophical idea than anything else.
To put it more bluntly, in his book “Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife”, Bart Ehrman says that “the founder of Christianity did not believe that the soul of a person who died would go to heaven or hell, but this became the standard Christian view over time.”
Did you hear that?
Jesus.
Did not.
Believe.
That the soul.
Of a person who died.
Would go to.
Heaven.
OR.
To hell.
Said differently, there is very little evidence to suggest that Jesus believed in a place called hell where souls go to spend eternity separated from God … and so if Jesus didn’t believe it, I don’t believe it either.
Even so, I live with the effects of the abusive teachings I received as a kid and must deal with the random fears that still pop up some 30 years later.
Do you struggle with it? Do the fears still pop up for you?
That’s why we journey together - onward, my friends.
Much love,
Glenn
NEXT WEEK.
Next week we take a short break from the “To Hell With Hell” series to talk to my friend Sarah Bessey. Sarah has a virtual conference coming up October 2-3 called Evolving Faith and I wanted to drop her episode in the lineup before the conference so she can tell us all about it and invite us to join in. We talk about Evolving Faith, Deconstruction, and Prayer - such a good, helpful, and INSPIRING conversation, don’t miss it!
PLUG INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
We have a closed Facebook Group called “The What If Project Community” where you can find people who are making their way through the wilderness of their faith, asking questions, and sharing doubts. It’s a place where no one will push you or Bible slam you or try to convert you or shame you - it’s a place to be yourself and pick up some new friends who will be your biggest cheerleaders on your spiritual journey. Get plugged in today!
NEW BLOG POST.
The latest blog post on WhatIfProject.net is called “Religious Trauma and the Abusive Doctrine of Hell”, here’s an excerpt …
“I don't believe in hell anymore. Not even a little bit. And people tell me that because I don't believe in hell that means I'm most certainly headed there, but I'm really not concerned about going to a place I'm 99.9% sure doesn't exist.
Yeah, 99.9%.
I mean, you can never be 100% about anything, can you? Especially not something like heaven and hell and what happens when we close our eyes for the last time and the final exhale leaves our body and floats somewhere into the atmosphere.
Do we immediately arrive at the pearly gates?
Do we just cease to exist?
Is there a bright light?
Immense coldness?
Do we get reincarnated into a bird or dog or another human?
If I rise up out of my body, am I able to see my body?
Do I get warped into another realm altogether?
So many questions; and I have no idea, but one thing I'm fairly certain about is that from a Biblical standpoint, there's no such thing as hell as a place of eternal torture or separation from God or whatever."
WANT TO BE A GUEST BLOGGER?
Do you have something to say? Have you been mulling over something regarding God and faith and spirituality and the Bible and all the things that is different than what your traditions have handed you? Have you ever asked, “WHAT IF this is true?” I’m taking submissions for guest blog posts - write it up, send it my way at gsiepert@me.com, and we’ll talk about getting it on WhatIfProject.net.
Here’s the most recent one from my friend Anthony Vernon, it’s called “Is God Everywhere Or Not?”. Enjoy and go find Anthony on FACEBOOK.
MERCH.
Fall is fast approaching, pick up the LGBTQ Ally Hoodie at the Heretic Shop today!
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