Turn or Burn

Apparently I am going to burn,

Eternally

 

The conversation was about a preacher

who spews hate

and advocates violence

 

and people were all too ready to relegate him to the eternal trash bin

I struggle with the idea that God will throw anyone away

 

and so I pondered

I often do

about heaven and hell

 

and I suggest that I sometimes think about heaven and hell

this way

 

hell is when we find ourselves

reunited with that loving and amazing Other

from whom (I hate anthropomorphizing, but I have no better words) we came

 

when, Spirit carriers,

Image Bearers,

we move from communion to union

 

and then see, in the presence of Fierce Love and Fierce Grace

the ways we failed

to bear the Image

 

that would be hellish indeed (I do believe in accountability)

 

heaven is when the One

when Love, embraces us

reconciles us

heals us

and yes, loves us

and makes us whole

and welcomes us home

 

I was told that this idea (which admittedly is half-baked)

was going to send me to hell.

 

I don’t remember the entire tirade

but essentially I was a depraved sinner

and that Jesus came to save me

and that if I didn’t repent (and right now!)

and get in line (with this person’s concept of God and the godly)

I (and all those people who kill babies, etc)

was going to fry

eternally

 

I do not have to try very hard

sometimes

to understand why people are walking away from the faith system

I have chosen to embrace

 

because so many people who have claimed Jesus

present a faith system that is mostly about fear

God is hard, demanding

People are worms crawling through the primordial ooze

If you don’t do exactly what God wants, God punishes you

Not just in the moment, but forever and ever

eternal torment is the name of the game

 

Jesus is fire insurance

he came and was killed by this same “god”

to satisfy justice

and save our bacon so it doesn’t sizzle

 

if you “believe”

which in the book of such people means

uttering certain things

adhering to certain creeds

following certain rules

 

then you might not fry

 

but it is a faith of fear

“if you were to die tonight, where would you spend eternity?”

 

A friend recently told of a camp experience where they (a cabin of girls)

were told they had better accept Jesus and get baptized,

like NOW

because what if they were killed in a car wreck on the way home?

they would burn!

 

OK

say God really is like that

who wants to line up with a God

who excludes

judges

kills

tortures?

 

who wants a God whose “people”

exclude

judge

kill

torture

dominate

control

punish

shame

 

I think Jesus came, more than anything else

to show what God is like

and to show that God is not, in fact, like that

 

to show God welcomes all

loves all

forgives all

restores all

heals all

 

and to show that God is a servant God

(I know, that violates our American mentality)

who came to overcome evil with good

to bring life through death

victory through defeat

 

to show us that love works

and love is the way

 

and that God is in fact

Love

 

I have no illusions

that I totally understand God

or heaven and hell

or eternity

 

but I am pretty sure about this

the God I see in Jesus

the God I have experienced

the God (Power/Love/Sacred/pick a name) that dwells inside me

 

is Love

 

and is more about making life the best and most it can be, now

you know!

Joy!

Peace!

Hope!

Love!

 

and is about creating a Kingdom of Love here on earth

now

than anything else

 

and on that fact

I guess I am betting my life