The new documentary Hellbound? has reignited discussion about the perennial topic of hell as well as revealed some very bizarre perspectives.
Kevin Miller, the film’s director, who identifies as a Christian, stated in an interview that, regarding the traditional view of hell as a place of fiery torment, “I don’t see anything in the Bible that would lead me to believe that such a place exists.” Instead, according to Miller, when Jesus talked about hell, he was talking about the here and now.
Really? Jesus didn’t warn about a place of judgment to come? And Director Miller gets his denial of hell from the Bible? Perhaps he is reading into the Scriptures what he would like them to say? Warnings like this from Jesus, spoken with rhetorical urgency, are hard to dismiss: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:29)
Frank Schaeffer, son of the late and revered evangelical leader, philosopher Francis Schaeffer, appeared in the movie and is more aggressive in his dismissal of hell. He writes in his column in the Huffington Post, “People ‘defending’ God have completely screwed up America and our politics. And their version of ‘God’ f—-d up the first half of my life too.”
He claims that, “Hell is irrelevant because of course there isn’t one. The movie is important though because it exposes a real question: how can we survive the God-nuts who take this stuff seriously? Hellbound? is our chance to get to know the enemies of what’s left of our crumbling ‘civilization.’”
So, those who believe in a place of future judgment are “the enemies of what’s left of our crumbling ‘civilization,’” by which he explicitly means America.
Schaeffer continues, “Talking about hell in and of itself is a waste of time because if there is a ‘God’ no one knows anything about him/her or it and they never will, let alone about what he/she or it will ‘do’ about the ‘lost.’ But there are people, lots of them, who think hell is real because it fits their kill-your-neighbor-if-he-looks-at-you-funny vision of ‘life.’”
Well, I just learned something new: If I believe that God will bring about justice in the world to come and settle wrongs at the time of resurrection, I believe this because it fits my “kill-my-neighbor-if-he-looks-at-my-funny vision of ‘life.’” Seriously?
But there’s more. For Schaeffer, America’s hawkish tendencies and aggressive foreign policy directly relate to our fundamentalist reading of the Bible: “Thank you St. John (or whomever) loon was the author of the ‘book’/acid-trip of Revelation, for giving us a deluded roadmap so that the Americans who can’t find France on a map can get their foreign ‘policy’ marching orders direct from a ‘prophet’ huddling in a cave alone with his odd brain 2000 years ago.”
Aside from the fact that it is sad to see someone like Frank Schaffer, who once held to evangelical Christian beliefs, then Greek Orthodox beliefs, turn into such a Bible mocker, it is more than a stretch – shall we call it a leap of incredulity? – to claim that America fought (or is fighting) wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places, because of a literal belief in hell and the Scriptures.
Interestingly, a study “appearing in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, found that criminal activity is lower in societies where people’s religious beliefs contain a strong punitive component than in places where religious beliefs are more benevolent. A country where many more people believe in heaven than in hell, for example, is likely to have a much higher crime rate than one where these beliefs are about equal. The finding surfaced from a comprehensive analysis of 26 years of data involving 143,197 people in 67 countries.”
According to Azim F. Shariff, professor of psychology and director of the Culture and Morality Lab at the University of Oregon, “The key finding is that, controlling for each other, a nation’s rate of belief in hell predicts lower crime rates, but the nation’s rate of belief in heaven predicts higher crime rates, and these are strong effects. . . . The finding is consistent with controlled research we’ve done in the lab, but here shows a powerful ‘real world’ effect on something that really affects people — crime.”
Here in America, belief in hell remains prevalent, and a 2003 poll by George Barna indicated that 71% of the population “said that there is such a thing as Hell.” At the same time, “just one-half of 1% expect to go to Hell upon their death.” So, hell is real, but none of us are going there!
Putting aside our religious differences, perhaps the questions we need to ask ourselves are these: 1) Are there lasting consequences to our actions? 2) Will there be an ultimate judgment and final justice? 3) If so, how should we live today?
Dr. Michael Brown is the author of The Real Kosher Jesus and the host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network.
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Thanks for writing this — it is ironic that while he classifies all (basically fundamentalist) Christians who believe in hell as the problem in our society, he is fulfilling the very prophecies he sneers at (Revelation), in helping to bring about the baseless hatred (and eventual persecution and murder) of God’s saints.
You end your thoughts with “How should we live today” being a sobering focus for anyone. This comes from the Biblical reflection for the human need of redemptive instruction of permanent consequence to ‘save’ us from a futile present and a life separating eternal condition of being apart from an eternal life sustaining God. The perspective on a Biblical Day of reckoning as equally sobering as to a possible life depository placement in Hell, primarily stemming from the Bible’s depiction of both a transitory and permanent nature coming of our life choices, parallels its absolute frames of reference. Without any such frame for future being anyone could justify any indulgence and self purpose being primarily as serving as the meaning of life.
It seems the film willfully moves an allowance for such sobriety away from an acceptance of a flip side of inevitable death leading to destruction of the flesh with a summary soul placed by death on deposit for a resurrection waiting judgment as an acceptable view of reality. That this may involve possible future torment and a life separating fallen state of permanent being apart from the presence of a living God is apparently depicted as unimportant as long as a world view is preserved which circumvents the evangelical covenant message given in the scriptures which grant truth coupled with grace being a Divine Plan entering human history for a real purpose.
By minimizing Hell to a characterization of the Revelation given John on Patmos–stated as believed to be a drug trip–all challenges are dismissed related to the instruction of the entire New Testament being seated in a Covenant God has instigated in history through His Son. The other NT scripture attributed to John then are equally dismissed along with their meaning granting believers in Christ faith, hope, and love. In fact, by adding to the message of the Revelation coming on through a one hundred eighty degree meaning-backward lens the film of reference has turned truth inside out, called reckoning by a God of history rubbish, and basically depicted life as having no purpose in serving others abiding with a love that lasts.
It must be the eye beholding the big screen, by image, color, and sound design’s augmentation, for the on and off drop in drop out interaction with captured content which has led its makers to assume that the temporary and transitory media overrides the meaning of the whole world being in His Hands.
As one continues in this life, into what are often called the latter years, not only does sobriety of being override other considerations for being–human limits are augmented. A wisdom from above attaches to one’s posture toward relationships, associations, commitments and purposes etches its outlook into the soul of a believer in Jesus Christ. Jesus died on His Cross for good cause, where that technology of death linked to the will of God placed Him alone as provision for all earth bound to transfer their last possible hope heavenward.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gum2kh–Uk8 includes Frank Schaffer posturing against “the village idiot” being the fundamentalist believer in Jesus. We must pray that those upholding the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the main Moral Compass of all humankind be strengthened in lovingkindness, care, acts of compassion, serivice and mercy toward their persecutors. It is just that by believing in one thing as most important, believers are increasingly seen as intolerant. Yet it is our sincerity and impartiality to love as He loved which is our point of engagement with others. We must learn to walk side by side in relevance to righteousness, compassion, and mercy to those not authenticated by this world (most sincere people). Be focused, for, he will come at an unexpected hour by appointment, and the “persecution madness” of many will be the thrust of this world toward believers. Bless and do not curse the opposition.
shttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gum2kh–Uk8 has Frank Schaeffer calling the fundamentalist believer irrelevant to society as the “village idiot”. The video identifies the cause of Christ as contrary to building the ideal equality based or prejudice based society. Christ’s exclusive claims, place in history, and the supernatural aspects of Biblical prophetic fulfillment just ahead culminating in His person are cause for persecuting believers and churchgoers for their identification with Him. There is no room at the dwelling places of the ideal world society for such a savior, or his followers, no purpose, and no relevance. Perhaps part of the ICN ministry goals for 2013-2015 can be made to address this socio-political tendency.