Hell
No one likes to think that they or their loved ones are destined for hell. Yet it is a painful truth that most people live out their lives far away from the original standard of God’s love. The human condition is too often this: we allow our thoughts and desires to be captive to the will of the flesh; our mentality is continually self-seeking; we habitually ignore the promptings of conscience. We betray those we love and then run away from facing the consequences, as well as the truth about ourselves. Having lived this way for seventy-plus years, is there any hope of fitting in to the crystal-clear society of heaven?
What is hell? Some traditions describe it as a place deep underground, with rivers of fire and sulfur. Some say that hell is but a state of mind, yet as anyone knows who has experienced the pangs of intense loneliness, remorse, shame, guilt, or loss, such states of mind can be excruciatingly vivid. Furthermore, it is said that in the spirit world it will not be possible to avoid such feelings, as is usually done while in the body, through such devices as forgetting, rationalization, or losing oneself in sense-pleasures or drink. There is no respite from unpleasant feelings, which remain to torture the unfortunate soul continually. To describe such pain beyond comprehension, scriptures use concrete images: burning fire, boiling water, bitter cold, being crushed, hacked and dismembered, trampled, burned, and eaten alive.
We conclude with several passages that hold out the possibility of rescue from hell. The Eastern religions regard all states of hell as purgatories, designed to mete out punishments for a period of time, that evil karma might be burned up and the soul have a future opportunity to find the Path. Father Moon teaches that God did not create hell; indeed its very existence is an affront to God’s goodness and a nail driven into His loving heart. If we have sufficient love, we will do whatever it takes to turn others away from hell. We will even, like Jesus who “harrowed hell” during his three days in the tomb or the Hindu hero Vipascit, rescue the people imprisoned in its dungeons.