I can hear it now...some of you are thinking, "What is he talking about? Did he say Hell doesn't exist? Jesus talked about Hell all the time (or some of you might be thinking 'Jesus preached about Hell more than Heaven')." Let me assure you, I believe Hell is a very real and terrible place, but I absolutely believe it is NOT the place most Christian denominations preach about.
Before we get to that, we have to take a look at where some of the modern 'christian' mythology about Hell comes from. I really love to study words and their origins, so today I'm going to take a short walk with the dogma about the word "hell". The word comes from Old English 'hel' which means "covered up place". Its origins go even farther back-not to the Bible, but to Norse (you know, the Vikings) mythology.
Hel was a goddess who ruled a certain section of the underworld called Helheim, or "Hel's Hall". If you know anything about the Vikings, you know that the brave warriors who died in battle were carried either to Valhalla, or Folkvang. The wicked and the "inglorious dead" (those who were NOT killed in battle), spent eternity in "Hel's Hall".
I'm pretty sure Jesus wasn't a Viking, so I'm probably safe in saying that this wasn't the "Hell" Jesus was talking about. It does sound a bit like the "hell" some people threaten the nonbelievers and little kids with though.
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DOGMA- the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization: it is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted or diverged from. At the core of the dogma concept is absolutism, infallibility, irrefutability, unquestioned acceptance and anti-skepticism. The purpose of this blog is to take that "dogma" we've always been taught to be the indisputable, infallible, and absolute "truth" out for a metaphorical "walk".
About Me
- Russ B
- Just an average Joe Schmoe with a Bible, computer, and a little spare time!
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