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 Today we have one of those subjects that you do not hear too many homilies about these days from mainstream priests and bishops — only the fringe tackle homilies on subjects like Hell today. If you value your job and reputation it's dangerous territory in Church circles these days to challenge the simple but cherished images of the past. Daniel Gullotta though is unafraid to venture into Hell. This commentary was originally written last year as an assignment when he was studying theology at ACU. In it he examines both the traditional and contemporary theological thinking on Hell and shares some of his own uncertainties about what to make of it all. Are We 'Over' Hell? Hell is a topic of great debate within many of Christianity's traditions. There is much differing opinion on where and what is, and how it actually 'works' within Christianity's theology, particularly within the areas of humanity, hope and salivation. In common language and belief, traditionally Hell would be described as a Great Lake of Fire in which the souls of the sinful people are sent to after the Day of Judgement. The punishment there is eternal and it is just, in accordance to the sin of rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, is this theology clear within Biblical and Traditional Catholic teaching? Is Hell still necessary within our understanding of God and the afterlife? What can learn from a modern understanding of Hell? The first issue is that a majority of Christians avoid the 'issue' of Hell. In its simplest understanding; Hell cannot be avoided because God calls and challenges humankind to answer for their acts of evil, immorality, and injustice. If we do not mention Hell, then we are neglecting the problem of evil and God's response and God's justice to it.[1] It is the inescapable Christian truth that God will ultimately deal with evil, particularly human evil.[2] Yet Hell has become not a symbol of God's justice, but rather one of God's wrath and been used by the Church as a tool of fear. Instead of the fear of God, in its pastoral and ministerial response, the Church has delivered the fear of Hell.[3] The tension in understanding Hell lies within God's mercy and God's justice. A State of the Soul, Not Place of the Being… Throughout the centuries, Christian expressions of Hell have often been graphic and violent in both art and literature, the most common phrase being "hellfire and brimstone". However modern interpretations of Hell have come to understand Hell as a state of being, rather than a place where the being is.[4] In this view, Hell is the point of no return in which the self chooses to exclude themselves from God and thus the true nature of the punishment is the complete and utter absence of God. The point being made is that our freedom is real, and so our choices do have consequences. Not consequences 'bolted on' like arbitrary penalties by a vengeful, judgmental God, but natural and intrinsic consequences. 'Hell' is simply the condition of being separated from God — a condition in which we will find ourselves only if we choose to separate ourselves from him.[5] Yet not only from God, but from each other (those made in the Image of God) and from ourselves (one who bears the Image of God as well). As the Ancient Hebrews believed they saw God in other people, in Hell, it has been suggested, "we cannot see each other's faces."[6] Hell as the separation of God and from God is a rich understanding within the Orthodox faith. Hell is not just in space, but in the soul, it is the place where God is not. If we confess in the Apostles Creed, that Christ "descended into Hell", then God the Son himself had descended into the complete depths of God's absence.[7] Hell is the ultimate state of humankind's anguish and alienation, and God himself identifies with it. Upon the cross we see not only a man in Hell, but God in Hell. In such beliefs, we find not the fear of God, but in fact the love of God. The State of Sin… In a traditional understanding of Hell, what gets some to Hell is their sin. What is sin? It is commonly understood as the disobedience to God's Will and Law. However, a re-defined meaning of Hell (as a state of being, rather than a place of being) would also call for a redefined meaning of sin. If Hell is the state in which one experiences separation and isolation from God, the self and the other, then this understanding is far more relational. Therefore, sin should be understood as breaking that relationship. As Damien Casey describes it, "Sin is not simply an offence against God but a failure to co-operate with God in the process of salvation."[8] The whole notion of a 'catholic' church is to be a universal church — a communal one. If breaking relation is sin, then we are sinful when we lose that state of relationship. By the same token, if sin is a breaking or break down of a relationship, then salvation by that understanding, must be about the restoration of relationship. As Christians, we partake in a foretaste of our future and final hope and live in the twilight of the new age. However, while this essay has dealt with 'hell' as the present, it is unavoidable to deal with the future as well.  Descent into Hell 1868 - oil on canvas by Venetian artist, Tintoretto (1518-1594) An Eternity of what? The fact that many souls are in a state of 'hell' at present, is an alarming issue, as it causes one to answer where will their final place in eternity be? Once again, the problem of a Hell as being a final destination lies in the tension between God's mercy and God's justice; however, humanity's free will is also brought into the mix on the matter of eternity. As I have presented before, many at present choose to say 'no' to God, so it is therefore totally possible for one to say 'no' to spending eternity with God.[9] Yet, if we can share the thoughts of Gregory of Nyssa, he believed that even a single soul in Hell, the devil's included, meant that God had 'lost', and argued that God's inexhaustible love would win out over humanity's free will.[10] Looking to the works of Hans Urs von Balthasar, in his understanding of Christ's descent into Hell (or death), von Balthasar claims that "God chooses to accompany the sinner, in the sinners choice".[11] It is God the Son's incarnation, the participation in both life and death, that allows God to consume death, challenge death, and eventually, conquer death. To be honest, eschatology is still something that confuses and challenges me. I am unsure how I feel about Hell, or Heaven, and whether I side with universalism or the idea of a final judgement. Yet the reality of a present Hell, or Hells, reveals to me the Christian conviction to follow Christ into Hell and join others there, in hope to bring them out. In understanding Hell, as I have explained, we must not look at fiery images of people suffering divine judgement, but rather souls in pain and torment longing for healing and light. We who participant in the life of Christ and bear his life, must descend to Hell with him, to bear and share his life and light to others. While it might be their choice to be there, the divine life is unforgiving in its mission to bring love and life. In the great teaching of Gregory Nazianzen, "What has not been assumed has not been healed", since life has been so death as well, Christ claims those in life and the light, but heals those in death and in the dark.  FOOTNOTES: Bibliography: IMAGE CREDITS:
©2009 Daniel Gullotta |
Daniel Gullotta is an occasional contributor to 
How economic inequality harms societies... We feel instinctively that societies with huge income gaps are somehow going wrong. Richard Wilkinson charts the hard data on economic inequality, and shows what gets worse when rich and poor are too far apart: real effects on health, lifespan, even such basic values as trust. Richard Wilkinson, is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, and cofounder of The Equality Trust, a nonprofit that aims to reduce income inequality by educating and engaging the public while supporting political commitment to address the problem. 16m55s [String on the Catholica Forum where the general issue of wealth inequality and this documentary was first discussed 25Jan12] | [WATCH THE VIDEO]
Doco 035: 25Jan12
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