Back to the Drawing Board

The discussion on the future of the Progressive Churches of Christ on Jay’s board seems to have stagnated. I checked some other blogs and noticed that none of them had picked up the story yet. I was thinking of getting more involved with it to move things along, but then I realized that this wasn’t my fight. Conservative or Progressive, it doesn’t matter, there’s no place for me in this world anymore. I can either give up my new found belief in universalism (and with it my Reason) or I can leave the religion entirely. There’s no sect or denomination that accepts universalists and the authority of the Bible. And the Churches that accept the authority of the Bible hide all manner of blasphemous doctrines behind pitch black curtains of faith.

So I’m stuck with two choices, a life of silence, or a life of lies. If I live a life of lies, why not a life of murder or adultery (since all sins are the same)? If I only committed one sin in my entire life and that sin was the most innocent of all lies, I would still burn in Hell for all eternity, next to Hitler, Judas and the Devil. And if I live a life of silence on an issue most dear to me, why should I be forced into vocalizing doctrines I find evil and repugnant? What could possibly be the point of preaching or evangelism? If I have to convert people to someone else’s beliefs, I might as well become a Muslim missionary.

It occurred to me that Universalism needs a champion, but then again, why should I waste my time on any doctrinal debate? The Church has not been as helpful to the world as it should have been. But in the end, it won’t matter. They’ve already killed Christianity. Denominational loyalty, doctrinal awareness and Biblical literacy are at all-time lows. I’m not interested in packing pews, but in filling up soup kitchens, prisons and hospitals with the most sincere followers of the Lord.

Ironically, it won’t matter what I say, if I’m ever attached to any heretical doctrine. Helping the poor won’t get nearly so much attention as saying that Hell is not eternal. There would actually be those who would caution the young against reading my works since by doing so they might led into the heresy of believing that feeding the hungry is as important as going to church. Sigh. Well, in parting, let me leave you with a few thoughts about Hell…

VII
Pascal, Nicole, and others have said: “That God should punish innocent children with eternal punishment for the guilty deeds of a father is a superior proposition and is not contrary to reason.” But what then is a proposition contrary to reason if that which obviously expresses a blasphemy isn’t one?

XVII
Take the fear of hell from a Christian and you take from him his belief.

XXII
But what will God do to those who didn’t hear His son speak? Will He punish the deaf for not having heard?

XXIII
What will He do to those who, having heard tell of His religion were not able to understand it? Will he punish pygmies for not having been able to take giant steps?

IX
The author of nature, who will not reward me for having been intelligent will not damn me for having been a fool.

XLVIII
A long time ago it was asked of theologians that they find a way to reconcile eternal punishment with God’s infinite mercy. They haven’t advanced a step.

LXIX
This is what I think of Christian dogma. I will only say one word on its morality: It is that a Catholic who is father of a family, convinced that the maxims of the Gospels must be practiced under penalty of what is called hell, and given the extreme difficulty in reaching this degree of perfection, which human weakness prevents, I see nothing else to be done than for him to take his child by the foot and smash him against the ground, or to suffocate it at birth. By this act he saves it from the peril of damnation and assures him eternal happiness. And I maintain that this act, far from being criminal, should be considered infinitely praiseworthy, since it is founded upon paternal love, which demands that all good fathers do all the good possible for their children.

LXXI
What is that, Monsieur de la Condamine? It would be permitted to inoculate your son to protect him from smallpox, but it isn’t permitted to kill him to protect him from hell? Surely you jest.