A perspective on the fear of damnation and punishment at the end of life
Last month a woman I knew about 35 years ago passed away. I had very little contact with her for the last 15 years, but had been in the same religious community with her for the first 20 years. When I met her, she was terrified of death. Actually, that is not entirely true. She was terrified that she would be judged for having failed as a woman of God and that she would be sent to hell after her death.
The vision of a critical God
When she entered religious life as a Roman Catholic sister, she entered at a time when religious life focused on perfection in every little thing. The God he came to know was one of judgment and harshness. She saw God as someone who waited for you to sin and then was ready to throw you into hell for your offense, even if it was minor.
She was a kind and gentle woman. He worked hard and also suffered from depression for most of his adult life. I always thought she was amazing and loving. She thought otherwise. He looked at every little flaw he had, every little sin, and for some reason, he saw it as something that God could forgive. She worried that she wasn’t good enough to get to heaven. In his view of God as harsh and judgmental, he missed the Divine Being of love and support.
The God of religion or spirituality
The Christian Bible consists of the two main divisions called the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is the Jewish scriptures, the first 5 books consisting of their most sacred writings known as the Torah. When you read the Bible you can find support for almost any point of view. If you want to believe in a Divine Being who is ready to punish and send people to hell, you can certainly find that. There is also the God of love, compassion and salvation.
Religion is often focused on getting you to do what the powers that be want you to do. Many religions do this by preaching hell and damnation if you don’t follow the 10 Commandments and the laws of that particular religion. The message of a loving God is often not emphasized. I don’t know if this is because the heads of the religions believe that people will only respond to threats and not promises of love.
Spirituality takes you deep inside yourself to a place that, paradoxically, is beyond yourself. If you allow yourself to enter a world of spirituality instead of fear, you will meet the Divine Being of Love who wants you to live forever in a place of happiness and joy that many call heaven.