Excellently put! I love the running narrative. It's so funny, that's almost exactly what Rob Bell put on the back of his new book. You're right though, the typical Christian idea of hell just kind of hits you the wrong way logically. I think, "I'm supposed to be the messed up one, but even I wouldn't set someone on fire for disagreeing with me." I think from within a Christian system there are logical defenses for the traditional view (I'm anticipating something to the effect of "Logical?!" from some people here), but I personally like the ideas of Dallas Willard, professor of philosophy at USC. He says heaven and hell start right now. I've definitely know some people who are in hell. Addiction isn't pretty. I also know there are some people I would consider to be almost saints, who are certainly already entering into heaven, like my mother (hey, it's Mother's Day on Sunday). Well, needless to say, not everyone in the Christian camp buys into the narrative you've laid out, though it is pretty common.
*(Did anyone hear about any of that Rob Bell stuff? It was over this issue)
*(Did anyone hear about any of that Rob Bell stuff? It was over this issue)
