Substance abuse, addictions, and the Hells of our own making
A popular interpretation of the Abrahamic understanding of Hell is that it, much like Heaven, is an eternal destination. A miserable existence that you're trapped in with no way out. This is not an interpretation of the afterlife I happen to share (my personal views align far more closely with the scenarios laid forth by Aidan Luke Stoddart in his amazing work, Imagine A Redeemed Judas ) though I understand why such a permanent and binary interpretation of the afterlife resonates with many. To play Devil's Advocate to my own beliefs, those who are believed to suffer in the infernal and eternal realm of Hell are there due to their actions in mortal life. There actions and behaviors, not the whims of the Gods, ultimately are what condemn them - and I think about that a great deal, more and more. We all have free will, and part of that free will involves choices that damn us, or others. Perhaps it's time I pull the curtain back and make the subtext into text - I come...
