Hell as Hate

I had an unusual and unexpected discussion, or dialogue, with a co-worker today. He is, near as I can tell, of the evangelical christian persuasion, and a good guy. He is not pushy with his faith, nor rude about it. Today, in response to a question posed by another co-worker he responded by saying, "Hell no." Just for fun, I piped in, "why does it have to be Hell no? Why not just no." He good naturedly responded that he is free to say what he wants, to which I suggested that his use of the word hell is hateful and offensive. As far as it goes, this was mostly in jest, but it did make me think a little as we continued in dialogue. He stated that the word hell was not hateful - I of course, protested that it was indeed hateful, and discriminatory against us heathen. The dialogue only lasted for a couple of minutes, but I think it has merit. I cannot in any way see how hell can be viewed in any way but hateful - the merciless torture of perhaps countless millions does not seem very loving, kind, or grace infused. It does seem cruel, spiteful, and malicious. It does little to relieve the suffering of the innocent, the victims, the weak, or the needy. It does not undue the centuries of cruelty, hate, and violence. It doesn't seem to do much more than torture and inflict pain. It does not change the past, does not reform the sinner, does not proclaim the glory and love of god. It seems to me to be a projection of self-righteous hate, a zealous hope for vengeance devoid of justice and mercy (so proudly declared by christians). Hell serves no perceivable function save the propagation of violence and suffering. It is, in a word, hateful.