A couple of weeks ago a very religious co-worker of mine had a step-son pass away. It was a motorcycle accident and of course the whole family was devastated (understandably so) and somehow my co-worker was able to come to work the two days before the funeral. He was definitely visibly shaken and he did his job very admirably. He is normally a quiet, reserved fellow to begin with and he does get animated and can be a lively conversationalist at times but this particular week was different (obviously). So, I tried to keep my distance and the next week after the funeral I asked him during our shift how the funeral was. This was his response:
"The funeral was really nice and a lot of friends and family were there. It was quiet and nice, lots of memories and good times were shared, but there was a feeling of sadness the whole time because we all knew he wasn't saved when he died."
Which my reaction being a non-believer is one of consoling but it definitely wasn't a time to bring up my thoughts.
Every Christian I have ever encountered who has had someone close to them pass away always puts posts on Facebook, the newspaper, and tells others that they believe said person is in heaven with God and they are with the Father even if that person wasn't saved. It's like a cognitive dissonance to prevent yourself from thinking your loved one is in hell. Yet, my co-worker didn't. He pretty much admitted to me that he believes his step-son is now burning in hell for eternity. He is in a lake of fire skin roasting, being tortured in immense agonizing pain in perpetuity. Yet, here you are back at work? Really? If that were my step-son or anyone close to me and that's what I believed happened to those who weren't saved I'd quit my job and literally make it my life's work to prevent people from ever having to go to hell.
One of my biggest complaints about religion especially evangelical Christianity in particular is that 99% of adherents don't think their loved one are possibly in hell when they die. When my uncle passed away (and believe me, the man lived almost every day with some sort of filled alcohol container near by and I'm sure pills and illegal drugs of all kinds in his system) even some family members said that he was in heaven with Jesus. How can this be the case? If you believe what you say you do, then when someone dies that wasn't saved don't give me the platitudes that said person is in heaven now. Face the idea that they may be burning in a pit of eternal fire in agonizing pain. The logic of your faith dictates this very clearly. Because I get threatened with burning in hell on occasion as do many atheists around the world. If you can't bring yourself to even admit that as a Christian, your unsaved loved ones are burning in hell right now then you really don't believe what the central tenet of your faith is defined by. This is a cognitive dissonance that is very all too common amongst the faithful, replacing what your religion says with what makes you feel better even if it contradicts its own logic.
So, if you have to convince yourself that a dead unsaved loved one is in heaven when your religion says they aren't, then accept that you might not 100% believe what you say you do.
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