Hell fire as metaphor

Someone just posted on Facebook a video clip in which former archbishop Spong
explained how hell was invented by the Church. That instantly created an uproar.

I wrote about why we should not take Jesus’s mention of hell literally in my book,
“The Zen Teachings of Jesus.” In order to be able to properly interpret what Jesus
was saying, it is crucial that we pay attention to the context. For this purpose, I will
quote from Mark’s gospel:

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in

me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone
were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the

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sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for

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you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into

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hell, where the fire never goes out. aAnd if your foot causes you

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to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled
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than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. bAnd if your eye
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causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter
the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be
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thrown into hell, where ‘the worms that eat them do not die,
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and the fire is not quenched.’[ cEveryone will be salted with fire.
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Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it
salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with
each other.”(Mark 9: 42-50)
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For one thing, we have not seen many maimed Christians who
mutilated their bodies in order to cut off sin. From this alone, it
should be clear that Jesus was using hyperbole and metaphorical
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language. In addition, some Bible commentators have remarked that

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the saying that “Everyone will be salted with fire” is difficult to

interpret. If EVERYONE is expected to be salted with fire, then this
“fire” is not reserved for certain sinners. There is also the problem
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that Jesus said that salt is good. It is reasonable to say that it is

therefore good to be “salted with fire.” As salt is used as a
preservative and an agent against decay, I will interpret “salted with

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 fire” to mean a trying experience people go through to prevent
spiritual decay.

More insight can be derived by looking at the original source of the

ideas of undying worms and unquenchable fire. It is from a passage
in Isaiah:
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men
that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.(Isaiah 66: 24)

Again, that this is metaphorical language should be clear. Isaiah was

not referring to real carcasses, real worms or real fire. If they were

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er as
physical worms and physical fires, then the worms have a definite

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lifespan and the fire will end as soon as it has burned up all that is to

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be burned. From context, it should also be clear that Isaiah was NOT

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referring to a condition in the afterlife. Note the last sentence—and
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they(those who transgress against God) shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh
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This study source was downloaded by 100000773847325 from CourseHero.com on 09-20-2021 22:43:40 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/104809314/Hell-fire-as-metaphordocx/
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