Hell-Oh: The Hades that Dante Built

People talk about hellfire and brimstone, demons, and other evils that await us at death if we lead a less than stellar life. Yet, no one ever questions the origins. Would a God that gave us free will then punish us for using it?

When Roman Emperor Constantine decreed Christianity was no longer a crime, he assembled the Council of Nicaean to establish continuity. Up until then, Christians worshiped in secret with different groups holding different values and sharing different tenets. This council contained representatives from various groups who were then to come to a consensus on what would become the core religion.

Included in these decisions would be laws and methods of controlling the masses. If you follow the example of Jesus, good things happen when you die. Sure, many people do well with positive reinforcement and the proverbial carrot on a stick, but what about the ones that need more convincing? What’s the opposite of love and eternal peace? Torture! Where do you torture people? In a dungeon! Make it deeper, scarier, add some fire, and throw in a few odd creatures along with eternity, and people will toe the line. From there, the story grew with embellishments and heightened fears.

In our podcast, we discuss these elements along with many others that are a driving force behind indoctrination. We may not have all the answers, but we have a lot of questions including, “Who’s driving?”