Article Title: Smile, There Is No Hell (Even the Pope Says So)
Article Summary
This article deals with the topic of what currently religion means to people and also talks about how with time our thoughts have changed and thus we are trying to adjust our religious teachings as well with modern times.
The author starts with how a controversy started with the pope stating that there is no hell as he said that sinners who die without eternal salvation are not punished but that instead of their souls simply disappear as there is no hell. The author further gives example of another pope, Pope John Paul II also caused a stir when he also redefined hell.
The author then talks about Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker’s book on morality as it states that today enlightened believers cherry-pick the humane injunctions while allegorising, spin-doctoring, or ignoring the vicious ones. With the rise of reason and science as major forces in the world, unimaginable progress has ensued, not just technological progress, but moral as well.
The author concludes that to humanists, the idea of eternal hellfire has long been considered mythological. Thus, the author believes these thoughts might be reshaping the framework of traditional religion as it attempts to adapt to modern society.
Article Link: Click here to read the full article
Words to Learn from this article:
Salvation: preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.
Deity: a god or goddess (in a polytheistic religion
Schisms: a split or division between strongly opposed sections or parties, caused by differences in opinion or belief.
Sabbath: A day of rest and worship: Sunday for most Christians; Saturday for the Jews and a few Christians; Friday for Muslims
Testament: (in biblical use) a covenant or dispensation.
Mythology: a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.
Damnation: condemnation to eternal punishment in hell.
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