Love is the idea that one wants something or someone to persist into the future. God is love. Even against the impermanence of the physical existence laid before us. Everything that moves us away from persisting is a sin. Once viewed through this frame. Sins aren't so much punished, they are lamented because we are driving ourselves away from the very persistence bestowed upon us all.
Discussion
Am I correct to assume you don't believe in a real Hell / eternal torment?
Define those terms and maybe I do.
- **Believe**: To accept something as true or hold a conviction about it.
- **Assume**: To take something for granted or accept it as true **without proof**.
- **Hell**: A real, eternal place of punishment, the inhabitants of which are eternally separated from God.
- **Eternal Torment**: The suffering in Hell is real, unending, and conscious.
Lol, I meant just Hell and Eternal torment but thank you for being thorough. I believe that the separation from Love is an unending torment. I don't think Hell is a specific place. Only that is a place that is separate from God.
Gotcha. I'm in the "real specific place" camp.
I think something that often is overlooked on my side of the aisle is precisely your middle phrase. Eternal separation from God's love is indeed eternal torment.
If you haven't read The Great Divorce and The Problem of Pain, my guess is you'd enjoy them if you're a reader. 🙌
I will check those out. Thanks for the suggestions.
I wrote this 10 days ago. I think it's true.
your mention of "love" and "persistence" reminds me of this quote from a YT recently from Michael Knowles:
"there is God, and God is good. Evil is the privation of God."
"there is God who 'is'. So 'to be' is good.