Hell is as hellish as justice tempered by mercy can make it. The Christian genius Dante posits that Hell is as hellish as our choices in the light of God’s justice makes it. If Hell is bad, then it is never worse than we are. Hell is just: a logical necessity if one is given the free will to reject God. Dante and Hell became connected, partly because most people are too damnably lazy to read the two-thirds of his... Read more
And the friar: ‘At one time in Bologna I heard tell of the Devil’s many vices, and I heard he is a liar and the father of all lies.’ At that my leader stalked off with long strides, a moment’s look of anger on his face. And so I left those overburdened souls to follow in the imprints of his cherished feet.* Guiding Dante through Hell, Virgil gets directions from devils. Much to his annoyance, he discovers they lie. You... Read more
I do not know if then I was too bold when I answered him in just this strain: ‘Please tell me, how much treasure did our Lord insist on from Saint Peter before He gave the keys into his keeping? Surely He asked no more than “Follow me” So says Dante to Pope Nicholas. The pontiff is in torment in Dante’s hell for simony: profiting from selling church offices for money. Others will join him soon and he is only... Read more
A man named William Miller made a mistake, a serious error, yet out of it good was done and beauty created. Miller thought he could use the Bible to tell when Jesus would return. For this error, people felt free to tell lies about his group: they said the Millerites wore ascension robes and stood on roofs waiting for Jesus, they were checked into lunatic asylums, they bankrupted their families. This was all false, actual fake news, though when they... Read more
I asked for new voices and got some outstanding writers! Today we hear from the erudite James R. Harrington. James R. Harrington earned his M.A. in Ancient History at California State University Fulleron and is a member of the Torrey Honors Institute. James has been a classical educator in a variety of settings over the past thirteen years. He lives in Houston with his wife, Sharon, and their daughter. Mr. Harrington responded to thoughts on his first post. Now he is... Read more
Tone is hard to get right in social media, unless you write with the clarity of CS Lewis and the charity of LM Montgomery. Since I do neither, persistence has proven to be key. If two people can keep talking, progress is possible. Trolling personalities will hit and block, but all of us interested in learning will try to keep things going.* On the Anonymous Chatting with part of the Internet atheist community tests boundaries for me as many are anonymous. I... Read more
I AM THE WAY INTO THE CITY OF WOE. I AM THE WAY TO A FORSAKEN PEOPLE. I AM THE WAY INTO ETERNAL SORROW. SACRED JUSTICE MOVED MY ARCHITECT. I WAS RAISED HERE BY DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE, PRIMORDIAL LOVE AND ULTIMATE INTELLECT. ONLY THOSE ELEMENTS TIME CANNOT WEAR WERE MADE BEFORE ME, AND BEYOND TIME I STAND. ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE.* One of the greatest poets who ever lived puts us at the gate of Hell and this... Read more
Nothing makes our bad choices, our rejection of love, good. A bad choice goes on being a bad choice. That’s one reason I remain sorry for the bad I have done and intent on not repeating errors. God asks for our consent to goodness, truth, and beauty. He lets us live with the consequences, though God stands ready to redeem. What do I mean? I do not mean that bad deeds become good deeds. No. However, God has eternity to give... Read more
My children loved animals, loved exotic animals, and often wished to have such jolly friends as pets. Well, no, but still the desire was natural, harkening back to Eden. For all their problems, zoos are natural to humanity as we long for a day when we can live in peace with our fellow creatures. Humans are by power, rulers of creation, but we naturally love our fellow creatures. We are animals, even if also immortal souls. As a result, we... Read more
I asked for new voices and got some outstanding writers! Today we hear from the erudite James R. Harrington. James R. Harrington earned his M.A. in Ancient History at California State University Fulleron and is a member of the Torrey Honors Institute. James has been a classical educator in a variety of settings over the past thirteen years. He lives in Houston with his wife, Sharon, and their daughter. Mr. Harrington responds to thoughts on his first post: A friend... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In