This Week

This week at praxis...What's Your Hell Look Like?

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, 
which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells 
all that he has and buys that field. Again, 
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 
on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold 
all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of 
heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and 
caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew 
it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets 
but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. 
The angels will come out and separate the evil from the 
righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, 
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
"Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 
--- Matthew 13:44-51

Hell is nothing other than complete separation from God.  
--- Nicolas Berdyaev

Both heaven and hell are within us.		
---- Mohandas K. Gandhi

Me miserable! which way shall I fly
Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell;
And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep
Still threatening to devour me opens wide,
To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven.
----Satan, in John Milton's Paradise Lost, Canto I
 
One of Letterman's trademark gags is the "Top 10" list, 
which has included the worst jobs in hell (intestine adjuster, 
staff psychologist for the Islamic jihad), 
the ways to know summer is over in hell 
(molten lava slide closed for the season, 
anguished cries for water replaced by anguished 
cries for doughnuts and hot cider) 
and the hottest mall shop in hell (Jim Jones's Juice-a-teria).

"Late Show" has also offered a list of hell's best newspaper headlines: 
"Ice Water Canceled - Again," 
"Most Residents Prefer Flame Broiling to Frying" 
and "Slumbering Carnivorous Worms Awaken in Very Bad Mood."						-- Marian Van Scott, Encyclopedia of Hell

According to a recent Gallup poll, 
60% of Americans  believe in Hell. Only 4% think they are likely to go there.	     
---- Alice K. Turner, The History of Hell
 
AMAIMON: Vomits flame, but is, for some reason, is absolutely harmless between 3 AM and noon.
BALKIN: Commands 15, 000 legions of dwarves mounted on chameleons.
DAGON: Now employed as Hell's baker.
FRIMOST: Can only be invoked on Tuesday nights, between 9 and 10 o'clock. 
When he appears, you must give him a white pebble.
GUGLAND: You may conjure him on any Saturday between 11 PM and midnight, and, if you feed him a piece of toast, he will gladly answer any question.
HEIGLOT: Demon in charge of snowstorms.
HOBGOBLIN: During the night, the homely hobgoblin (dressed in a suit of green leather) can shape-change and spoil milk, but can also cure whooping cough.
MURMUR: Alleged to be the most musical demon.
NELCHAEL: A fallen angel who, in Hell, gives lessons in mathematics and geography to his fellow demons.
PROCEL: Has the ability to make bathwater hotter or colder.
SEALIAH: Said to have great power over vegetables.
-- Sean Kelly and Rosemary Rogers, Who in Hell: A Guide to the Whole Damned Bunch




Questions:


	What do you believe about hell? 
	Which of the readings best fits your understanding?
	When have you felt like you were "in hell," or when has your life been "hellish?"  How do you "get out" of hell?
	What does your hell look like, be it physical or spiritual? Draw a picture of hell.
	If you believe in a hell that is punishment for sinners, who should go?
	What purpose does the idea of hell serve - to frighten, to control?
	Why are people so fascinated with hell?
	If there is a heaven, must there be a hell?