Hell? No!

Supposedly Pope Francis made the statement that Hell doesn’t exist. We say “supposedly” because the source for this quote, a leading Italian newspaper, has allegedly, and by the admission of its publisher, in the past printed comments that supposedly came from Francis but which he never actually said. That makes the whole thing suspect, but if it did happen, if Francis actually did say that, it’s big news. Not that the Pope, or any other human, gets to decide whether such a realm or condition does or does not exist, but because it marks a reversal in 2000 years worth of dogma.

This being an entertainment site, it is hardly the place for a discussion of theological hermeneutics (there’s your big word for the day), but the existence or lack thereof of an underworld or dark dimension does have bearing on the existence of werewolves. If there is no such place, of any sort, then the sensible extrapolation is that there are no evil spirits of any sort, either, which is kinda hard to believe. It’s way easier to believe in no spiritual plane of existence at all than to believe that there is one from which good originates but not the inverse. Just watch the news if you have any doubts about the existence of evil.

The whole debate regarding Hell is above my pay grade. “Hell” is actually a pagan term, not a Christian one; the New Testament in its original form either makes mention of the underworld of Greek mythology, Hades, or has Jesus using the term “Gehenna,” which was (is) an actual geographical location, the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, which was considered cursed because in the past human sacrifices of children had taken place there. Thus the ancient Jews used it as a garbage dump. The pre-Christian concept of the underworld, a place called Sheol, was a place where all the dead were believed to reside, not just the wicked. All three terms were translated into English as “Hell,” which is actually the name of the Viking underworld, usually spelled with just one L. And the ruler of this underworld, Hela, is the character portrayed by Cate Blanchett in the latest THOR movie.

Confused yet?

By The Evil Cheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 MORTUI VELOCES SUNT!

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