Reply #9: I don't believe in hell...

[CoffeeCat]

...hell is a fabrication--a construct created by organized religion.

I don't believe in most religion--because the majority of it has nothing
to do with spirituality.

I do believe that there is something "else". A while back, I went through
a traumatic time. I didn't believe in God and I had accepted, with peace,
that there is no life after death--and that what we have now--is the entire game.

I wasn't afraid, and I really didn't think about it that much. However, as I began
healing and shedding my past--I had some very intense, spiritual experiences. It's
very hard to describe. I had to go to some pretty terrifying places as I healed
from childhood trauma, but the upshot is the sense of peace and self-awareness that
the experience catalyzed. It's hard to describe, but I truly felt as if there
was something else, and that we're all connected to it--and that we are all very
spiritual beings. However, life on this planet covers up our true selves with layers
of junk--that bury our "authentic self"--or the part of us that can rec'v that
higher power and peace.

That probably sounds nuts, but it's what I experienced---when I wasn't looking for it
or even needing it.

Since then, most religion seems synthetic. Religion can be used as a crutch--keeping
people from being their "authentic selves", and religion helps others to lead more
enriched and compassionate lives. However, the framework is based on loads of guesses.

We're all spiritual beings. Religion is a product of human beings sensing that something
"more". Through the years, it's become distorted. Hell is one of those distortions.

Who knows. I don't pretend to know all of the answers--or any answers for that matter.

I think it's wonderful that you were able to forgive your stepfather. You are a
very compassionate and insightful person. You've obviously peeled back your own
layers. Your stepfather sounds like he's weighted down by his--and never lived
his life without those layers. It sounds like--in your forgiveness--that you have
an understanding of his layers. I hope that has helped you find peace. Whatever
your stepfather did was not about you--it was about him.

Thanks for the thought-provoking post. :)