Kevin Miller, the writer/director of “Hellbound?” was featured in the Washington Post in an article titled “Hell is a reality distortion field.” He challenges us to consider that what we believe about hell or anything else is partially conditioned by many things other than just the Bible. This reality distortion field prevents us from considering other views seriously because we are so locked into our respective points of view. Greg often refers to this by saying “The map is not the territory” meaning that we often react to our ideas about things rather than the thing itself. Kevin’s article is a call to approach truth claims with humility, knowing that to some extent or another we are all unable to see the assumptions that keep us distanced from what is real.
Check out the film Hellbound? if you can. It’s a remarkable, thought-provoking look at the various views of hell (especially the traditional view of hell as eternal, conscious torment and the universalist view that all will eventually be saved) and the real-life consequences of those views, especially in terms of our willingness to participate in violence and our attitudes towards others.