Burning issues of hell still being debated today
The popular 19th century speaker, Robert Green Ingersoll, once said: “I have concluded that I will never deliver a lecture in which I will not attack the doctrine of eternal pain … I want to impress it upon your minds, because the thing I wish to do in this world is to put out the fires of hell. I will keep on as long as there is one little red coal left in the bottomless pit. As long as the ashes are warm I shall denounce this infamous doctrine.” This was a hot topic in Ingersoll’s day, and continues to be a burning issue that kindles our imagination today.
Who sincerely believes in hell anymore, and why would they? Is it merely to see those who disagree with them severely punished? In my way of thinking, one’s belief in hell says everything about their belief in God. No one can honestly believe in a good god and believe in hell, at least as traditionally painted. I use the word “painted” because I think most of what we hear about a fiery place of punishment comes out of Renaissance art and literature, especially Dante’s “Inferno.” Gazing at Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings, Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” and Botticelli’s circular “Map of Hell,” it’s easy to see how people get their fanciful mental pictures of divine punishment. (Hollywood plays a part, of course.) Then there’s the horror of the Book of Revelation – blood, gore and war in the eternal battle of good versus evil. The God side – the good side – wins (no surprise), but the majority of humanity ends up in the lake of fire and the forever furnace. Not a pretty picture, painting or poetic literature.
Who deserves something like hell?
On my mental list I would place anyone who harms the most innocent, vulnerable and poor in our world – human or non-human. Then I would add, anyone who preys on, or prays on, the most credulous believers, who fall under the spell of hellfire preachers terrorizing their flock with the tortures of a godforsaken underworld.
Speaking of the underworld, it seems our popular images of hell originate with Greek and Roman mythologies of the netherworld. If there’s an Olympus, where the good gods reside, there must be a mirror opposite, Hades, a dark and
The PG-rated film is about the true story of David Smallbone, a father of seven children, including Grammyaward winning artists Rebecca St. James and Joel and Luke Smallbone, better known as Christian duo “for King + Country.”
The movie, distributed by Lionsgate, follows the Smallbone family as they move from Australia to the United States for a brighter future after David’s music company collapses.
“With nothing more than their six children, their suitcases, and their love of music, David (played by for King + Country’s Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives from the ground up,” the movie’s synopsis reads. “Based on a remarkable true story, a mum’s faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs.”
How did Brown get the ‘Unsung Hero’ role?
Brown said he first found out about the movie after coming across a link online featuring the actors starring in the film, which led him to another link where he could sign up for notifications and information regarding the filming.
Eventually, he received an email that contained dates and times that extras would be needed to film scenes in Nashville, Tennessee, leading Brown to jump at the opportunity.
While he was originally supposed to be in three scenes, Brown only ended up being in one due to production cuts and changes that were made, though he said the scene he is in is the most important of the movie.
“It’s the scene where the lead character has finally reached the pinnacle of her journey,” he said. “It’s the final scene where she gets to the point where she’s accomplished what she goes out for.”
Brown is a dispatcher for Marian University, a Roman Catholic school in Indianapolis, which he said was more than willing to let him take time off work to film the scenes.
Faith is a big part of Brown’s identity
In addition to his employer, Brown also credited a higher power for everything that’s happened to him in life.
“My faith means everything to me. Without my faith, I don’t have anything,” he said. “Honestly, that’s probably the way I found the time is because of Jesus Christ, because he knew how bad I wanted to do this.
“I only got to do the one scene out of the three, but I felt like the good Lord above is the one that kind of made it work for me to at least to get one scene. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to do half the things I do in life.”
“It’s a great movie,” Brown said. “Even if the people who want to see the movie don’t really have religion or don’t know what their religion is or are indecisive on what they believe in, the movie is full of real-life scenarios that all of us humans go through.”